Plant A Garden

Who can resist planting some flowers when the weather turns sunny in the springtime? Here is an activity that lets you plant a garden without getting hot, sweaty, and sunburned. Best of all, it is switch accessible, and comes with its own IntelliKeys® overlay, so that all students can participate.

Students are cued to pick the correct garden implement or materials for each step, and IntelliMation® carries out the action as they loosen the soil, rake it smooth, shake out the seeds, cover them with dirt, water carefully, and wait for the sun to cause the seeds to sprout. Each action is initiated from a toolbar which pictures the proper tools and materials. If a child clicks on the wrong button, feedback will give more information and cue the child toward the correct choice.

Then the real fun begins, as students see the flowers grow and bloom, and butterflies come to the flowers! Since this is a Learning Magic garden, of course these are magic flowers. Children can use a toolbar to choose a color for each flower.

When the flower scene is complete, they are invited to write a message, print out a picture of their beautiful flower garden, and send it to a friend. An online keyboard and word bank are included on the writing page for students who can benefit by these aids. The vocabulary of "Plant A Garden" is second grade to early third grade level.

Required Software: IntelliTools Classroom Suite Player® or IntelliPics Studio 3®.