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Kindergarten through Grade 8 Resources including elementary education science lesson plans.

Harry Potter's Plant Science Lesson Plans

Science lesson plans held lots of fun and excitement for Harry, Ron and Hermione in the greenhouse at Hogwarts school. Each science lesson plan about plants studied with other classmates from Gryffindor and Slytherin House taught them much about the care for living things in their world. Although their world differs a great deal from ours, we need to understand the importance of plant life in our world too.

There are many different types of plants that can be incorporated into your lesson plans. Some plants thrive in dry sunny areas while other prefer shade and more moisture. Some species can withstand colder climates, while others can not. Some plants do indeed seem to be magical, such as the Venus Fly Catcher. Why do some plants live for many years and others survive only one season before wilting and dying? These many facets of plant life should be addressed in your plant science lesson plans.

Science lesson plans can also include actual student gardens with a hands-on approach as did those lessons at Hogarts with Harry Potter and his friends. An area in your school yard can be fenced off for a gardening club. Students can learn how to plant vegetables and flowers, to care for them and to harvest them. Your lessons can include the proper use of gardening tools for cultivation as well as the importance of composting. A teacher friend of mind has done this at her school quite successfully for many years. Parent volunteers are helpful, especially Dads for the heavier work. Local nurseries have helped supply topsoil, fertilizers and mulches. Flowers are picked for bouquets each June for the school tea. And during the summer time, students and their families share in weekly assignments of watering, weeding, harvesting and caring for the garden.

There are many aspects of gardening and plant knowledge that can be incorporated into your science lesson plans. The children love getting their hands dirty and are amazed each week as they watch their garden grow. This hands on approach will have a much greater learning experience than reading from a book.