Designing Dream Gardens

Overview

Age group: Entry Level 3 (typically 7-8 years old)
Class size: 10 students
Duration: 50 minutes
Unit: Exploring Garden Wonders (Lesson 3 of 7)
Lesson title: Designing Our Dream Garden

National Curriculum Links

This lesson supports the following areas of the National Curriculum for England:

Art and Design

Use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination. (KS1 Art and Design – Explore and Use a Variety of Artistic Effects)
Develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space.
Learn about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describe the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and make links to their own work.

Science (Plants) - Years 1 & 2 (linked to Entry Level 3 objectives)

Identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees.
Describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants, including trees.
Understand how plants need water, light and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy.

English (Speaking & Listening)

Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

Use art materials confidently to draw and colour their own dream garden, applying elements such as plants, flowers, trees, and garden features.
Recall and incorporate garden elements and plant types discussed in previous lessons.
Talk about and explain their dream garden design to peers, using appropriate vocabulary.
Develop creativity and imagination inspired by nature and garden environments.

Resources

Drawing paper (A4 or larger)
Colouring pencils, crayons, watercolour paints, and brushes
Examples of garden plants and features posters/photos from previous lessons
Whiteboard and markers
Name tags for students
Sticky notes or small cards for vocabulary words (e.g. flower, tree, pond, butterfly)

Lesson Structure

1. Starter Activity (10 minutes) - Recall and Visualisation

Greet students and remind them briefly about the previous lessons (plants, garden features, and animals).
Show quick pictures/posters of different common garden elements (flowers, trees, insects, garden furniture).
Ask pupils to name as many garden things as they can remember. Write their ideas on the whiteboard.
Select 3 vocabulary cards to review, discussing meanings together, encouraging clear pronunciation and understanding.

2. Introduction to Main Activity (5 minutes) - Planning Our Garden

Explain that today they will create a picture of their perfect garden using drawing and colouring.
Model how to start with a simple garden outline (grass, sky) and add a plant or a feature.
Prompt with questions: “What do you want in your garden? Flowers? Trees? A pond? Maybe a bench to sit on?”
Encourage using their imagination while including things they've learned.

3. Main Activity (30 minutes) - Designing the Dream Garden

Distribute drawing materials.
Students draw their dream garden, using a range of art materials to create colourful, detailed images.
Teachers circulate to support, ask questions about their choices, encourage stencil/tracing if needed to build confidence.
Encourage use of labels or simple sentences to describe parts of their garden on paper for literacy integration (“This is a red rose.”)
Optionally, pair weaker and stronger students to encourage peer support and discussion.

4. Sharing and Reflecting (5 minutes) - Gallery Walk and Discussion

Arrange drawings around the room for a ‘gallery walk’.
Pupils walk around in pairs or small groups, commenting positively on each other’s work.
Invite volunteers to share their favourite part of their garden design and say why they included that item.
Give positive, specific feedback, highlighting creativity and vocabulary use.

Assessment

Formative assessment during activity: Observe student engagement with art materials and recall of garden vocabulary.
Speaking assessment: Listen to pupils’ descriptions during sharing to assess vocabulary and sentence formulation.
Artistic expression: Evaluate the creativity and effort in their garden designs, noting use of colour, form, and inclusion of garden elements.

Differentiation

Support: Provide stencils, pre-printed garden templates, or labelled vocabulary cards for students with additional needs.
Challenge: Encourage some students to write a short sentence or title about a part of their garden or explain a reason why it’s important.
Physical Needs: Offer large-grip crayons or adapted tools for students with fine motor challenges.

Extension Ideas for Homework or Next Lesson

Create a mini plant diary: draw a plant in their garden and note what it needs to grow.
Collect natural items (leaves, petals) from outdoors and bring to class for a collage in next lesson.

Teacher Reflection Notes

Were students engaged and confident using a range of drawing tools?
Did most students incorporate learned vocabulary?
How effective was peer discussion in developing speaking skills?
Adjust pacing to allow more sharing time if needed or provide additional support resources.

This lesson creatively integrates Art, Science, and English, consolidating prior learning and stimulating imagination, well-aligned to the National Curriculum’s aims for a broad and balanced education at Entry Level 3.