Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

The Great Garden Detective Adventure: A Standards-Based Gardening Nutrition Curriculum for Grades 3 and 4

Cover of the Great Garden Detective Adventure Curriculum

Discover what fruits and vegetables are sweetest, crunchiest, and juiciest through a series of investigations and fun experiences connecting the school garden to the classroom, school cafeteria, and home. This eleven-lesson curriculum for 3rd and 4th grades includes bulletin board materials, veggie dice, fruit and vegetable flash cards, and ten issues of Garden Detective News for parents/caregivers.

Availability

All are welcome to download these materials and make copies. If you have difficulty opening any of these files in your Internet browser, please right-click on the link and "save link as."

Cover, Acknowledgments, and Table of Contents
Getting Started with The Great Garden Detective Adventure
Lesson 1: Use Your Five Senses Lesson
Lesson 2: Dig for Dirt
Lesson 3: Investigate Like a Super Sleuth
Lesson 4: Decipher the Secret Vegetable Code
Lesson 5: Trace the Fruit and Vegetable Trail
Lesson 6: Unravel Clues in the Cafeteria
Lesson 7: Reveal Family Recipe Favorites
Lesson 8: Uncover Tasty
Lesson 9: Explore a Flavor Mystery
Lesson 10: Discover Berry Sweet Evidence
Lesson 11: Celebrate the Sleuths' Mystery Dinner
Garden Detective Recipe Template
Appendix A. Social Cognitive Theory Elements
Appendix B. Curriculum Standards by Lesson
Appendix C. Gardening Resources
Appendix D. Curriculum Tools
Be a Garden Detective! Bulletin Board Instructions
Be a Garden Detective! Bulletin Board Pieces
Garden Detective Journal Cover
Detective Veggie Dice
Fruit and Vegetable Flash cards
Photographs or Mature Plants
Great Garden Detective Certificate
Garden Detective News: Issue 1
Garden Detective News: Issue 2
Garden Detective News: Issue 3
Garden Detective News: Issue 4
Garden Detective News: Issue 5
Garden Detective News: Issue 6
Garden Detective News: Issue 7
Garden Detective News: Issue 8
Garden Detective News: Issue 9
Garden Detective News: Issue 10

Page updated: December 28, 2022