Measuring time
The purpose of this resource is to provide suggestions to whānau about how they can facilitate maths conversations about time when gardening.
About this resource
This section provides some ideas for how you can raise awareness and share mathematics using everyday experiences and resources found around your home. It includes ideas for supporting your children’s learning in all areas of mathematics: geometry, measurement, statistics, algebra, and number.
This page provides suggestions as to how mathematics conversations about time can be facilitated through gardening.
Measuring time
Gardening is also about timing and planning. Children can learn lots about time, seasons, months, and weeks by keeping track of what is happening in their garden on a calendar. Calendars with big squares that can be written on are available at discount stores. When you plant something, help your child record this on a calendar, and then check the seed packet for information about germination, harvesting, etc. Together, you can figure out when they should see sprouts and when you may be able to harvest. Talk about days, weeks, and months, explaining that each week has 7 days or that a fortnight is two weeks.
Children can also record when the flowers appear on fruit trees or plants and then how long it takes for the fruit to be ready to eat. Which takes longer to mature: lemons or apples? Peas or tomatoes? How much longer?
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