In the garden Word Search

Use it before planting, during a school garden session or on a rainy day when you cannot go out. Three levels share the theme. Take the sheet outside and have children find each item in the garden. For your own plot, use My own words and type up to 30 plants and tools. Give each child a different sheet using the 5 versions switch. Solve online works on a tablet in the garden shed.

The list covers tools, creatures, weather and plants, so a child sees the whole garden as a system. Easy words such as BEE, HOE and MUD are short and concrete. Medium brings ROOT, SOIL, WORM and RAIN, the basics of how a plant grows. Hard adds SPROUT, GROWTH, BLOSSOM and WATERING, words that describe change over time. Children may confuse BUG, BUD and BUSH because they look alike, so slow reading of each letter helps.

At ages 4 to 6, use Easy and let them touch the real object whenever possible. Grades 1 to 3 can try Medium. Hard suits grade 4 and up. Once everything is found, sort the words into living things, tools and weather. Keep the answer key for a stuck word.

Does the list include garden creatures?

Yes. BEE, ANT, WORM, BEETLE and LADYBUG are on the list, along with plant and tool words. It fits a lesson on garden helpers and pests.

Can I add the plants you are growing?

Yes. Switch to My own words and type up to 30 names, such as bean or tomato. The grid is rebuilt around them, and the answer key follows.

What can children do outside after the search?

Take the sheet to the garden and find a real example of each word, such as a leaf, a root or a bug. Tick it off on the page as they go.