The Joy of Gardening

The Joy of Gardening

Kim Ragan, OTAS

Southern Illinois Collegiate Common Market

Group Intervention Plan Outline

Group Title: "The Joy of Gardening"

Author: Kim Ragan, OTAS

Frame of Reference: The frame of reference for this group is developmental. The group will learn basic gardening techniques and participate in the occupation of gardening. The tasks are gradually graded up to increase skill mastery in the occupation of basic gardening.

Purpose: This group is designed to teach the basic elements needed for plant growth, the successful growing of plants, and to establish enjoyment of gardening.

Group membership and size: "The Joy of Gardening" is designed to for the developmental/cognitive challenged population to give them the opportunity to experience different gardening projects/activities and to learn basic elements about plants. Functional and behavioral level must be high enough to enable successful participation in the group and group goals. Low functional levels below an Allen's cognitive level of three and individuals with behavioral problems should be excluded from the group setting. Group members must have the ability to get along with each other. The group has four members.

Group Goals:

1. Demonstrate to the members the basic elements that plants need to grow like soil, nutrients, water, and sunlight. Demonstrate how plants sprout and grow from seeds.

2. Demonstrate to the members how to plant containers using various planting media.

3. Assist the members to successfully plant, water, and grow their own plants in various containers and media.

4. Explore different types of plants and have members list choices of which types of plants that they would like to grow.

5. Engage members in the occupation of gardening and let them demonstrate their interest in gardening activities.

6. Demonstrate safe gardening techniques and take precautions for allergies from stinging/biting insects and poisonous plants.

7. Engage members in vegetable gardening and the satisfaction of growing their own vegetables for food.

8. Enable members to list choices in gardening projects and different crafts that they can use to personalize their own gardening spaces.

Rationale, limitations, adaptions:

The group has developmental/cognitive limitations and must be supervised to engage in the occupation of gardening. Instructions for the projects and activities must be kept simple for the group members to be successful in completing the activities. Assistance must be available for all the members in the group to keep them from becoming frustrated. The purpose of the group is to enable them to explore the purposeful activity of gardening and to reap the enjoyment and satisfaction of growing various kinds of plants like flowers and vegetables. Adaptions in tool use must be made for safe use of sharp gardening tools and group members will require supervision while using these tools. Safety precautions like not eating plants, allergic reactions, or engaging stinging/biting insects while outside must also be considered.

Outcome Criteria:

1. Give the group members a list of choices on the plants and activities that they would like to do for their own garden space.

2. The purpose of the activities/projects is for all of the group members to gain a sense of pride, accomplishment, and ownership in their work.

3. All of the members of the group should have an interest, enjoy the occupation of gardening, and want to continue pursuing different aspects of gardening.

Method: Structured group activities will be used for teaching gardening principles. The activities are graded for the lower developmental/cognitive level of the group. The instructions will be simple and an example of the finished project will be presented at the beginning of the group meeting. The leader will demonstrate step by step instructions for each project and assist all members of the group in each step of the process to successfully finish each project. The leadership style will be directive to show and demonstrate directions for the all of the gardening projects.

Time and place of meeting: The group will meet at 10:00 am for 45-minutes each week for 6 weeks at the M. A. P. Training Center at 5047 th St. Karnak, IL 62956. The room selected for the projects/activities should be free from noise and distractions. The room should have a table with five chairs for the leader and all the group members to gather around. Lining the table with newspapers for easy cleanup would be ideal to work on planting projects. Plants can be taken outside for watering. Outside gardening, projects should be done when the weather is nice.

Supplies and Cost: Unit Price Total

4 pair of crock/shoes─Session #1 $ 2.00 $ 8.00

8 dry/quarts potting soil $ 3.87 $ 3.87

25 plants for containers $11.97 $23.94

4 pairs of gardening gloves $ 1.97 $ 7.88

4 plastic cups $ 3.00 $ 3.00

Total cost $46.79

4 10" plastic pots─Session #2 $ 3.95 $15.80

1 set of permanent markers to decorate pots $ 7.95 $ 7.95

2 packages flower seeds $ 2.00 $ 2.00

1 cubic foot potting soil $14.09 $14.09

8 oz. of packing peanuts free free

Total cost $16.09

4-lb bag organic fertilizer─Session