Ignite children’s prior knowledge by discussing home or local community gardens that they are familiar with. It may also be helpful to introduce this unit by reading a book about garden settings or viewing images of garden settings online. The overall aim of the unit is to create a classroom display of a garden using the activities as starting points. Be as creative as you can! 

Session 1: Up the garden path

In this session students will explore shapes that tessellate or repeat to cover the plane without gaps or overlaps. Although the students will only be covering a strip (path) any covering of a path can be used to tessellate the plane simply by putting paths together.

1. Explain to the students that they have the task of building a garden path. If possible, show them examples of garden paths in the local area. Use online images if no real-world examples are available. 
2. Ask students to build a path using shape blocks. All the shapes must fit together without any gaps. Students are to select 1 or 2 shapes to build their path. The path needs to have at least 3 or 4 rows of blocks. 
3. Students draw the paths they have created (or take digital photos) and present them to the class, describing the shapes that they have selected.
4. Create garden designs around the paths. 
   

Session 2: Bugs, Beetles and Butterflies

In this session students will be investigating line symmetry by making butterflies out of coloured paper.

1. Show pictures of native butterflies such as the Red Admiral (Kahukura) or Rauparaha's Copper. Look at the wings and discuss reflective symmetry.
2. Ask students to make their own butterflies by folding and cutting.
   
3. Encourage them to cut out pieces in the wings to add detail.
4. Ask students to share their work and talk about the reflective symmetry it contains.
5. Extend the activity to making other native bugs and beetles such as the Huhu Beetle or Puriri Moth by folding and cutting.
6. If adapting using the marae as the context, symmetrical tekoteko could be made in the same way. If using a skate park as the context, symmetrical people and dogs could be created.

Session 3: Butterfly Painting

In this session students will make symmetrical butterflies with paint. Refer to the pictures of native butterflies from the previous session as inspiration.

1. Fold a piece of paper in half. On one half draw the outline of half of a butterfly. Create designs on this half of the wings with paint. Carefully fold the other half of the paper onto the wet paint. Unfold it to get a symmetrical pattern.
2. Ask students to share their work and talk about the reflective symmetry it contains.
3. Students could then make other bugs and beetles for the garden using the same technique.

Session 4: The Flower Garden

In this session students will be introduced to making symmetrical patterns with shape blocks. The theme for this lesson is flowers for the garden, so showing the students images of flowers and reading or viewing a story about flowers would be beneficial. Sunflowers would be a great example of a flower to use in this session.

1.  Give students a piece of paper with a line drawn down the middle.
2. Students use shape blocks to make half of a flower pattern on one side of the line. They give this pattern to a partner who has to then repeat the pattern on the other side of the line making sure that it is symmetrical.
   
3. Ask students to trace around the shape blocks to make the petal shapes. Coloured paper could be used to cut out the petals. Glue the petals onto the paper to make symmetrical flowers.
4. This activity could be extended by encouraging students to create their own symmetrical designs. They could experiment with cutting the paper shapes in half to create other pieces for their designs.
5. These could then be displayed alongside the path designs from Session 1.

Session 5: The Garden Wall

In this session introduce students to the idea of translation. Students will be making tiles for the garden wall. Introduce the activity by showing them examples of some wall tiles from the local area.

1. Give each student a piece of square grid paper, for example a 4x4 grid. Students are to draw a design by colouring in the squares to make a pattern.
2. They make 3 or 4 copies of this pattern.
3. Stick these in a row to make a row of tiles with repeating patterns.
   
4. These could then be displayed above the flowers made in the activity from Session 4.
5. This session could be extended by encouraging students to use more grid squares or by creating more complex designs within each grid.
6. If adapting using the marae as the context, students could make tukutuku panels for a wharenui by showing them some examples and then having them copy and translate some of the patterns they have seen.

Session 6: Wind Catcher in the Garden

In this session students will make a wind catcher, which illustrates rotation, as an ornament for the garden .

1. Give each student a square piece of paper.
2. Fold the square along its diagonals.
3. Make cuts along the diagonals leaving about 1 cm uncut at the centre of the square.
4. Take one of the cut ends at each corner and fold into the centre.
5. Repeat this at each corner.
6. Pin the folded pieces together with a split pin.
7. Put a little piece of blue tack onto the back of the pin to hold the pieces in place.
8. Attach the pin to a stick or paper straw.
9. Blow to watch it rotate.
   
   Cut along lines in first image

Note: The wind catcher has rotational symmetry but not reflective symmetry. This is because it can be rotated around onto itself but it doesn't have a line of symmetry in the plane.

Other Ideas

• Make designs for a dinner set for a picnic in the garden. Students could design a pattern for the pieces in the dinner set. The Willow Pattern story and plates could be used as motivation for this. Patterns around the edges of the plates would need to be repeating patterns. This could also be adapted to include Māori or Pasifika desgins.
• Paint patterns around the rim of pots. These designs could include Māori and Pasifika aspects. Plants could be planted in these pots.
• Make a patchwork picnic tapa cloth with designs in each patch piece. This could be made out of paper or fabric. The patch pieces could show a tessellation or reflective symmetry of Māori or Pasifika designs.
• Have a touch table in your classroom of items from nature that show symmetry and transformation (for example, leaves, flowers, insects). These could be added to by the students in your class (see whānau link). Encourage students to bring fallen things rather than harming our environment. 
• Go to your school or community kāri/garden and notice any natural symmetry and transformation. Or use online images of kāri/gardens from around Aotearoa. Draw pictures of what you see and label any symmetry and/or transformation.