- Whenever I meet another like-minded teacher or parent who is interested in garden-based learning or school gardens, I immediately steer them towards The Edible Schoolyard Project. This is an amazing organization spearheaded by renowned chef Alice Waters (Chez Panisse in San Francisco, anyone??). Her efforts to connect students with understanding their food sources and the process by which we acquire food, in addition to her advocacy for healthy and nutritious school lunches is truly inspirational. Click this link to The Edible Schoolyard Project website, where you'll find tons - TONS - of great information!
- KidsGardening.org is a resource of the National Gardening Association and is a fabulous website that provides garden curricula and lesson plans, family garden activities, links to grant opportunities, and many other awesome resources. In addition, KidsGardening.org has a catalog and online shop, where 100% - THAT'S 100%!!! - of the proceeds go to support youth garden grants. Can you say AWESOME?!
- If you live in California or Arizona, a website called The Collective School Garden Network run by the Western Growers Foundation is an awesome tool in helping schools build their own school gardens. Their website states that their mission is to "plant and sustain a fruit and vegetable garden in every willing Arizona and California school" - how great is that?! It gives readers step-by-step instructions and links to creating their own school gardens and implementing garden-based lessons. There's even a link to an OUTSTANDING, comprehensive, nation-wide curriculum database where you can search for myriad types of garden curriculums and themes! This is truly a precious resource for anyone interested in the benefits of school gardens and garden-based learning.
The
Atlanta-based Captain Planet Foundation was founded by Ted Turner in
1991 and now chaired by his daughter Laura Turner Seydel. The
Foundation supports high-quality, hands-on environmental stewardship
projects that have enabled more than 1.1M youth across the U.S. and
around the world make significant environmental improvements to their
schools or communities. - See more at:
http://captainplanetfoundation.org/about/#sthash.PCH9wj82.dpuf
- The Farm to School Network is "an information, networking and advocacy hub" dedicated to connecting communities and schools with fresh, healthy food and local food producers. This is a national organization of regional and state leads and network members working to "empower children and their families to make informed food choices while strengthening the local economy and contributing to vibrant communities" (farmtoschool.org). The website offers visitors resources regarding growing and sustaining school gardens, nutrition education, garden curriculum and much more. This is a passionate organization that truly believes in the power of equipping children and communities with knowledge about where their food comes from.
- According to their website, the Atlanta-based Captain Planet Foundation was "founded by Ted Turner in 1991 and is now chaired by his daughter Laura Turner Seydel. The foundation supports high-quality, hands-on environmental stewardship projects that have enabled more than 1.1 million youth across the United States and around the world to make significant environmental improvements to their schools or communities. In addition to its Small Grants Program, CPF is installing hundreds of Learning Gardens in public schools in Atlanda, Georgia and Ventura, California to introduce students to natural systems, food origins, life cycles, and the flavors of fresh fruits and vegetables. The program provides teachers with training on outdoor classroom management, standards-based curriculum, and lesson kits - so students can learn math, science, history, language arts and health - in the context of project-based learning in the garden." This organization and website is AWESOME for teachers or parents hoping to begin the process of garden-based learning. There is a variety of garden lessons for every grade level at the Learning Garden Program Curriculum Page, in addition to numerous helpful links for educators and parents at the Leadership Page such as small and special grant opportunities. Here's a fantastic video that summarizes the program:
- What if I told you there's a program that creates agriculture-based classroom lessons that are differentiated for each state's personal agricultural characteristics and traits? The National Agriculture in the Classroom website IS this wonderful resource! Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) offers teachers a comprehensive Curriculum Matrix - this matrix contextualizes national education standards in science, social studies, and nutrition education with relevant instructional resources linked to Common Core Standards. Educators are able to search lessons by keywords and by national standards. According to their website, AITC programs seek to improve student achievement by applying authentic, agricultural-based content as the context to teach core curriculum concepts in science, social studies, language arts and nutrition. The website states that by "encouraging teachers to embed agriculture into their classroom, AITC cultivates an understanding and appreciation of the food and fiber system that we all rely on every day." This is an expansive and valuable website that both students and teachers can utilize for a variety of goals.
- The Huntington is a world-renowned private, nonprofit institution that offers patrons an expansive research library, art collections, and beautiful botanical gardens to stroll and is just a few minutes away from where we are here in Southern California. This leads you to some of their Garden Lesson Plans!
Starting Your Own Garden - Resources and Links
When I began this project, I was incredibly lucky - there were already raised garden beds assembled and waiting for me and my first graders to begin. This is most definitely an anomaly - many times, educators who feel an intuitive calling to Garden-Based Learning do not have the resources, time, training, or help to create a garden and garden curriculum.
The following resources and links are included here to help aid educators who yearn to connect their students with the outdoors and meaningful learning experiences via a garden curriculum, but who do not have garden plots immediately available to them.
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map - use this tool to decipher your planting zone
School Garden Grants - Resources and Links
Garden Grants for the 2015 Growing Season via The Kitchen Community
Garden Grants via Garden ABCs
Youth Garden Grant via kidsgardening.org
School Garden Grants via Collective School Garden Network
The
Foundation supports high-quality, hands-on environmental stewardship
projects that have enabled more than 1.1M youth across the U.S. and
around the world make significant environmental improvements to their
schools or communities. - See more at:
http://captainplanetfoundation.org/about/#sthash.PCH9wj82.dpuf
The
Atlanta-based Captain Planet Foundation was founded by Ted Turner in
1991 and now chaired by his daughter Laura Turner Seydel. The
Foundation supports high-quality, hands-on environmental stewardship
projects that have enabled more than 1.1M youth across the U.S. and
around the world make significant environmental improvements to their
schools or communities.
In addition to its Small Grants Program, CPF is installing hundreds of Learning Gardens in public schools in Atlanta, GA and Ventura, CA to introduce students to natural systems, food origins, life cycles and the flavors of fresh fruits and vegetables. The program provides teachers with training on outdoor classroom management, standards-based curriculum, and lesson kits – so students can learn math, science, history, language arts and health – in the context of project-based learning in the garden.
- See more at: http://captainplanetfoundation.org/about/#sthash.PCH9wj82.dpuf
In addition to its Small Grants Program, CPF is installing hundreds of Learning Gardens in public schools in Atlanta, GA and Ventura, CA to introduce students to natural systems, food origins, life cycles and the flavors of fresh fruits and vegetables. The program provides teachers with training on outdoor classroom management, standards-based curriculum, and lesson kits – so students can learn math, science, history, language arts and health – in the context of project-based learning in the garden.
- See more at: http://captainplanetfoundation.org/about/#sthash.PCH9wj82.dpuf
The
Atlanta-based Captain Planet Foundation was founded by Ted Turner in
1991 and now chaired by his daughter Laura Turner Seydel. The
Foundation supports high-quality, hands-on environmental stewardship
projects that have enabled more than 1.1M youth across the U.S. and
around the world make significant environmental improvements to their
schools or communities.
In addition to its Small Grants Program, CPF is installing hundreds of Learning Gardens in public schools in Atlanta, GA and Ventura, CA to introduce students to natural systems, food origins, life cycles and the flavors of fresh fruits and vegetables. The program provides teachers with training on outdoor classroom management, standards-based curriculum, and lesson kits – so students can learn math, science, history, language arts and health – in the context of project-based learning in the garden.
- See more at: http://captainplanetfoundation.org/about/#sthash.PCH9wj82.dpuf
In addition to its Small Grants Program, CPF is installing hundreds of Learning Gardens in public schools in Atlanta, GA and Ventura, CA to introduce students to natural systems, food origins, life cycles and the flavors of fresh fruits and vegetables. The program provides teachers with training on outdoor classroom management, standards-based curriculum, and lesson kits – so students can learn math, science, history, language arts and health – in the context of project-based learning in the garden.
- See more at: http://captainplanetfoundation.org/about/#sthash.PCH9wj82.dpuf
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