Seeds: School Garden Programing

Garden Classrooms offer a range of benefits for students and school communities. Growing edibles and working the soil promotes good nutrition and mental and physical wellness, while understanding plants and ecosystems encourages a broader environmental stewardship. Furthermore, garden based lessons can bring a range of science, math and cultural lessons to life, allowing for multiple learning styles and interdisciplinary practices. A garden classroom is much more than an extracurricular opportunity but rather a valuable resource to be integrated into the existing school structure and curriculum. I have knowledge and experience working with elementary school students and teachers in addition to adapting garden maintenance and growing to schools unique needs and calendar.

Servicing schools and districts south central Connecticut

Seeds Services

  • Building and Planting a Garden Classroom.

    Each school and school space is unique and we begin with a garden consultation to explore resources, aspect and needs. This is followed by a garden design and templates for fundraising and community support opportunities for installation as well as tips to ensure sustainability of the garden for the future.

  • Garden Based Learning

    I provide lesson plans and hands on instruction to enhance and integrate into existing curriculum. The garden classroom is a vibrant space for enacting the Next Generation Science Standards for each grade level. In addition to engaging core principles, gardening is also a playground for observation and experimentation based learning practices that can engage students that struggle in traditional classroom education.

  • Keep it Growing

    The school calendar and the needs of garden curriculum dictate a unique planting and maintenance structure for school gardens. While I encourage garden design, planting plans and trouble shooting tips to best minimize excess garden labor, I am here to help ensure that gardens neither become overgrown and neglected, not barren empty planter boxes.

  • Teacher Training

    You do not have to be a great gardener to be a great garden educator. Teacher training allows your school to get the most out of this space but first and foremost familiarizing educators with the best practices of garden education, how to turn failures into learning opportunities, and the many broad opportunities to use the space. Garden maintenance can become learning tools with a little know how.

Get Growing!