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GENERAL SCHOOL GARDEN RESOURCES

Comprehensive school garden resources

School Garden Wizard | US & Chicago Botanic Gardens created this site to help K-12 schools plan and create school gardens.  Topics include tips on how to plan, create, teach, and sustain the garden.

KidsGardening.org | Created by the National Gardening Association.  Features tons of resources including lesson plans, grant opportunities, and a kids gardening store.

www.growing-minds.org | Growing Minds, a program of ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project), has lots of ideas and lesson plans for the preschool audience. They provide trainings to Head Start and preschool teachers - how to integrate school gardens, taste tests, farm field trips/farmer visits into the curriculum.

Life Lab | Tons of great resources including curriculum ideas, how to start a school garden, and examples of successful programs.

Tips & Techniques for Teaching Outdoors | Brief list of 10 tips created by the Environmental Educators (EE) Alliance. Lettuce Learn's favorite is TIP #8: Recruit “Outdoor Classroom Parents.”

Designing a school garden

Life Lab's Photo Albums | Categories of design ideas from compost structures to plant labels.  Plus links to Pinterest!

Maintaining a school garden

Summer in the Garden | A resource for working with volunteers, planning garden tasks, making a garden maintenance plan, and much more.  Created by two garden coordinators working at a Portland school garden.

Safety Resources for school gardens

Safety Guidelines for Youth Working in Gardens | A comprehensive booklet intended to provide recommendations for protecting the health and safety of children working in and visiting gardens.  Created by The National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS).  

Grants & Fundraising

Community Ground Works | School garden grant opportunities updated monthly.  Based in Wisconsin but provides links to national and regional grant programs.

Healthy Fundraising | A list of healthy school fundraising ideas that go beyond candy bars, sugary popcorn, and cookie sales.  Compiled by Western Growers Foundation.

PRESCHOOL RESOURCES

Great Resources for Pre-K learning garden 

farmtopreschool.org | a comprehensive site on all things related to preschool learning gardens.
 

Growing Farm-to-Preschool | A four page "how-to" guide focused on creating a statewide farm-to-preschool program. Created by Ecotrust (2014), a Portland based.

Georgia Organics: Farm to Preschool
Portland State University just released a new curriculum that is very comprehensive and you should definitely check it out: www.harvestforhealthykids.org

Engaging Children in STEM education early!
A comprehensive yet brief article explaining the importance of engaging children early with science, technology, engineering, and math.

Natural Start Alliance
The Natural Start Alliance is a coalition of educators, parents, organizations, and others who want to help young children connect with nature and care for the environment. Natural Start is a project of the North American Association for Environmental Education.

Tips for volunteers in a Pre-K learning garden 

Teaching 4-year olds to feel better | NPR Ed


Tips for teaching 3-4 year olds in an outdoor setting:
Always state the rules of the game clearly. Preschoolers are very hyperactive and can easily wander about, so keep them in check consistently. State the rules and make the norms clear as often as possible throughout the day, especially during teaching sessions.

Catch them doing the right things. As with toddlers, preschoolers need affirmation. Always make specific comments that show that you appreciate their virtuous acts.

Some Basic Tips for Gardeners Working with Kids

• A picture is worth a thousand words. Never tell kids something you could show them.
  
• Young kids have a very short attention span. Make sure that youhave lots of options available so they can get started immediately and stay busy. Digging holes is one thing that seems to hold endless fascination.
  
• Instant gratification helps a lot. Plant radishes even if you don't like them-they come up in three or four days.
  
• Growing their own will generally get kids to try eating things they otherwise wouldn't walk into the same room with.
  
• GETTING DIRTY IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF GROWING UP.
  
• Your role should be as facilitator, rather than as a leader who imposes direction. Be a good model.
  
• When giving out supplies to several kids, try to keep seeds, tools, etc. as similar as possible to avoid the inevitable squabbles.

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