Students are prepared with knowledge of rules, terms, and tools of working in a garden. From decomposers to soil composition, from seeds to seasons, from growing their own food to the interconnections of the ecosystem, students build new vocabulary, learn new skills and develop an appreciation for how plants grow and their role in making it happen.

We started with communication and goal setting with teachers. A series of lessons was created related to ELA/SS thematic units “Facing Challenges & Change”, “Scenes to reveal Point of view” and Science/Math units on plant science.

Topics were covered through hands-on gardening workshops combined with journaling and science activities and worksheets.

The teachers were able to use provided worksheets to substitute lessons in their classroom or as templates to create their own supplemental sheets.

The 5th graders, ready to almost graduate but still wanting to contribute to their school started a school beautification project on school grounds.

Students explored topics through experiments with seed growth, observation of plant structure and parts, the importance of green spaces, and how we interact within those spaces.