Introduction
With demands for more instructional time in the classroom, teachers have less time to dedicate toward coordinating the school garden and, as a result, require support mechanisms. When surveyed, gardening teachers with adequate support were more enthusiastic about the potential of school gardens than teachers who did not garden or lacked support (Graham & Zidenberg-Cherr, 2005). Extension agents serve as a valuable resource in providing teachers with in-service training and technical education to increase their ability to effectively use gardening as an instructional tool. There are numerous variables that directly affect the success and sustainability of a school garden. Barriers include complexity of school gardens, proficiencies with Florida-specific gardening, and availability of resources and knowledge about garden management. As teachers are already overextended with existing responsibilities, it is important to streamline the process of finding school garden resources. Extension agents can bridge these barriers by assisting in the procurement of appropriate resources, fostering collaborative opportunities, and providing education and technical support. Extension's vision is to foster enthusiasm among teachers for school garden programs by removing the barriers that impede the use of the school garden as an instructional tool.
This document provides an outline of important resources to help in the development and sustainability of a school garden program. Resource categories include Extension support, garden planning, curricula, and funding.
Extension Support Resources
There are a diverse set of Extension agents that can provide support to your school garden program. The support can range from supplemental education to technical assistance. Table 1 describes the types of available assistance from UF/IFAS Extension faculty and staff.
Table 1. Types of Extension resources available to teachers.
|
Type of Assistance |
Appropriate Contacts |
Website |
|---|---|---|
|
Florida-specific gardening educational workshops and technical assistance |
Horticulture Agent, Master Gardeners, Horticulture Program Assistant/Coordinators | |
|
Garden-based nutrition education |
Family Nutrition Program (FNP) Educators | |
|
Florida-specific gardening education and resources (i.e., seeds, transplants, soil) |
Family Nutrition Program (FNP) Food Systems Specialists |
Garden Planning
Planning a garden is a difficult task. Understanding how to get started provides a solid foundation for a sustainable school garden program. The resources below will help to inform and guide the planning efforts for various school garden programs (Table 2).
Table 2. Guides for garden program planning.
|
Organization |
Description |
Website |
|---|---|---|
|
Life Lab |
A guide for creating school gardens as outdoor classrooms. The guide is available to download digitally in English or Spanish. | |
|
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services—Farm to School |
The School Garden Guide—Starting and Sustaining a School Garden in Florida provides a step-by-step process for getting the garden in the ground. | |
|
Florida Ag in the Classroom |
The School Garden Resources website provides a garden planning guide and worksheets. | |
|
UF/IFAS Extension Grow to Learn |
This accessible format will guide you, step-by-step, through the stages of successful gardening, from shaping your vision of a garden to building, growing, maintaining, and sustaining it for the long-term. |
Curriculum
School gardening engages students by providing inquiry-based and experiential learning. School gardens serve as a valuable educational tool in science, math, English, reading, art, music, and social studies. Table 3 outlines curricula to promote garden-based educational activities that address a variety of standards.
Table 3. Curricula resources for garden-based experiential activities.
|
Curriculum Name |
Description |
Website |
|---|---|---|
|
The Growing Classroom |
Cross-mapped activities to relevant Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core Math and Language Arts Content Standards (available in English and Spanish) | |
|
The Edible Schoolyard Project |
An extensive database to search for lesson plans and garden and kitchen classroom activities. An online library contains 6th, 7th, and 8th grade garden and kitchen lessons. | |
|
Learn, Grow, Eat, Go |
An interdisciplinary program that combines academic achievement, gardening, nutrient-dense food experiences, physical activity, and school and family engagement. | |
|
Harvest of the Month |
A collection of instructional materials highlighting a different Florida fruit or vegetable that is in season during that month. | |
|
Gardening for Grades |
An online teacher resource center. Curriculum resources include Gardening for Grades, hands-on lessons correlated to education standards. | |
|
Gardening for Nutrition |
A comprehensive guide for Florida educators designed to teach health, science, language arts, math, and more using a school garden. |
Funding
While lack of funds is often sighted as a barrier to school garden programs, there are in fact several grant opportunities available. There are a range of opportunities that provide financial resources for garden materials, education, and other supplies. Table 4 outlines some of the opportunities that can be leveraged for a school garden program.
Table 4. Grant opportunities that support school gardens.
Reference
Graham, H., & Zidenberg-Cherr, S. (2005). California teachers perceive school gardens as an effective nutritional tool to promote healthful eating habits. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 105(11), 1797–1800. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2005.08.034