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All of us have an interest in helping kids learn thru hands-on activities.

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In all the videos I watched, teachers were able to work with people outside of the schools to make learning more robust. Community involvement was a theme in all the videos.

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How has teaching your children impacted the growth of milkweed at your site? Is there a measurable increase in the amount of milkweed that is growing?

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By working together everyone was able to make their garden based learning successful. Community involvement is an integral part of a garden.

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to hear and see volunteers across the country interested in teaching children about gardening is very inspiring.

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to hear and see volunteers across the country interested in teaching children about gardening is very inspiring.

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Teacher engagement and support is critical to success.  Not only can they provide assistance during the actual class time if needed, but also to reinforce class objectives .

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Teacher engagement and support is critical to success.  Not only can they provide assistance during the actual class time if needed, but also to reinforce class objectives .

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A commom theme is student involvement.  Whether it be hands on experiences, or observations, an active learning model is key.

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A commom theme is student involvement.  Whether it be hands on experiences, or observations, an active learning model is key.

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I am overly impressed with how all of the class participants are always talking about collaboration. I think it is important to acknowledge how garden education can bring together all sorts of people and groups.

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All of the educators involved have had some barrier that they have overcome that has led to success. Whether it be Covid, grant necessity, or just convincing others to get the kids outside, these educators have overcame and excelled.

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Feeding Children Mentally and Physically

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Feeding Children Mentally and Physically

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Not only are the students learning academic skills and knowledge, but they are learning life skills (caring for and planting gardens). These skills can be applied to school and home life. Children are trying new foods and developing healthier habits, while learning academia. This seems to be a common theme.

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Chrissy- you mentioned tagging the monarch butterflies- I have heard of this, but have yet to do it. Any tips on how, or a certain brand to use?

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As a non-profit, we rely heavily on a volunteer base, not only in the children's area, but also throughout the gardens in general. Listening to these success stories gives me several ideas of reaching out to other organizations- such as the local master gardeners and gardening clubs- to help get more garden-educated volunteers. Also, becoming more adaptive and allowing imperfection is a goal I sometimes struggle with in the children's garden. So, I would like to become more flexible.

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many of us are working with limited budgets and resources. our program leaders jump through hoops and put in the work to receive grants, donations, and help from the community to provide a garden based education for youth

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whether its having teamwork with the members of a single organization or multiple groups working together it takes a community of people to form a robust garden and program

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often times we are told by higher ups that something positive "isn't in the budget". having the funding to establish these gardens helps remove that financial barrier and gather more support form higher up the ladder (principal, school board, board of directors, etc.)

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We've all heard "when will I ever use this?"  Usually about algebra.  But lessons from the garden provide real understanding of how academic subjects play out in the real world.  The hands on is both good for the body, but also for learning.  Most people learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning activity.

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Although we all come from different backgrounds and are at different stages in having school gardens, a common thread I noticed is the passion and dedication each person has to making the outdoor classroom successful.

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It takes the buy-in from teachers and administrators to allow the kids the time needed for the outdoor classroom.  It requires community involvement, whether from parents, master gardeners, or other volunteers to fill in and help out, especially when there is no school.

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The enjoyment and wonderment that it brings to the children.  The kids can share gardening at home and knowledge that will be used for the rest of their lives.

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For those who have summer programs I would like to know more about how this works. How long are the summer programs, any gaps in coverage?

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Hearing about the Farm to School grants and donations from local greenhouses, etc., gives me some ideas on how to achieve some of the monetary obstacles that are in the way.

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I am inspired to hear how many of the class participants are involved with a team from either the school or the community that contribute to the success of the garden.

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I am inspired to hear how many of the class participants are involved with a team from either the school or the community that contribute to the success of the garden.

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Every success story I listened to talked about the team of people who made the garden "go." gardening is hard work and a school garden is a big job. Using a team brings in fresh ideas, shares the work and makes it more fun for all. Plus, the more people are involved the more they spread the word about the garden.

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Several of the stories I heard talked about the small success story and they indicated that they want to do more. Having a plan is the first step!

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What has been the response of the families regarding the garden at the library and sending the plants home?

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It is essential to teach the teachers how to use the garden to teach their required content, otherwise it just becomes another task that is forced on teachers. A task that is unproductive and unappreciated.

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I am very inspired by a lot of people's help in different communities.

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I am very inspired by a lot of people's help in different communities.

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Teamwork is huge in making this a success.

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Teamwork is huge in making this a success.

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What I saw the most was how the teachers and community comes together. 

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What I saw the most was how the teachers and community comes together. 

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Do you have a specific age for your prgram?

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Do you have a specific age for your prgram?

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We rely heavily on volunteers. Without this great group of people our summer programs wouldn't exist. 

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We rely heavily on volunteers. Without this great group of people our summer programs wouldn't exist. 

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I love the fact that so many have the community involved and look at this as a healing for all not just the children but the adults also. The fact that so many have struggled with mental health alone now they have created a safe space with the earth to heal and commune with others.

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I love the fact that so many have the community involved and look at this as a healing for all not just the children but the adults also. The fact that so many have struggled with mental health alone now they have created a safe space with the earth to heal and commune with others.

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We have begun to see some of our growth of the beets and the spinach in our garden. The last few days have given us some great weather and sunshine and I believe that is why.

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I observed that a lot reach out to the community to assist in these gardens and it has been really successful.

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Some of you are in good sunny climate, however, for the ones who are not how are you dealing with the growth of your gardens? I have made a couple of answers and im not sure how to put our name so I will add it to this one J Dorsey

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Just getting people involved. I was at first trying to do it all within my classroom. Now I know the success that can expand with the help of others

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I found it interesting all the different roles the students in the class are in. From teachers to a coordinator for the USDA to a high school teacher, to a teacher in Hawaii providing her families seeds and pots. It is amazing the diverse representation of educators in this class!

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It is so wonderful to experience the excitement that others have for the projects they are working on

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Through the projects the ability to enable the qualities of connecting and contributing really helped so many to be successful.

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Community connections, excitement of everyone, the variety of learning opportunities that engage all senses and content areas

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What ages do you serve and are the programs traditional school year programs or year round?

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Connecting with everyone involved in the project to brainstorm ideas for the gardening area and processes as well as funding opportunities

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I found it interesting that some teachers were reluctant to allow outdoor classes or gardens.

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The most success stories involve the help of so many individuals: school administrators, teachers, volunteers, Master Gardeners, the community and of course, funding!

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Some common themes were that the gardens require hard work and lots of determination to succeed.

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Question for Karen S in NJ: Does the Library provide funds to help with your garden?

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I admire Jill of Wisconsin for all her efforts. As a Master Gardeners she has worked so very hard and should be a model to all Master Gardeners.

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Being in a very urban setting I don't come across others who are doing this kind of work in my professional networks. It takes a community to make a garden great... not just one person

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There are so many schools and wonderful organizations trying to build a better garden. It's really exciting and inspiring to be part of this movement.

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Not only does community involvement have a lot to do with success but so does collaboration. It's wonderful to hear how course members work with their peers and ways they get the community involved.

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I noticed how passionate all course members are when talking about their garden program. It was wonderful to hear and learn the how they are running their gardens.

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What is your behavior management in the garden? I have some students who are not respectful in the garden - break tools, damage our raised beds, kill insects. I'm trying to find ways for those students to take more ownership in the garden, but I welcome all suggestions.

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I continue to pull out lesson ideas and reflect on the flow of my classes after listening to others share success stories.

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Working together! Building a garden is all about working together and trying new things (even though you might fail!). I love that working together even includes the community and parents, which are often forgot about for curriculum and school events.

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Getting parents involved will help further the lessons learned by the children. Teachers being supportive of taking their classes outside is really important, too! Without their support, the programming doesn't succeed. 

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Getting parents involved will help further the lessons learned by the children. Teachers being supportive of taking their classes outside is really important, too! Without their support, the programming doesn't succeed. 

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I was really very impressed with everyone's overall positive attitude. Everyone was able to find something positive to speak about either in their current position or a recent one. I was impressed with the variety of programs that are available around the country. I was very inspired by Celeste and her business and programs that combine yoga and mindfulness with gardening education.

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I heard many people speak about having a goal and working toward it for sometimes almost a year before it came to fruition. I loved hearing about the strawberries and the projects that the kids were able to do with the strawberries they grew. It seems as though, in general, success came from nurturing a project over time.

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I heard many people talk about just working toward their goals and putting the effort in over time. Being able to plant seeds and nuture them until they came to be. Goals were classified as big wins or little wins. Sometimes the little wins are the most satisfying and lead to larger overall success.

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It seems as though many of these programs really rely on volunteers. I loved the idea of getting the students and parents involved in the garden by having a passport for the students to complete when they visited over the summer. I'd love to use this idea to keep up the community engagement during the off months when much or the harvest is being grown.

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I'd love to connect with you about setting up a nonprofit similar to what you are providing in your area. I have dreamed of a similar resource for my community but I lack the skills to bring it down to earth.

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I noticed many of us found success when we partnered with community organizations that shared common goals. 

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I noticed many of us found success when we partnered with community organizations that shared common goals. 

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All the hands on learning is very inspiring--Many people spoke about bringing together students, teachers, parents, and the wider community in a shared project.

I would love to take this energy and apply it to our own small garden project.

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I agree that most of these programs rely on volunteers and I was interested in the post about working on creating planters in the garden. I would love for our school to create partnerships with those that are already invested in our school. We are always in need of supplies and extra hands.

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The children who are so eager to go out and learn. Even if they make mistakes. Adults allowing students to learn on their own.

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I enjoyed learning that the garden classroom is a place for kids, who struggle in an indoor classroom, to become engaged and be leaders. The gardens are a place to develop friendships sometimes across grade levels.

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I enjoyed learning that the garden classroom is a place for kids, who struggle in an indoor classroom, to become engaged and be leaders. The gardens are a place to develop friendships sometimes across grade levels.

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I was inspired to hear 2 people say that they are Garden Educators! I believe they were both from California. While I have worked in a public library for the past 7 years, I was a school librarian for 13 years. During my time working in schools, I only remember 2 schools having gardens. But it was up to classroom teachers to incorporate the garden into their teaching. In one of our previous assignments, I wrote that it would be ideal for school districts to be able to hire educators whose sole job was to teach in the garden and be in charge of maintaining the garden. I really had no idea that some schools were actually doing that. I live in NJ so I'll have to do some research to see if such positions exist here; even if they don't yet, I feel hopeful that if they exist in other areas of the country, that eventually they will exist here as well.

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We read and viewed videos about this concept in earlier assignments--the fact that significant learning can come from children exploring on their own as opposed to having a very structured lesson. I heard about the value of letting children's curiosity take over in 2 videos that I listened to. In one a child took it upon themself to take cuttings of a plant and start burying them in the dirt to try to create more plants. And this was without being given any information about propagation.  In another video an educator specified that it is important to build time into one's lessons for children to just play & explore on their own in the garden. All of these stories are something I am determined to take to heart as I enter into another garden season. I do believe in the past I am sometimes too concerned with following a lesson plan I have created and making sure we follow certain steps. This year I am going to make "exploring" an important component in our K-6 library garden club.
Karen, New Brunswick Free Public Library, NJ

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I heard many people talk about successes of getting people to help maintain the garden and/or work with children in the garden. One educator talked about a group of lawyers who teach high school students about law, but spent time with those same students working in the garden. Another person said that getting the community involved to help with the garden, particularly in the summer, was her success story. Someone else mentioned making partnerships to help the success of the garden was a big success. And one other educator said creating a schedule for volunteers, teachers, and others to do various gardening activities was her success story.
But another common theme that I heard in a few videos was about using the garden to foster mental health. I heard talk about mindfulness, doing yoga exercises, practicing breathing exercises with children. That was enjoyable to hear; not only can children contribute to their own physical well-being by learning to grow their own vegetables, they can also learn how to nourish their own mental health in the garden.
Karen, New Brunswick Free Public Library, NJ

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One person mentioned that taste testing in the garden was a successful activity. And in some of our previous assignments, we have viewed outdoor classrooms where children were able pick fruits and vegetables from the garden and eat them immediately. My question is: do the children clean the fruit/vegetables prior to tasting/eating? Do they pick what they want invidivually, clean it on their own, and then taste it? Do they all harvest the crops together, clean them together, and then taste them together? Unfortunately, I've never had enough to harvest at the same time to make taste testing part of garden session. Instead, I have harvested on my own and then found a simple recipe to use with whatever I harvested and the garden club then makes the recipe together.

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As I mentioned in the question about examples of specific actions that led to success, the structure that I would like to follow would be less structure! I really want to incorporate more time and activities for exploration by the children, whether it's digging in the dirt to see what they find, giving them magnifying glasses to examine plants, providing a garden scavenger hunt activity, or just having them walk around outside--both in the garden and beyond--and observing nature. As many people have noted, and as we have learned from previous assignments, a child's natural curiosity is often their greatest teacher.

Karen, New Brunswick Free Public Library, NJ

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It was wonderful to hear what a difference the participants of this program have made across the country. We all face similar challenges, weather, getting teachers comfortable teaching outside in a more playful way, and gardens breaking down over time. But, it’s inspiring to hear districts like Sheila’s are willing to connect the garden to curriculum in all parts academic learning and grant funds are available to do this. It’s also inspiring to hear there are many career opportunities in garden education like Abby supporting 90 gardens through Seed Saint Louis, Mia in Hawaii providing online and in person training, and administrative agencies. I love hearing how school gardens touch the lives of children, families, and communities. These stories make it feel important to keep trying to promote garden education. 

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It was wonderful to hear what a difference the participants of this program have made across the country. We all face similar challenges, weather, getting teachers comfortable teaching outside in a more playful way, and gardens breaking down over time. But, it’s inspiring to hear districts like Sheila’s are willing to connect the garden to curriculum in all parts academic learning and grant funds are available to do this. It’s also inspiring to hear there are many career opportunities in garden education like Abby supporting 90 gardens through Seed Saint Louis, Mia in Hawaii providing online and in person training, and administrative agencies. I love hearing how school gardens touch the lives of children, families, and communities. These stories make it feel important to keep trying to promote garden education. 

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I was most inspired by the work that goes above and beyond by teachers, community volunteers, etc. Many are obviously very passionate about their work and are dedicating hours upon hours, on a regular basis, to see their plans through.

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I was most inspired by the work that goes above and beyond by teachers, community volunteers, etc. Many are obviously very passionate about their work and are dedicating hours upon hours, on a regular basis, to see their plans through.

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I feel that we have shown that leading by example is one specific action/condition that regularly leads to success.

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I feel that we have shown that leading by example is one specific action/condition that regularly leads to success.

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I feel that "showing others that it can be done" is a common theme"!

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I feel that "showing others that it can be done" is a common theme"!

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The successful program models that I found most relevant were teachers who collaborate with other staff, and with student leaders, to see their plans come to life.

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The successful program models that I found most relevant were teachers who collaborate with other staff, and with student leaders, to see their plans come to life.

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I thought that it was great to see all the different schools and programs available for students to learn about nature and the importance of knowing where their food comes from. Also, just hearing the sheer excitement of the teachers and parents involved in teaching the students.

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Examples of specific actions that lead to success

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Examples of specific actions that lead to success

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It starts with commitment from teachers, school administrators and programs and agencies that help train the trainers. Everyone recognizing the importance of this work and the future of our children and the enviroment.

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Most importantly is working together, and the sharing of information. Also creating partnerships was a common theme. Realizing we can't do this alone. It takes a group effort.

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Metrics.......its all about the metrics and showing impact. What has been the most important metric used to show your overall impact of your school garden? Would you say improving in subject curriculum, improvement in student health, overall buy in from families and communities?

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what are some important program models you found most relevant to your work

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what are some important program models you found most relevant to your work

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Every program to be successful and duplicated has to have the funding available. What solutions has anyone found to help get additional funding to make your program a success?

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Gardens are built not only to be an education tool for students but can become a resource to the community. When you get the community involved not only does it have more success of being sustained but it benefits the local community. It also educates the local community on where food comes from and eating healthier.

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I was interested to hear what other schools are doing and how engaged  the children and staff are.

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I was interested to hear what other schools are doing and how engaged  the children and staff are.

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They are successful because they all work together and have the support of the administration.

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They are successful because they all work together and have the support of the administration.

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Many stories I listened to had successes tied directly to student engagement or buy-in in the garden. From experiments with propogating plants to making jam out of harvested berries to making and selling a variety of goods from the garden for a yearly festival, student excitement led to success.

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I found the wide array of successes, from the small success of a harvest to the large success of a food waste diversion program, to be most inspiring. Right now I'm building up a program and starting to see small successes. Each story I listened to made me hopeful and optimisitic about the future successes in our school garden.

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Many programs mentioned community (teachers at the site, volunteers, and the larger outside community as well) involvement as a key part of their success.

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I loved hearing the stories where students led the activities. I want the students in our gardens to feel like they are the stewards of the spaces. Hearing about the 6th grade students that planned and led a Family Garden Night for kindergarteners and their families made me smile. Giving students the space to brainstorm how they want to share the garden with the larger community and having them take the led is so powerful.

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The wide variety of garden programs. It feels encouraging to know many other educators and students are working in their school gardens just like we are!

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Trying it out and then seeing the benefits first hand. One school has had difficulty getting teachers to bring students outside because of the pressures of Covid catch up, but those who have come to the garden have found value in it.
Giving students responsibility gave them the ownership to really care for the garden.

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Lots of stories involved momentum for programing building as people saw the good it was doing and participated in it.

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I teach in partnership with elementary schools and I think one of the things that would increase the effectiveness of the program is empowering teachers to have more ownership of the garden.

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I was very inspired by Daniela C.'s post regarding horticultural therapy for various health-related needs.  The work with foster children to work in the garden 2x/wk for 9 mo is quite a dedication but the rewards that have benefited the students out weighs the adult input.  We have a strong foster community in my town and am thinking this idea could take hold in the foster care system.

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A resounding theme across the videos that I watched was that it takes a community to make a garden or food forest to start, be maintained, and to grow. It also requires a core group of individuals to spearhead the organization of the program, but seems that once established, it spreads like the flu through the community.

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All of the videos that I watched showed individuals that were happy about the work that they do and the ways that it helps others to improve their lives. I know that some days, we want to throw in the towel, but in the end, when we can affect change positively in others and then they do the same, it makes it all worth it.

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How do you get a start in a school in which no teacher or administrator wants to be the point of contact, but who supports a garden program? I am thinking about an elementary schools for grades 3-5 in which we cannot get a teacher or other adult in the school to commit.

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I believe that perhaps teaming up with local master gardeners is a win for both schools and the gardeners. How do you make this partnership work and also how does it get started?

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The many ways the community is connected to the garden.

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Are there specific activities for mindfulness in the garden?