Sustainable Agriculture
Gardening 101 Activity: 15 minutes
When people hear the word gardening, they might visualize a limited definition of what gardening is and can be. However, gardens today continue to take many different forms. Use the provided Powerpoint to expose students to several different gardening styles. Use the following resources to help educate yourself about the various topics and share what you like with the class:
First.
Questions to respond to while watching this video:
How do you believe this school in Denver incorporated community both in their school and in the local area?
What would be both the pros and cons and incorporating a garden at your own school?
Second. Let’s Plan How to Start a US-based School Garden
School gardens have become a flourishing phenomenon nationwide, providing not only improved nutrition for children but also valuable spaces for learning, recreation, and lessons in environmental stewardship. However, establishing these gardens requires careful consideration.
As you are now global citizens with an understanding of how you can give back to your local environment, your principal has asked your class to design and implement a school garden.
Start of Class: 10 minutes
Gardens are transforming and revitalizing communities all over the country. They come in many shapes and sizes, are located in urban cities, rural communities, schools, backyards, in fact, just about everywhere. With all of this development comes a whole new set of terminology to go with it. The first task today is to guide your students through an exploration of the role gardening plays at home, school, and in the community. On half sheets of paper, have each student answer three questions.
1. In your own words, what is a garden?
2. Is gardening important?
3. What are examples of gardens in the community? (home gardens, etc)
4. Have you gardened before?
Following this inventory, go over answers in class to understand where students stand with gardening experience and attitudes before the next activities.
Interdisciplinary: History/Social/Science Activity
Like language or religion, gardens from around the world give insight into different ways of life to help us better understand other cultures. In this research activity, in pairs or individually, students will select a specific garden from somewhere in the world. They should find a picture of it, show where it is on a map, when the garden was created, what each garden contains, and why it is significant.
The students will then arrange this information in a 3-5 slide Powerpoint to present to the class in a brief, two-minute presentation. Before the presentation, students will submit their slides to the teacher to assemble into one Powerpoint.
Some possible gardens to include could be:
The Garden of Cosmic Speculation: Scotland
Keukenhof Gardens: The Netherlands
Suan Nong Nooch: Thailand
Versailles: France
Jardim Botanico de Curitiba: Brazil
Butchart Gardens: Canada
Yuyuan Garden: China
Quick Student Guide
During the rest of this lesson we will be going over very detailed steps for how to create a school garden. Before presenting this information to students, we advise that you review all materials first.
Before presenting the following information, here is a quick breakdown of the steps to building a school garden.
1. Organize a School Garden Committee
Forming a committee is the first step to success:
It is most important that there is enough support for this large undertaking. As most schools have hundreds of students and dozens of teachers and support staff, it is important to develop a solid team of support that will help determine what the school garden program will look like. Regular and active communication between these groups will be most important. Some people that should be included are:
Identify interested individuals among students, teachers, administrators, staff, and parents.
Consider: Who in your school community is passionate about gardening or has relevant skills to contribute?
Principals; to oversee and make larger approvals
Teachers; to educate students on the school gardens and help develop curriculum to teach students about this program
Food Service workers; to ensure that they have the correct foods to serve at the correct time to align with growing seasons and create a comprehensive meal.
School neighbors; to ensure that the community has active participation, as well as an extra eye on food production while school is not in session. These people can also be a source of labor and leadership.
Parents; to provide additional input, guidance, source of labor, etc.
It will be important that one person is elected as the chair of this program and develop a board that will be able to coordinate different portions of the school garden program to encapsulate the interest of production, teaching/learning, and administration.
Assess necessary skill sets for fundraising, building structures (fences, garden bed plots, and possibly a greenhouse), planting, harvesting, public relations, education, and culinary expertise.
What specific talents and skills do your potential committee members possess?
Do you currently produce any of your own food, either through plants or animals?
How many families of students participate in farming?
What is the perception of this career path for young people who are going to school?
What meals do you currently serve during school? (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, not-in-session meals)
How much do you currently spend on food each year?
What percent of your budget is this?
Do you have excess water that can be allocated towards agriculture?
Do you have education with any emphasis on agriculture or ag-business?
What is the current estimated amount of food that each student is served?
Do you have any land that you can dedicate to food production? How much?
Do you have any land that is currently dedicated to food production?
What are typical types of food eaten in this area from each category?
Vegetables, legumes, and beans
Fruits
Grains and cereals
Proteins
Dairy
2. Understand Your Goals
Clarify the goals of your school garden:
Determine the target audience for the produce.
Who will benefit from the garden? Students, staff, or the broader community?
Quantify the amount of food needed.
Do you have specific goals for the yield of your garden, or is it more about the educational aspect?
Consider the types of food preferred and whether they can be grown in the garden.
What are the favorite foods in your community, and can they thrive in your local climate?
Explore opportunities for educational initiatives within the garden.
How can the garden enhance the educational experience? Are there specific subjects or skills you want to emphasize?
Weigh the pros and cons
Pros (Examples Below)
Students are able to actively participate in this program that can be coupled with regular education endeavors and act as a leadership opportunity.
Allocation of meal funding can be put into a cost saving program to grow their own food.
Innovation and technology can be integrated in a collective matter in the school setting.
Cons (Examples Below)
Increased working capacity for the school system.
High start-up cost
Continued costs of maintenance
Decreased space that could have been used for something else
3. Picking the Right Spot for Our School Garden
Choose a location with care:
Ensure accessibility for both people and machinery.
Are there areas on school grounds that are easily reachable and won't disrupt daily activities?
Implement measures for monitoring and preventing vandalism.
Have you considered security measures to protect the garden from potential threats?
Consider climate control factors for optimal growth.
How can you leverage the local climate to your advantage, and do you need any additional measures like greenhouses?
4. Plant Short and Long-Term Harvest Crops
Tailor your crops to your committee's expertise and availability:
Consider who in the committee can handle crops at different times of the year.
What are the seasonal constraints, and how can you optimize planting schedules?
Decide on the mix of annuals and perennials based on the available resources and commitment.
Are there specific perennial plants that align with your long-term vision for the garden?
5. Tie in Academics to Enhance Support
Integrate academic disciplines into the school garden:
Explore connections to sciences, social studies, English, and arts.
How can you incorporate the garden into existing curriculum themes or create new interdisciplinary projects?
Engage more people interested in the school garden for continued project support and lifespan.
What strategies can you employ to generate broader community interest and involvement in the school garden?