ABOUT THE PROJECT
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Our team created a packet of five lesson plans that focus on teaching STEM education to 1st-5th graders, using school gardens as a classroom. The purpose of this project is to bring students back to nature and teach them what it means to eat natural foods in an era that is so dependent on manufacturing and mass production. It teaches students what it means to be responsible for their food, as opposed to feeling disconnected from it. By using the garden as a classroom, students experience what it means to be active and engaged learners, as they are continuously guided by their own curiosity for the natural world. They get to learn for themselves the value of being outside, because not only are they hearing about the animals and habitats that compose a garden, but they also get to experience it. Whether it be the bumble bee pollinating flowers in the spring, or admiring a family of snails living on a kale plant. Our team uses these five lesson plans to build a sense of place, personal responsibility and empowerment so that students can have greater understanding of where their food comes from, what it takes to grow food, and what it means to eat well. |
IMPLEMENTATION
In addition to volunteering in School Garden Project's existing in-school programs, our team applied our spring sequence in 3 of the after-school programs at River Road, Howard, and Chavez Elementary Schools. Our team facilitated these lessons with the assistance of an experienced garden educator from the School Garden Project. Each lesson focuses on an aspect of how natural processes influence the garden, and engages students’ curiosity and observational skills. Out in the garden, students can practice being scientists, gardeners and healthy eaters. Tasting the plants, building habitats for garden critters, and recording weather data, such as temperature and rainfall in a weekly journal are some of the activities that students get to participate in. Students gain critical thinking skills and basic knowledge of our environment while also having fun outside. They achieve a sense of empowerment, responsibility and capability, as they witness their school gardens flourishing every week, and learn about what it takes to maintain a healthy garden habitat. |