Gardening | Georgia Kids Outdoors

School Garden Teacher Resources

Posted on November 8, 2016January 29, 2017 by Georgia Kids Outdoors

Tools to help non-gardeners teach lessons in an outdoor classroom

School gardens aren’t just a great way to incorporate some outdoor time into your kids’ school day — they also offer countless opportunities for teachers to bring STEM lessons to life (literally).

But asking overburdened teachers, who may not be gardeners themselves, to figure out how to add a gardening project to their busy day that also aligns with ever-changing curriculum standards, can understandably be a huge stumbling block.

Have you already done the work to get a school garden started, but don’t see teachers using it? Or do you need to convince administration that one can be a useful teaching tool before you can break ground? Here’s a list of practical resources you can share with teachers. We’ve included school garden teacher training, lesson plans, planting plans, worksheets and teaching tools, videos, and complete outdoor classroom curricula. We’ve also included just a few resources to find grants (start with the first one to uncover a treasure trove of options).

Just a few of the lesson plans available from KidsGardening.org — *These are just a few of the lesson plans available from KidsGardening.org*

Some of these school garden teaching resources are suitable for outdoor classrooms throughout the US, but we’ve focused on ones developed to align with Georgia curriculum standards. If you are looking for other states, reach out to your Cooperative Extension Service or 4-H program to see if they can help you find ones suitable for your teaching standards and growing conditions, or take a look at this extensive list from the UGA Extension School Garden Resource Website. The Cooperative Extension Service may even be able to connect you with some helpful Master Gardener Extension Volunteers who can help assist with your school gardening projects!

School garden lesson plans

UGA Extension School Garden Curriculum – Lesson plans using gardens to teach a wide range of topics, grades K-8, aligned to the educational standards for the State of Georgia.
Seed to Plate Farm to School Lesson Plans from Georgia Organics. Paired with appropriate Georgia Performance Standards, and covering topics including vocabulary building and historical figures. Includes lessons paired with related children’s books.
EE (Environmental Education) in Georgia Lesson Plans – Created in partnership with the Georgia Department of Education and aligned to Georgia Performance Standards. Includes lesson plans for K-12th grade.
Captain Planet’s Project Learning Garden Program Curriculum – Lessons for preschool through middle school, tied to common core curriculum standards across multiple subjects including math, science, health, social studies and language arts. Several lesson videos also available. The Captain Planet Foundation has its roots in Atlanta, starting with an idea created by Ted Turner.
Nature Works Everywhere, presented by The Nature Conservancy – 58 different lesson plans, including a video for each lesson. Aligned to Next-Generation Science Standards and Common Core Standards. Also includes how-to videos and tip sheets for planning and planting gardens, and even a video on addressing kids’ fears about gardening.
KidsGardening.org Lesson Plans
National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard Habitat Lesson plans – aligned to National Science Education Standards.

Need more inspiration and lesson plans? Visit our School Garden Teacher Resources Pinterest board!

School Garden Planning Tools

Of course, all those lessons need a place to happen. Here are some tools for planning and designing your school garden:

Steps in Starting a School Garden – Downloadable PDF with tips on starting a sustainable school garden from UGA Extension
Georgia Organics Farm to School Planting Guide
Nature Works Everywhere Garden Design Tool – online interactive grid to map out your school garden (and don’t miss the how-to videos mentioned above in the lesson plans section).
KidsGardening.org – Designing a School Garden page
NEW: Sowing the Seeds of Success – Free downloadable guide to starting and sustaining a kids gardening program from the American Horticultural Society and Cornell University.

School Garden Teacher Training

Center for Urban Agriculture, UGA Extension – Offered two levels of teacher training in 2016; visit their website to find updates on 2017 training.
Harvesting the Most from Your School Garden – Great 1-hour webinar from Charlie Nardozzi and KidsGardening.org covering topics including how to get buy-in from administration, what to plant during the cooler school year months, and how to incorporate your harvest into the school cafeteria. Recording available on demand and free! See full list of webinars in the series here: https://www.kidsgardening.org/eat-learn-live-and-grow-webinar/
Outdoor Learning Symposium from the Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia
National Wildlife Federation webinars

School Garden Grants

And finally, if the spirit is willing but the budget is weak, here are just a few starting points for finding funding to make your school garden dreams come true. We recommend starting with EE in Georgia, which has tons of options.

And yes, there are tons more of these kinds of resources out there, but we wanted to give a manageable list that should give your school gardening program a great start, and your teachers some easy resources that won’t take a ton of time or training to use.

See more on our Pinterest board!

Great Georgia Gardens for Kids

Posted on May 9, 2016October 10, 2016 by Georgia Kids Outdoors

Think a trip to the botanical garden is just for grownups? Check out all the exciting programs gardens around Georgia offer just for kids!

The Atlanta Botanical Garden has a Children’s Garden just for them, but be aware: it’s closed until sometime in June to allow for a fabulous renovation/play space construction project to be finalized. Once it’s ready, it’ll be a great way to get in some active play in the middle of the city – or be a fun jumping off point for exploring the Atlanta BeltLine.

But even with the Children’s Garden on a temporary hiatus, there are still lots of great programs for kids at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. May 14 is a special celebration of Endangered Species Day, with all sorts of hands on interaction and info about conservation efforts in Georgia. There are also lots of recurring weekday programs for preschoolers, like Garden Playtime, Garden Grooves and Storybook Time. All are free with garden admission (if you plan to go regularly, a family membership will pay off quickly). On weekends, Amphitheater Programs bring a variety of live performances from some of Atlanta’s best storytellers and musicians. They also offer some cool summer camps, but unfortunately all are sold out for 2016 (for other options, see our Summer Camp Roundup). Homeschoolers also have a special day set aside on May 25 (for more homeschool nature programs, check out our recent post).

The Atlanta Botanical Garden now also has a Gainesville location, with more great kids’ programs for the Northeast Region of the state. Train lovers will be thrilled by the Model Train Garden, and can even play with the boxes of trains there for sharing. Other regular kids programs include Story Time and Smiles, Budding Artists (a chance to make seasonally-inspired works of art), and Children’s Performances. Discovery Stations are set up every weekend to showcase different topics on the Garden’s natural environment, so you can go at your own pace to learn and explore.

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia, on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, GA, also offers a number of children’s and school outreach programs, including Family Festivals, field trips, Adventure Packs for homeschoolers and other self-guided groups, after school nature clubs and summer camps. There are also a number of short woodland rambles, with the option of connecting to longer hiking trails, if you want to stretch your legs a bit.

The Coastal Georgia Botanical Garden in Savannah is hosting an Astronomy Day on May 14, followed by a free Gazing in the Garden event that evening. Telescopes are provided by the Oglethorpe Astronomical Association, who will also be on hand to offer advice if you’re in the market for one of your own. They also host nature walks and educational programs for schools, scouts, and homeschool groups on topics like pollination, poetry in the garden, and the water cycle. They also offer strawberry picking while they’re ripe (check their website for availability and hours).

Woodlands Garden in Decatur hosts the M.A.Y.Fair (Music, Art & Youth) in spring and Fairies in the Garden in fall. It’s a great add-on trip to Fernbank Museum of Natural History, just a mile or two away.

Most nature centers around Georgia also have display gardens to give your family examples of native plants, butterfly gardens, and other plants that can help attract and feed wildlife in your yard. The Chattahoochee Nature Center has a particularly nice one. Once you’ve been inspired, take the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge and start one in your own yard (or even a container)!

Exploring the Urban Forest

Posted on March 17, 2016March 21, 2016 by Georgia Kids Outdoors

TreesAtlanta helps city kids make the connection to nature

I had the opportunity to drop in today at the new Trees Atlanta TreeHouse, located just down the block from the Krog Street Market and backed up by the Atlanta BeltLine.

This is the educational facility for Trees Atlanta, a group dedicated to protecting Atlanta’s urban forest through planting, conservation and education. The TreeHouse provides a space for school, scout, homeschool and other groups to take part in hands-on environmental education programs.

The TreeHouse hosts the Thirsty Roots Reading Group for ages 2-7, a free reading club that includes a weekly nature-themed book reading and a craft project every Monday. Families are also given an activity they can complete together on the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum following the indoor activities. Periodic Orienteering Lessons give another chance to explore the BeltLine while learning map and compass reading skills

They’ve also just announced the 2016 Junior TreeKeepers Day Camp schedule (for both spring and summer breaks). Each day begins and ends at the TreeHouse, with extended care options available, but the rest of the day the kids will spend the way every summer vacation should be spent: outside, getting up close with nature, and being active.

For older kids looking for valuable work and leadership experience (and the chance to earn some cash and a free lunch every day), the Youth Tree Team offers a 9-week summer work program for grades 9-12. The application process for this highly competitive program is already closed for 2016, but check back in early 2017 for a chance to be selected.

However, there’s still an opportunity to be a member of the Acorn Club, TreesAtlanta’s newest kids’ environmental stewardship program. Members can expect invitations to special youth education events, quarterly emails with activity ideas, and discounts on camp fees.