School Garden Resources

Here are some useful resources and organizations that provide a wealth of information and guidance on growing School Gardens.  And, don't forget to call on the  UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa for free advice!

Publications:

• How to Grow a School Garden—A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers.    Arden Bucklin-Sporer and Rachel Kathleen Pringle, Timber Press, 2010. (*)
• Asphalt to Ecosystems—Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation.   Sharon Danks, New Village Press, 2010. (*)
• Seeds of Change—Learning from the Garden.   Judy Mannes and Marsha Rehns, Dale Seymour Publications, 2001.
• Grow Lab—A Complete Guide to Gardening in the Classroom.   Eve Pranis, Jack Hale, and Bruce Conklin, National Gardening Association, 1988.
• Gardens for Learning—Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden. (Online PDF file).  One of a series of free resources from the California School Garden Network. (*)
• Children’s Gardens—A Field Guide for Teachers, Parents and Volunteers. Third edition, 1999, Yvonne Savio, ed.  (Online PDF file).  UC Extension Common Ground Garden Program, Los Angeles.
• Plant a Seed, Watch it Grow—A Guide for School Gardens. (Online hypertext book).  Master Gardener Association of San Diego County.
• Getting Started—A Guide for Creating School Gardens as Outdoor Classrooms.  (Online PDF file).  Center for Ecoliteracy/Life Lab Science Program.
• A Child’s Garden of Standards, Linking School Gardens to California Education Standards (grade 2-6).  (Online PDF file).  California Department of Education, 2002.
• The Edible Schoolyard.   (Online essay).  Center for Ecoliteracy.
• Teacher Resource Guide—Educational Materials About Agriculture.   (Online PDF file). California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. (*)
• Schoolyard Ecology—Teachers Guide.   Katharine Barrett and Carolyn Willard, Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley.
• Math in the Garden—Hands on Activities That Bring Math to Life.  Jennifer White, Katharine Barrett, et al  UC Botanical Garden/ Lawrence Hall of Science. (*)
• Botany on Your Plate.   Katharine Barrett, UC Botanical Garden. (*)

(*) Highly recommended and readily available

Online resources:

• California School Garden Network: www.csgn.org.
• California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom: www.cfaitc.org.
• California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC) Network:  www.creec.org.
• California Department of Education: www.cde.ca.gov.
• California Department of Education, CA Environmental Education Interagency Network (CEEIN): www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/sc/oeeceein.asp.
• California Environmental Protection Agency, Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI): www.calepa.ca.gov/Education/EEI.
• Junior Master Gardener: www.jmgkids.us.
• National Gardening Association, Kids Gardening:  http://www.kidsgardening.org/.
• National Gardening Association, Gardening with Kids online store:  www.gardeningwithkids.org.
• UC Davis School Gardening Program (formerly Children’s Garden Program):  https://asi.ucdavis.edu/programs/sf/children-and-youth/school-gardening-program.
• UC Master Gardener Programs: Consult various MG websites.  For instance, Marin County has site content dedicated to school gardens.
• The Watershed Project:  www.thewatershedproject.org.

Where to obtain instructional materials, supplies, etc.:

• Acorn Naturalists:  Catalog of books, supplies, etc. for environment-based education.
• The Watershed Project:    Bay Area based nonprofit organization providing classes (Kids in Gardens, Groceries from the Garden) and educational materials.
• California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC).  Publishes a resource guide (listed above), provides instructional material and lesson plans available online.
• Lawrence Hall of Science and UC Botanical Garden:  These organizations partner bi-annually to present a workshop on school gardens.
• Bay Area Environmental Education Resource (BAEER) Fair:  An annual exposition of environmental groups, classes, etc. held in Marin County each January.  The BAEER Fair is no longer available; consult the following for other environmental education resources in the Bay Area: http://static.lawrencehallofscience.org/baeerfair/
• The Edible Schoolyard:   The one-acre school garden at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Berkeley.  Free monthly tours are available.