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Farm to School

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[topic title = “Educational School Gardens”]

[blurb] The Wylde Center’s work in school gardens around Atlanta [/blurb]

Dig Deeper into School Gardens

School gardens are fertile ground for hands-on explorations and investigations that grow healthier minds, bodies, and communities.  As a demonstration area and laboratory right outside your classroom door, school gardens allow students to witness first-hand how plants grow, garden ecology, weather, and more.  What’s more, they provide experiential learning opportunities for every subject area from science to math to social studies, and reach students from preschool through college.

As students become involved in their school gardens, they not only learn how to grow their own fresh foods, but also learn how to be environmental stewards, community partners, and self-directed learners.  Having access and exposure to new, fresh veggies encourages students to try them and eat them at home as they become responsible for their own food choices (and often teach their parents to try new veggies, too!)

To help all students have access to educational opportunities in school gardens, the Wylde Center provides services to support the creation, maintenance, and support of school gardens:

  • Our Farm to School program brings highly trained garden education staff to your school as they teach garden-based lessons that support your core curriculum standards
  • Our Teacher Trainings empower education professionals by giving them the tools to maintain their school gardens and provide the best garden-based educational experiences for their students
  • Our Garden Coach program provides the expertise and guidance to install and maintain your school garden.

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[topic title = “Farm to School”]

[blurb] Garden-based educational services for your school [/blurb]

Are you looking for new and exciting ways to give your students hands-on, experiential connections to their classroom lessons and expeditions?   Would you like to teach your students the basics of gardening, where their food comes from, or how to prepare their own food?  The garden on your own school grounds can provide many of these opportunities to teach children new skills and concepts that enhance their classroom learning experience.   The Wylde Center’s Farm to School program makes these learning opportunities easily accessible in a fun environment with expert staff.

Since 2012, The Wylde Center has been providing the Farm to School program to improve students’ and families’ awareness of the environment, nutrition, and gardening.   By providing on-site education and garden maintenance, we deliver a high quantity and quality of garden-based education that engages students’ minds and bodies in a hands-on learning experience.

 

Through the Farm to School Program, we offer:

  • Garden Education, conducted by our highly trained Farm to School Educator on site at your school, teaching children not only how to plant, harvest, and cook what we grow, but how we relate to our food and the environment.
  • Choice of Classes among over two dozen classes for grades preK-12.  Classes include topics such as Exploring the Garden through Art, Soil Health, Seed Adaptations, Where Does My Food Come From?, and Food Preparation, among many more – see the attached chart for our full listing.  We strive to work closely with teachers to link lessons to their ongoing curriculum and Georgia Performance Standards for science, math, language arts, and many other subjects.
  • Regular Visits, preferably on a weekly or biweekly basis, to enable as many children as possible to experience the garden and make real-world connections to their lessons.
  • Ongoing Curriculum Development by our Farm to School Educator and Education Director to constantly improve our program, match it to your school’s needs, and align it with the most current standards and practices.
  • Gardening and Cooking Experience for participating classes, as children learn how to plant, grow, harvest, and prepare their own garden vegetables.

[toggle title=”Current Farm to School partner schools”]

City Schools of Decatur

  • College Heights Early Learning Childhood Center
  • Oakhurst Elementary
  • Clairemont Elementary
  • Glennwood Elementary
  • Winnona Park Elementary School
  • Renfroe Middle School

Atlanta Public Schools

  • Whitefoord Elementary
  • Benteen Elementary

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[toggle title=”Tell me more or Sign me up!”]

For more information or to get Farm to School at your school, please contact Allison Ericson (Education Director) at allison@wyldecenter.org [/toggle]

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[topic title = “Teacher Trainings”]

[blurb] Workshops to train education professionals in garden education and maintenance [/blurb]

Teacher Trainings

Thinking about planting an edible garden at your school?  Have a school garden and don’t know how to care for it, or even what’s in it?  Want to use the garden as part of your curriculum, but don’t know how?

Let the garden and education experts from the Wylde Center teach you what to do!

Our one-day training courses for educators open up the eyes and minds of teachers and staff to see edible school gardens as a versatile, hands-on teaching tool – and give them the skills to use this green resource, too.  Whether Language Arts or Math, Science or History, Agriculture or Art, school gardens are fertile ground for lessons and learning across all grade levels.

Even better, these trainings are tailored to your needs.  Curricular strategies are tailored to the grade levels of your students.   Trainings are done on-site at your school garden, so you know how to take care of it, what’s growing in it, and how to specifically use your garden to teach.

Choose between three workshop options:

[toggle title=”Teaching in Your Edible Garden”]This half-day course teaches instructors to use their school garden as a tool to support and enhance their classroom curriculum.  From Math to Social Studies, Language Arts to Science, learn simple ways to connect the garden to your classroom while fostering  hands-on and discovery-based learning experiences, adventures into new foods, and environmental awareness.

Includes: 4.5 hours of instruction on garden- and culinary-based education techniques and materials, as well as a locally-sourced, farm-fresh lunch.

Cost: $350 for up to 20 participants.  $30 for each additional participant.

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[toggle title=”Installing and Maintaining Your Garden”]This half-day course is designed to assist schools not only plan new gardens, but also learn how to maintain their preexisting outdoor learning spaces.  Wylde Center staff help teachers and administrators get over the hurdle of not knowing what to do in the garden so they can be comfortable teaching in the garden and incorporate garden care into their classroom routines.

Includes: 4.5 hours of school-specific instruction on planning your garden, planting it, maintaining it, and getting to know its unique features, all so the garden can be most easily linked to your classroom curriculum.  Also includes a locally-sourced, farm-fresh lunch.

Cost: $350 for up to 20 participants.  $30 for each additional participant. [/toggle]

[toggle title=”Growing Green Futures: Teaching in and Maintaining Your School Garden”]

Get the best of both worlds by combining “Teaching in Your Edible Garden” and “Installing and Maintaining Your Garden” into one, school-specific, affordable training day.  Learn how to care for your school garden and how to teach in it.

Includes: 7 hours of instruction on garden-based education and garden planning/maintenance, as well as a locally-sourced, farm-fresh lunch and pertinent materials.

Cost: $500 for up to 20 participants.  $30 for each additional participant.

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Spring and summer are a great time for garden trainings, giving teachers the chance to incorporate the garden into their curriculum plans for next year.  So don’t wait – sign your school up for a teacher training today!

See you in the school garden!

 

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[topic title = “Garden Coaching” link=”https://wyldecenter.org/garden-coach/”]

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