Questions to Ask When Starting a School Garden.
Why should I take the class time, and make the effort, to use a school garden as part of my curriculum?

• Teachers and students alike know that learning is improved when students participate in their own learning as opposed to being passive recipients.
• By actively "doing," investigating, and inquiring, students can begin to construct an authentic understanding of the world around them.
• Gardens, schoolyard habitats, and plants in the classroom become living laboratories in which state standards can be addressed.
• Children can grasp how living things adapt to their environments in a garden.
• Garden planning and design requires mathematical problem solving and practice. The connections are endless, and the rewards can be also.

If you're planning a school garden for the first time, there are a number of questions to consider.

• About the plan...
• What are your goals in starting a school or class garden?
• How do you plan to use the garden as an instructional tool?
• Do you have support from the administration and custodian?
• What kinds of tools and supplies will you need?
• How much will it cost and how can you find funds and materials?
• How can you ensure maintenance of the garden during the summer?
• About the potential site...
• Is it well drained?
• Is it easily accessible and protected from vandalism?
• Does it have full sunlight for at least six hours a day?
• Is it reasonably level?
• Does it have access to water?
• How healthy is the soil? Do you have at least 6 to 12 inches of topsoil?
• What needs to be done to prepare or enhance the soil?
• About cultivating support...
• Can you ask parents to donate materials, help prepare the site, work with students, or provide support through the summer?
• Are there local farmers or gardeners who might help prepare the site (e.g., provide plowing, manure, or lime)?
• Are there local garden clubs, senior centers, master gardeners, or high school groups who might be willing to work with students in the garden?
• Are there nursery or local business people who might be willing to "adopt" your program and/or donate gardening tools and supplies, materials for building raised beds, and so on?

2 3 4 >