School Gardening Program

The 4-H Youth and Family Development program area of Cornell Cooperative Extension offers the School Gardening Program to serve educators who would like to enhance their classroom activities using plant science. There are many facets for involvement in this endeavor.

Assistance for Educators
From the 4-H Staff:

Fees may apply
wContact Rebecca Reed at 644-8494 or rkr23@cornell.edu to discuss plans for a school gardening project. She will help you get started and define the goals of your project. Rebecca, a Resource Educator in the 4-H Youth and Family Program area, is a graduate of Penn State and Purdue University. Her background is in both education and horticulture. Teachers may request a one-time model lesson, a classroom visit, guidance for a project, or on-going support for a specific aspect of a project.

wContact Nancy Caswell at the Resource Center at nmc23@cornell.edu or 285-4632 for Curricula developed by Cornell University and other Extension Universities. You will be directed to useful web sites, curricula, lesson plans, CCE fact sheets and catalogs. Our office has matched many of these with the NYS standards. Have some fun while your students enjoy hands-on science and become adept at required skills.

Assistance from the Horticulture Staff
w Questions and Answers: phone in to CCE Horticulture staff to ask gardening questions Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at 914-285-4640.

Fees
Diagnostic Clinic: $10 per sample
Insects, plant disease or soil pH test

Classroom Visit: $125.00/45 minute session
26 students maximum. The educator brings all materials required.

Suggestions:
Indoor gardens using grow lights and potted plants or hydroponics in your classroom or greenhouse. The class can maintain ongoing plant life cycle studies throughout the school year. Most NYS Math, Science and Technology standards can be met with indoor gardening. When combined with reading for information, developing communication skills, presenting reports and keeping a journal, while using plants students can master many of the ELA requirements as well. There are opportunities for practicing sorting, classifying, inferring and prediction for preparation for the Fourth grade science exam. Extensions allow students to answer their own questions by developing and carrying out simple experiments. Teach requirements for growth, life cycles, food webs, recording and analyzing data, graphing, measuring, the water cycle and key concepts such as all life depends on energy form the sun.

w Terrariums can be used to study system ecology, water and air cycles.

w Outdoor gardens on the school grounds for your students and possibly the school community to maintain. There are grants available to establish a garden. Support programs from Cornell University include Kids Growing Food and the Interactive School Garden on line at www.cerp.cornell.edu. School gardens can participate in Plant A Row for the Hungry. The National Gardening Association also has information for educators. Other teacher guides which are available include Horticulture, Gardening and the Junior Master Gardener program.

Theme gardens:
You may want to plant a garden with a special lesson to teach.

wSuggestions include a bulb garden, which could be planted in the fall and "harvested" by the same students in spring.

wConsider planting a Butterfly garden. Many of these plants are perennial and provide nourishment for many winged visitors.

wPlant the Three Sisters and extend into lessons on the culture of Native Americans in NY State.

wPlant the Humble Potato for lessons on the Irish famine and migration.

wPlant a salad garden in March of lettuce, spinach, radishes, peas, parsley and basil and enjoy it in June. This garden can be grown in planters outdoors.

wPlant a Pizza Garden with tomatoes, peppers and herb as wedges of a circular garden.

wPlant American Chestnut Tree nuts and grow the seedlings on your school grounds. Your students can actually help to preserve this tree. The nuts are available from the American Chestnut Foundation (www.acf.org) through the CCE Resource Center in February.

wParticipate in any of the School Gardening Program projects and you receive e-mail on topics pertinent to school gardening including seasonal tips.

Composting at School
For all that you ever wanted to know about composting at school, simply go to this website, written and maintained by the Cornell Waste Management Institute: http://compost.css.cornell.edu/schools.html

Another helpful site is maintained by the Department of Horticulture of Cornell University. http://www.gardening.cornell.edu. Click on the Youth Education topic.

Design your garden using the tools from the the interactive garden at http://www.cerp.cornell.edu/ig/enter.asp

Questions and Answers: phone in to CCE Horticulture staff to ask gardening questions Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at 914-285-4640.

Youth Gardening

Another helpful site is maintained by the Department of Horticulture of Cornell University. http://www.gardening.cornell.edu.
Click on the Youth Education topic.

Interactive Garden
Plan your garden the easy way-design it on your
computer by using the tools at http://cerp.cornell.edu/ig/enter.asp
Choose from these categories:
wInteractive garden design
wGardening tools and links
wGardening fundamentals
wFood, diet and health
wAsk a school gardener

Middle School Opportunities
For middle school programming check out the intergenerational Garden Mosaics at www.gardenmosaics.cornell.edu. or the joint program offered by the American Horticultural Society and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. which can be found at www.TheGrowingConnection.com.

More garden grants are offered through the National Gardening Association . Check out the information on www.kidsgardening.com.

_________________
For More Information Contact: School Gardening Program:
914-285-4620
________
CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY: Cornell Cooperative Extension is the educational arm of Cornell University which offers programs within Westchester County. The mission of the Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program is to create supportive learning environments in which diverse youth reach their fullest potential as capable, competent and caring citizens. The Master Gardener program provides extensive training to individuals who then donate their volunteer time in assisting Cooperative Extension.

 

 

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School Gardening Program

The 4-H Youth and Family Development program area of Cornell Cooperative Extension offers the School Gardening Program to serve educators who would like to enhance their classroom activities using plant science. There are many facets for involvement in this endeavor.

Assistance for Educators
From the 4-H Staff:

Fees may apply
wContact Rebecca Reed at 644-8494 or rkr23@cornell.edu to discuss plans for a school gardening project. She will help you get started and define the goals of your project. Rebecca, a Resource Educator in the 4-H Youth and Family Program area, is a graduate of Penn State and Purdue University. Her background is in both education and horticulture. Teachers may request a one-time model lesson, a classroom visit, guidance for a project, or on-going support for a specific aspect of a project.

wContact Nancy Caswell at the Resource Center at nmc23@cornell.edu or 285-4632 for Curricula developed by Cornell University and other Extension Universities. You will be directed to useful web sites, curricula, lesson plans, CCE fact sheets and catalogs. Our office has matched many of these with the NYS standards. Have some fun while your students enjoy hands-on science and become adept at required skills.

Assistance from the Horticulture Staff
w Questions and Answers: phone in to CCE Horticulture staff to ask gardening questions Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at 914-285-4640.

Fees
Diagnostic Clinic: $10 per sample
Insects, plant disease or soil pH test

Classroom Visit: $125.00/45 minute session
26 students maximum. The educator brings all materials required.

Suggestions:
Indoor gardens using grow lights and potted plants or hydroponics in your classroom or greenhouse. The class can maintain ongoing plant life cycle studies throughout the school year. Most NYS Math, Science and Technology standards can be met with indoor gardening. When combined with reading for information, developing communication skills, presenting reports and keeping a journal, while using plants students can master many of the ELA requirements as well. There are opportunities for practicing sorting, classifying, inferring and prediction for preparation for the Fourth grade science exam. Extensions allow students to answer their own questions by developing and carrying out simple experiments. Teach requirements for growth, life cycles, food webs, recording and analyzing data, graphing, measuring, the water cycle and key concepts such as all life depends on energy form the sun.

w Terrariums can be used to study system ecology, water and air cycles.

w Outdoor gardens on the school grounds for your students and possibly the school community to maintain. There are grants available to establish a garden. Support programs from Cornell University include Kids Growing Food and the Interactive School Garden on line at www.cerp.cornell.edu. School gardens can participate in Plant A Row for the Hungry. The National Gardening Association also has information for educators. Other teacher guides which are available include Horticulture, Gardening and the Junior Master Gardener program.

Theme gardens:
You may want to plant a garden with a special lesson to teach.

wSuggestions include a bulb garden, which could be planted in the fall and "harvested" by the same students in spring.

wConsider planting a Butterfly garden. Many of these plants are perennial and provide nourishment for many winged visitors.

wPlant the Three Sisters and extend into lessons on the culture of Native Americans in NY State.

wPlant the Humble Potato for lessons on the Irish famine and migration.

wPlant a salad garden in March of lettuce, spinach, radishes, peas, parsley and basil and enjoy it in June. This garden can be grown in planters outdoors.

wPlant a Pizza Garden with tomatoes, peppers and herb as wedges of a circular garden.

wPlant American Chestnut Tree nuts and grow the seedlings on your school grounds. Your students can actually help to preserve this tree. The nuts are available from the American Chestnut Foundation (www.acf.org) through the CCE Resource Center in February.

wParticipate in any of the School Gardening Program projects and you receive e-mail on topics pertinent to school gardening including seasonal tips.

Composting at School
For all that you ever wanted to know about composting at school, simply go to this website, written and maintained by the Cornell Waste Management Institute: http://compost.css.cornell.edu/schools.html

Another helpful site is maintained by the Department of Horticulture of Cornell University. http://www.gardening.cornell.edu. Click on the Youth Education topic.

Design your garden using the tools from the the interactive garden at http://www.cerp.cornell.edu/ig/enter.asp

Questions and Answers: phone in to CCE Horticulture staff to ask gardening questions Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at 914-285-4640.

Youth Gardening

Another helpful site is maintained by the Department of Horticulture of Cornell University. http://www.gardening.cornell.edu.
Click on the Youth Education topic.

Interactive Garden
Plan your garden the easy way-design it on your
computer by using the tools at http://cerp.cornell.edu/ig/enter.asp
Choose from these categories:
wInteractive garden design
wGardening tools and links
wGardening fundamentals
wFood, diet and health
wAsk a school gardener

Middle School Opportunities
For middle school programming check out the intergenerational Garden Mosaics at www.gardenmosaics.cornell.edu. or the joint program offered by the American Horticultural Society and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. which can be found at www.TheGrowingConnection.com.

More garden grants are offered through the National Gardening Association . Check out the information on www.kidsgardening.com.

_________________
For More Information Contact: School Gardening Program:
914-285-4620
________
CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY: Cornell Cooperative Extension is the educational arm of Cornell University which offers programs within Westchester County. The mission of the Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program is to create supportive learning environments in which diverse youth reach their fullest potential as capable, competent and caring citizens. The Master Gardener program provides extensive training to individuals who then donate their volunteer time in assisting Cooperative Extension.

 

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For more information please e-mail: westchester@cornell.edu

©2000 Cornell Cooperative Extension. Updated: < December 4, 2007
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