Teach

“... the garden furnishes abundance of subject matter for use in the composition, spelling, reading, arithmetic, geography, and history classes. A real bug found eating on the child’s cabbage plant in his little garden will be taken up with a vengeance in his composition class. He would much prefer to spell the real, living radish in the garden than the lifeless radish in the book. He would much prefer to figure on the profit of the onions sold from his garden than those sold by some John Jones of Philadelphia.” 

- George Washington Carver (1864-1943)

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Best Practices in Middle School Gardens

These case studies provides a glimpse into the ways middle school gardens are structured and the myriad rich opportunities they offer. They share the wealth of experience of teachers and garden coordinators who have worked with youth in hands-on settings.

Outdoor Classroom Management

Thinking of your garden as an "outdoor classroom" is one of the first steps for successful instruction out-of-doors. Read tips for other educators, view videos of effective teaching, and download guides that outline strategies for teaching in a garden.

Teaching to the Standards

Resources to help make academic connections in the garden.