This experiential learning curriculum from Cornell University centers on our food system, including local foods and gardening. Garden-based activities offer an assortment of lengths and formats. Activities can be appropriate for one afternoon, a six week project, or can be incorporated into a longer program. Most are designed for grades 2-8, though are easily adaptable. Formats vary from one-pagers to full length publications. View Resource »
Dig In: Standards-Based Nutrition Education from the Ground Up
Explore a world of possibilities in the garden and on your plate using ten inquiry-based lessons that engage 5th and 6th graders in growing, harvesting, tasting, and learning about fruits and vegetables. Each lesson meets education standards in one or more of the following subjects: Science (National Academy of Sciences), English/language arts (Common Core State Standards Initiative), math (Common Core State Standards Initiative), health (American Cancer Society) View Resource »
Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
This high school curriculum was developed by the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was funded in part by a grant from the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE). The curriculum is divided into six modules: an introductory module and five more narrowly focused modules. Each module is designed to be taught in as little as 5 hours of class time, though if you choose to use all the material in the module, it will take longer. View Resource »
Seed to Table
The Seed to Table curriculum is a collaborative project between three organizations in Madison, WI – Community GroundWorks, East High School and Goodman Community Center. This experiential curriculum teaches youth valuable employment skills while they learn the life cycle of plants, from seed to table. Seed to Table can be used as a whole curriculum or as individual lessons. Even though this was created for a class with a farm site and a commercial kitchen, many of the lessons can be adapted for use in smaller gardens or kitchens with less specialized equipment. In addition, while the lessons are written for high school-aged youth, the background information and activities can be easily modified for use with younger students. We invite you to use and adapt the curriculum to best fit your needs. View Resource »
Connecting Garden-Based Curriculum to Standards
Much of what you may already be doing with your school garden can be aligned with educational standards set by initiatives such as Common Core State Standards Initiative and Next Generation Science Standards. There are very simple ways to involve the garden in lessons in subjects like math, language arts, and science to assist in meeting standards set by these initiatives. In this document you will find ways the garden may be incorporated into lessons in various subjects and learn what you may already be doing that aligns with standards in different subjects. Download Brief »
