Go Outside & Grow Something with Children

Kids Gardening.org
A beautiful and useful Teacher and Community resource for teaching Gardeners of all ages.

"...We create opportunities for kids to learn and grow through gardening, engaging their natural curiosity and wonder. KidsGardening has been a leader in the school gardening movement since 1982. We envision happier, healthier kids learning in the garden and connecting to nature. This improves nutritional attitudes and educational outcomes, enhances social and emotional learning, and gives rise to environmental stewardship in youth across the country. We inspire, support, and connect educators and families by providing garden grants and curriculum, and by cultivating a community of practice. We hope you will join us..."  https://kidsgardening.org/what-we-do/

Lesson Plans -
Garden Activities -
Designing a School Garden -
Books and Curricula -
Create and Sustain a Program -
Growing Guides - What will grow when and where

Gardening Basics
Hydroponics - "...Hydroponics, in its simplest form, is growing plants by supplying all necessary nutrients in the plants’ water supply rather than through the soil. Growing plants hydroponically helps gardeners and farmers grow more food more rapidly in smaller areas (greenhouses, living rooms, classrooms, and rooftops, for instance) and to produce food in parts of the world where space, good soil, and/or water are limited..."

Why Leaves Change Colors - "...Chlorophyll isn’t the only pigment contained in plant foliage, but it dominates. Other pigments, such as the yellow and orange carotenoids, are masked in most plants by the strong presence of chlorophyll. However, come autumn, as the growing season winds down, chlorophyll’s dominance wanes. The shortening days (or, more accurately, the lengthening hours of darkness) trigger plants to begin entering dormancy. One manifestation of this process is that chlorophyll begins to break down and the plant reabsorbs some of the elements it contains, such as nitrogen. No longer dominating the scene, the scarcity of chlorophyll allows the yellow and orange carotenoid pigments to take center stage and show their “true colors.”..."

Mycorrhizae & Plants - "...One of the most fascinating group of fungi — and most important to gardeners — are the root fungi, also known as mycorrhizae (my-co-RISE-ee, a term derived from the Greek words for fungus and root). Many species never show themselves above the soil surface, yet they are incredibly important to the soil ecosystem and the plant life it supports..."

Growing and Saving Heirloom Seeds -  "...plants that have been valued over time — for qualities such as flavor, beauty, disease resistance, or adaptability — and have been passed down through the generations are often referred to as heirloom plants. They carry with them stories of the people who grew them, enjoyed them, and saved them to pass on to their progeny.

Heirloom plants are also repositories of rich genetic diversity that is now understood to be a vital asset that we may need to call upon at any moment. Much of the world’s population has become increasingly dependent upon a relatively few food crops — and often just a handful of varieties of each of these crops. The lack of genetic diversity leaves these crops vulnerable to insect and disease outbreaks, newly evolving pests, and changing environmental conditions..."

Saving Seeds - "...Open-pollinated plants are the ones to grow if you plan to save seeds. They are the result of natural pollination mechanisms, so the seeds and the plants they produce are more diverse genetically than hybrids. Heirloom varieties are open-pollinated.  Seeds produced by open-pollinated plants will “come true” and produce plants like the parents as long as pollen of different varieties of the same species isn’t shared between parent plants..."

Photoperiodism: Can Plants Tell Time? - "...The term photoperiodism is used to describe a phenomenon in which physiological changes occur in an organism in response to day length; that is, the relative amounts of light and darkness in a 24-hour period. In some plant species, for example, the onset of flowering is triggered by day length..."

Choosing Flowers to Welcome a Diversity of Pollinators - "...When the pollen is transferred within a flower, it's called self-pollination and the offspring are genetically similar to the parent plant. Although that can be a successful survival strategy, it doesn't create the genetically diverse offspring that result from cross-pollination between two distinct parent plants. Inheriting genes from both parents results in the genetic diversity that keeps plant populations healthy and is critical if plants are to adapt over time to challenging or changing circumstances. Plants have evolved ways to lure bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, often with the promise of sugary nectar as a reward. Pollinators stop by for a sip, and then move on to other flowers, inadvertently transferring pollen. ­­­­­.."

Planting for Pollinators - "...Pollinators are animals that move pollen from one flower to another so that the plants can produce fruits and seeds. Most pollinators are insects, including bees, wasps, butterflies, flies, ants, and beetles. But some plants are pollinated by birds such as hummingbirds, and some are pollinated by bats..."

Encourage Pollinators & Beneficial Insects - "...And there is an army of tiny helpers eager to lend a hand. They are the beneficial insects, ones that behave in ways that are helpful to the crops we grow. These “good bugs” help out in a variety of ways- by hunting and eating (or using as food for their young) insects that are harmful to our crops, by parasitizing insects we consider pests, or by pollinating the fruiting plants we grow. .."

Teaching History in the Garden - "...Gardens and farms evolved throughout history as people adopted new practices and grew different crops to match needs and available resources. Due to this evolution, agricultural practices can serve as a way to define different eras by exploring their unique planting patterns. Here are a few examples of time periods you could study using a garden:..."

How the Potato Changed World History - "...This genetic uniformity set the stage for an epidemic of disastrous proportions, as the potato varieties grown showed no resistance to the blight, and entire fields were wiped out in a matter of days.  The suffering that ensued was horrific, especially in Ireland, which endured one of the deadliest famines in history in terms of the percentage of the population affected. More than one million Irish died, and around twice that number emigrated, many of them settling in the U.S..."

Starting a School Farmers' Market - "...In schools and communities across the country, students are using their campus gardens and local farm produce as fodder for business ventures.  As they plant, plan, calculate, design, and promote their produce, they grow socially, academically, and personally. Their communities, too, reap rewards..."

Create a School Garden Business - "...Creating a school garden business can be an exciting venture for students offering real-world challenges and benefits. As students work through the planning and implementation stages, they draw upon the knowledge they have learned in their classes and translate that information into practical job skills. They have opportunities to be creative, practice teamwork, and gain confidence. This lesson provides guidance for helping your students create a simple business plan..."

Botanical Classification – or, What's in a Name? - "...Using the two-part or binomial Latin name (also referred to as the scientific or botanical name) for a plant can help clear up the confusion, at least most of the time. Each specific type of plant has a unique, two (occasionally three) part name..."

Make New Houseplants with a Rooting Pot - "...Making plants from cuttings is a form of asexual propagation—one that doesn’t rely on pollination and seeds. It produces clones—new plants that are genetically identical to the parent plant from which the cuttings were taken. Taking a cutting involves removing a piece of a leaf, stem or root and placing it in a growing medium where it then develops the other parts that were left behind (i.e., a section of stem will produce roots; a root piece will produce a stem)..."

How to Plant a Tree - "...If you pull back some of the soil at the base of the tree, you'll see the tops of the main order roots spreading out at this point. You want to plant your own tree so that the base of the trunk flare (also known as the root collar) is right at the surface of the soil (or slightly above in heavy soil). The flare of the trunk on a sapling is not as noticeable as it is on a mature tree, but if you look closely, you'll see it -- that is, if it's not buried..."

Preserving the School Garden Harvest -"...By exploring preservation methods, both ancient and

modern, students can come to appreciate the climatic and survival challenges faced by people in different places and eras. Older students can examine the chemistry and economics of different types of food preservation..."

Six Easy-to-Grow Herbs - "...Herbs have many historical ties and have been used for centuries for healing, personal care, and dye making, as well as to season foods. There is a lot for students to explore about the history, use, and sensory attributes of the herbs they grow..."

Companion Planting - "...Scattering flower plants throughout the garden and/or planting a border of flowers around your vegetable garden perimeter is a great way to provide food and shelter for beneficials. Try to have something in bloom from spring planting time to fall frost. The flowers of many herbs, such as dill, caraway, and coriander, are excellent attractors, as are the flowers of vegetables like broccoli and radishes, if you let a few plants go to seed..."

Grow a Rainbow - "...Eating a diet that is high in vegetables and fruits of all kinds can help you maintain a healthy weight and blood pressure, and may reduce the risk of developing problems such as heart disease and type-2 diabetes. And perhaps best of all, fruits and vegetables add delicious taste and texture to your plate. Children who are introduced to lots of a different kinds of produce at a young age are likely to make these healthful foods part of their diet into adulthood, reaping lifelong benefits..."

Getting Ready to Grow Under Lights - "...To make sure your indoor plants or seedlings get enough light to keep them growing strong, hang the bulbs so that they are just a few inches above the tops of your plants. As the plants grow, raise the level of the bulbs to keep them at the same distance above the plants. You can purchase single or multi-tiered plant light stands with easily adjustable fixtures or, if you’re handy, you can rig up a system to raise and lower your light fixtures..."

The Winter Bird-Friendly Schoolyard

Create Overwintering Habitat with an “Untidy” Garden

Indoor Gardening

Choosing What to Grow: Vegetables & Herbs

When to Plant Seeds

Indoor Seed Starting Q&A

All the Dirt on Soil

Preparing the Soil

Transplanting & Direct Seeding

Plants for Pre-K Gardens

Dealing with Garden Pests & Diseases

Garden Maintenance

Wise Watering

Safe Harvesting

Safe Gardening Guidelines

Maintaining a School Garden in Summer

Plan for a Back-to-School Harvest

Extend the Season with Plant Cover-ups

Put Your School Garden to Bed

Grow Milkweed to Help Monarch Butterflies

Composting

Worm Composting