The Growing Classroom: 2-Day Intensive on Garden-Based Learning - September 19-20, 2019

Learn to use a garden to breathe life into standards-based lessons, promote ecological literacy, encourage healthy eating, and support students' social development. Using Life Lab’s Growing Classroom activity guide for grades K-6, participants in this hands-on workshop experience tried-and-true garden-based lessons linked to Common Core Language Arts and Math and Next Generation Science Standards; practice basic gardening techniques; and develop management strategies for a school garden program. Graduate education units available.

Audience

Anyone interested or involved in garden-based learning with children in grades K-6.    

Location and Cost Options

Life Lab's Garden Classroom on the UC Santa Cruz Campus: $360/$400 per participant - See more workshop dates
10% Early-Bird Registration Discount will be applied in check-out process for workshops registered 14 days prior to workshop start date. Santa Cruz County public educators receive substantial discounts! Learn more here.

or

Host this workshop at your school site - See pricing details

Key Workshop Components

Learn ...

• How to connect garden-based learning activities from The Growing Classroom to academic content standards

• How to use a garden to provide opportunities for students to develop their creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration skills

• Basic gardening techniques, including composting, seed sowing, preparing garden beds, transplanting, and garden planning

• Outdoor classroom management tips
 

Discuss ...  

• How to make outdoor, inquiry-based education work for different student populations

• The resources inside of The Growing Classroom activity guide, including sections on: Creating a garden, garden-based learning activities, gardening "how-to's," and connecting garden-based learning to academic content standards.
 

Take home ...

* The Growing Classroom activity guide

* Ideas and inspiration for your school garden

* Optional: 1 unit of semester credit available per day

One of the many lessons we model.

View a sample 2-Day Workshop Agenda.

To customize a 1-day version of this workshop, we work with site hosts to determine which half of the content is most relevant to their audience. Generally, site hosts choose to focus on 3 out of the following 6 areas for a 1-day Growing Classroom Workshop.

• Curricular Connections in the Garden
• Gardening How-To's: Composting, Planting, etc.
• Educational Garden Design
• Garden-Enhanced Nutrition Education: Comparative Tasting
• Science Inquiry in the Garden 
• Collaborative Planning Time 

Participant Comments

The curriculum, which is incredible, will be a valuable asset to me as an instructor. The experience of being in the garden, seeing the different spaces first-hand, was exciting and thought provoking. And the different activities that we did were a lot of fun and helped me prepare for my upcoming programs. But the most important thing that I received from your workshop was inspiration! I'm so excited to bring garden education to Reno!

I learned how to integrate our state science curriculum into on-site gardening activities, teaching students how to explore, ask questions, and connect to the natural world. Now my students are showing an improved respect toward the plants and animals on campus, an enthusiasm and curiosity to visit and learn from the garden, and expanded healthy eating practices. Because of my participation in this training, my principal is supporting multiple grade levels in engaging in on-site garden activities.

One of the best organized days of hands-on activities and philosophical underpinnings I've ever seen.

I received a wonderful experience that will boost and sustain my quest for a learning garden area for my school.

This workshop far surpassed my expectations - excellent info from presenter and participants.

I came away with the knowledge that Life Lab can be used for teaching in every subject [and] lots of ides to improve our life lab.

This is exactly what we will need to further the commitment of a garden program district-wide.

View all upcoming workshops in Life Lab's Garden Classroom

All workshops require advanced registration and deposit.

To set up a workshop for your school site, please call Life Lab at (831) 459-3833 or email us at education@lifelab.org.