Growing School Gardens and Nutrition Year-round�with the Edible Garden Lab

Edible Garden Lab

• This curriculum is designed for grades 3-5 and is aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards
• Focus is on integrating gardening and nutrition into the curriculum
• Teachers are encouraged to keep students engaged in gardening throughout the school year with indoor gardens, hydroponics, and outdoor gardens
• Students learn the science of how plants grow and the nutrition science related to eating plants
• Teachers and students are led through the processes of planning a youth gardening experience

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Lesson 1 – Let’s Get Growing

• Students discover that all of the food that we eat start on a farm or a body of water
• Plants that we eat come in different colors and these colors can clue us in on the health benefits of eating those foods
• Eating a variety of colors and types of fruits and vegetables will give our bodies the variety of nutrients it needs to be healthy
• Similarly, we should plant a variety of colors and types of plants for the health of the garden

Lesson 1 – Let’s Get Growing

• Teachers and students use detailed guides and a scripted lesson plan to:
• Get the needed clearance and permissions for a garden
• Select the best type of garden for the time of year, space, and time allotted to care for a garden
• Select plants to grow in the garden
• Create a garden plan and list of what is needed

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Let’s Get Growing – Garden Planning

• Complete the School Garden Planning Checklist before starting a garden – this will make the process run much more smoothly!!
• Do you have permission for a garden?
• Is the maintenance staff on board?
• What kind of garden do you wish to have?
• How will the garden be funded? (grants, donations, fundraisers)
• Who will be on the garden team, other than students, that will help with building and maintenance of the garden?
• How will the garden and produce from the garden be used? (outdoor classroom, tastings, donations, send home, etc.)

Let’s Get Growing – Garden Comparisons

• Use the Garden Comparison Chart to determine which kind of garden will match your needs…
• Indoor hydroponic garden
• Indoor container gardens and seed starting
• Outdoor container gardens
• Raised Bed

If gardening for the first time, consider starting small and add more types of gardens throughout the year

Let’s Get Growing – What to Plant

• Review the What to Plant When handout and the School Garden Planting Guide to determine what to grow in your garden(s)
• What to plant in different types of gardens
• Timing for planting and harvest
• Conditions needed for plants
• Suggested varieties

Lesson 2- Soil, Water, Sun

• Students learn how different fresh foods are processed before we eat them, such as chopping, peeling, canning, freezing, and adding ingredients to make them last longer
• Students learn to identify foods that are heavily processed, with the goal of minimizing these foods in our diet

Lesson 2 – Soil, Water, Sun

• Students learn to read a nutrition facts label
• Serving size
• Calories
• Which nutrients, such as fat, sugar, sodium, and cholesterol they should avoid or make sure not to have too much of
• Which nutrients, such as fiber, protein, and other vitamins and minerals we should have enough of to support a healthy body
• Students learn to determine if a food has enough of what we need or too much of what we don’t need

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Lesson 2- Soil, Water Sun - Planting a Garden

• Students learn to read a seed label to understand what a plant needs to grow and thrive
• The name of the plant
• Where in the country it can be grown
• How much sunlight or shade is needed
• How long from planting to germination
• How long until the plant is ready for harvest
• How deep seeds should be planted
• How large the plant will grow and how far seeds should be spaced apart
• The best time of year to plant

Lesson 2- Soil, Water, Sun

• Students plant their gardens and use seed and plant labels to help them understand how to care for their gardens
• Students can start a classroom garden journal
• Insert the seed labels and plant labels in the journal
• Date, how, and where the garden is planted
• Any other observations

Lesson 3 - Nurturing Our School Garden

• Students discuss what plants need to grow and stay healthy
• They will compare those needs to what people need to grow, stay healthy, and thrive

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Lesson 3: Nurturing Our School Garden

• Students will create a daily challenge to improve their daily healthy habits
• Eating fruits and vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and protein each day
• Drinking enough water
• Moving our bodies each day
• Getting enough sleep

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Lesson 3 – Nurturing Our School Garden

• Students learn what needs to be done to care for their type of garden
• New seedlings may need to be thinned to give plants enough space to grow
• Hydroponic gardens need to have water changed/added, nutrients added, plants pruned and/or harvested regularly, and inspected regularly for signs of insects or disease
• Indoor container gardens should also be watered regularly and monitored for signs of stress, insects, or disease, and trimmed or harvested
• Outdoor containers and raised beds need watering, weeding, regular inspection for signs of insects, stress, and disease, and regular harvesting

Lesson 3 – Nurturing Our School Garden

• Students explore the school yard and/ or outdoor school garden
• Looking for insects (good and bad) and other pests, disease, lack of water, and animals in the garden
• Students learn how to safely work in the garden, as well as safety with food in and out of the garden

Nurturing our School Garden

• The class creates a maintenance chart
• List tasks that need to be done
• Create job titles
• Assign jobs to students
• Maintain daily and weekly chores to keep the garden healthy

Lesson 4 – The Circle of Plant Life

• Students learn to identify the parts of the plant
• Students learn that different plant parts contain unique vitamins and minerals
• Students discover how those vitamins and minerals help our bodies when we eat them

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Lesson 4 – The Circle of Plant Life

• Students explore each stage of a plant’s life cycle
• Students learn how each part of the plant supports each life stage of the plant
• Students learn that all plants contain fiber in their cell walls and the importance of fiber in both plants and animals that eat plants

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Lesson 4 – The Circle of Plant Life

• Students explore seeds
• Students learn that the part of the plant that contains seeds is called the fruit
• Groups are given different plants containing seeds (fruits) to explore and dissect to find the seeds
• Students conduct experiments to see how seeds are dispersed in air and water
• While outdoors, students look for weeds and discuss how those weeds are growing in the garden

Lesson 5 – Plant Power

• Students explore the process of Photosynthesis and learn how it supports the growth and health of plants
• Students will discover how Photosynthesis helps plants create micronutrients that transfer to animals when they eat them
• In this lesson, students will focus on:
• Carbohydrates (glucose) produced in Photosynthesis
• Fiber is naturally occuring in plants

Lesson 5 – Plant Power

• Students will examine nutrition facts labels for three types of foods or drinks made with strawberries
• They will look for dietary fiber, sugar, and added sugar
• They will determine which foods are the best choice based on the amount of dietary fiber, which we need, the amount of sugar, and added sugar, which is added on top of what is found naturally in a food

Lesson 5 – Plant Power

• Students conduct an experiment that demonstrates Photosynthesis
• Leaves absorb sunlight and oxygen
• Create glucose (carbohydrates)
• Releases carbon dioxide

Lesson 5 – Plant Power

• The class explores the garden and looks for plants leaning over
• This can be a sign of plants leaning toward the light, which can mean that they are not planted in the correct location to get the right amount of light
• Students practice breathing in oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide, while imagining plants breathing in carbon dioxide and breathing out oxygen

What’s next?

• Download the full curriculum at: https://mdteachertoolkit.org/edible-garden-lab/
• Review the garden guides in Lesson 1 - Let’s Get Growing to get started with your first garden
• Revisit these guides as needed throughout the school year, as you try new and exciting ways to grow food with your class!