School gardens offer an opportunity for learning that extends far beyond the soil and plants. Through these spaces, students absorb pivotal lessons on everything from math to English/language arts, while learning problem solving skills and building empathy for each other and the world around them.
By moving, touching, smelling, and tasting, they’re actively engaged in the lessons and passionate about the topic at hand.
In Washington, D.C., much of this learning happens through FoodPrints, a food education program from FRESHFARM that partners with 21 public elementary schools across seven wards for gardening, cooking, and nutrition instruction via a standards-based curriculum.
The program provides teachers with lessons, supplies, a kitchen classroom, and a school garden at each location. Each lesson ties food into a core content area—such as learning about the “Three Sisters” planting method while working in the garden or tripling a recipe in the kitchen to reinforce multiplication skills.
Here, see what the program is like at two different schools in the district as educators share how it works, and offer ideas for other teachers looking to bring garden-based learning to their own classrooms.
