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  STARTING A SCHOOL GARDEN AND KITCHEN - HOW WE CAN HELP

Thank you for your interest in The Edible Schoolyard. We offer our program as a model for other organizations engaged in creating organic gardening and cooking projects for children. Although we are unable to form partnerships with other projects, we are happy to help out in the following ways:

There is a wealth of resources available to new school gardens and to those interested in the national movement toward sustainable food systems – you’ll find some of them in our Resources and Links.

We offer monthly tours of The Edible Schoolyard garden and kitchen ‘classrooms’ at King Middle School – please see our Visitor Guidelines.

If your questions are not answered by this web site, you may contact us by phone, mail, or email.

20 GOOD REASONS TO HAVE A GARDEN AND A KITCHEN AT YOUR SCHOOL
  1. The garden and kitchen provide a context for understanding seasonality and life cycles.
  2. It's an opportunity to work cooperatively on real tasks.
  3. Sensory experience becomes part of a child’s day at school.
  4. The garden and kitchen offer opportunities to honor the cultures comprising the MLK school community.
  5. They provide opportunities for informal one-on-one time for teachers and students to talk.
  6. They create common experience to build on in multiple settings – from classroom to celebration.
  7. Students understand the role of food in life – the kitchen and garden allow us to improve nutrition and highlight healthy foods.
  8. Students learn about where food really comes from.
  9. Kitchen and garden experiences reinforce classroom curriculum.
  10. They provide opportunities for community involvement – the kitchen and garden provide a link with neighbors, volunteers, parents, and community businesses.
  11. They offer opportunities to teach life skills such as gardening and cooking.
  12. The kitchen and garden setting helps broaden the way teachers look at both curriculum and their students.
  13. The garden and kitchen are beautiful spaces that connect students to their school.
  14. They provide a context for rituals and celebrations.
  15. A kitchen and garden promote risk taking, such as trying new things...foods, activities and making new friends.
  16. Students value the garden – their sense of pride and ownership discourages vandalism.
  17. The kitchen and garden offer opportunities for students to practice their observation skills.
  18. In the kitchen and garden students build vocabulary...both small and large.
  19. The garden and kitchen offer opportunities to integrate curriculum across subject areas.
  20. In the kitchen and the garden, students can observe all of the Principles of Ecology in practice.

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