Learning in the garden is a key component of farm to ECE and a wonderful way to get children outside. Young children learn better in out-of-classroom settings that involve hands-on activities using all of the senses. Gardens can also increase parent involvement and children’s enthusiasm for child care. Gardening can enhance the development of physical and social skills and encourage consumption of fruits and vegetables. Planting a garden in your child care setting is a great way to provide hands-on learning experiences, but not the only way. Simple ways to introduce gardening include placing containers on a window sill, sprouting seeds in a plastic bag, or potting plants outside.
Gardening Resources
Resources for every step of creating and sustaining a school garden
A webinar about farm to ECE for Master Gardeners hosted by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Colorado’s Division of Environmental Health & Sustainability.
This guide will help you in every step from knowing what type of garden you want to plant to every phase of cultivating and harvesting your produce
Community Groundwork’s quick guide addressing common concerns to starting a gardening program in early learning
This guide lists grants, local technical assistance and funding opportunities and donation options to begin and expand gardens in early learning programs.
from Team Nutrition at USDA
This fact sheet provides guidance on navigating Washington State regulations and CACFP reimbursement when gardening in early learning programs.
Contains a gardening activity guide and a series of guides on topics such as growing and cooking fruits and vegetables, creating childcare production gardens, and composting
Gives a brief overview of planning and garden team building in English and Spanish
Peer to peer learning opportunities through webinars, gatherings, and an online forum
Lifelab’s Spanish resource list, including guides to starting your garden, garden curriculums, nutrition education curriculum, and songs and music
Easy indoor gardening activities:
Use this worksheet to think through and develop a comprehensive garden plan
Also available in Spanish
National Farm to School Gardenâs fact sheet on how to start a school garden
A guide for steps and things to be aware of when starting a school garden from LSU
Garden Focused Curriculums and Activities
Educator resources include garden activities and curricula from Big Green and their partners
Resource library contains garden-based lesson plans for every age group and curricular area
An easy reference guide on the curriculums linked above.
Also available in Spanish
Find classroom focused curriculums and activities on the page
A farm to preschool garden curriculum with weekly activities and a suggested planting schedule
by Better Kid Care at Penn State
A garden-themed education kit with hands-on, planting, and nutrition education activities
Free garden-based lessons plans and activities for parents and educators
a garden-focused tips collection full of easy, brain-building activities that can be integrated into the day-to-day.
Also available in Spanish
by Oxbow Farms (Spanish and English)
Lesson plans by Growing Minds with weekly activities, teacher resources, and parent newsletters