There are many ways to incorporate the garden into science, language arts, math, social studies, and art lessons for students of all ages and abilities. The links below direct you to training and field-tested lesson plans to help you achieve your learning goals.
ECE
Roots in the Ground Wisconsin's ECE Training program + lesson plan links. Includes resources for every step of gardening with ECE - planting, watering, harvesting, cooking/tasting, winter programming, and an appendix of Children's songs, poems, and ECE books.
Shelburne Farm's Cultivating Joy and Wonder set of themed lesson plans: More than 75 “facilitated learning experiences” organized around four “threads” that flow through the seasons: Who Are We?, Who Lives Here?, What’s Happening?, and How Are We Connected?
Local
The Maryland Department of Agriculture has posted a collection of educational resources for teachers connecting the garden to the cafeteria to the classroom.
The University of Maryland provides this toolkit for teachers interested in gardening for nutrition education, including:
[NEW IN 2023]: Maryland Farm to School Curriculum: Exploring Maryland Food, created by UMD Extension SNAP-Ed team, which outlines major steps in the food system, including 5 lessons linked to science, environmental literacy, and agricultural education standards.
Growing Healthy Habits, focused on gardening and nutrition education.
Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation offers programs for a variety of grade levels, helping teachers incorporate agriculture into their lessons.
City Blossoms is a DC-based organization offering bilingual English/Spanish resources for urban school gardens and cooking programs, including a list of garden, nature and food-themed books.
National
The USDA offers a series of Farm to School webcasts and downloadable presentations. Additional webinars are available on the USDA Food and Nutrition Service YouTube Channel, including a video overview of Growing Your School Garden Program.
Nutrition to Grow On from the California Department of Education provides nine free lessons designed to teach children and their families about nutrition by relating each lesson to a garden activity.
American Community Gardening Association has a series of free downloadable lesson plans for environmental education in the garden.
Edible Schoolyard Project is a network of educators that aims at building and sharing educational resources for outdoor learning.
LifeLab School Garden provides webinars and lesson collections.
The Whole Kids Foundation offers hands-on-activities to get your students engaged in the garden.
NASA’s Aura and the Captain Planet Foundation offer ideas on connecting planting to air pollution detection and ozone monitoring.
Gardens are exceptional teaching environments for lessons on food justice, food systems, and food security. Consider the following resources for teaching these themes.
Center for a Livable Future’s FoodSpan Food Systems Curriculum
The Community Alliance for Global Justice’s Food Justice Project: Our Food, Our Right! Recipes for Food Justice
Soul Fire Farm’s resources for understanding food justice and book Farming While Black by Leah Penniman
Food+Justice = Democracy: An introductory TedX video by LaDonna Redmond of the Campaign for Food Justice Now
In addition to these national groups, Baltimore is home to many organizations focused on linking food to themes of equity, sovereignty, and justice. Consider connecting to these organizations; they may be open to visiting your garden or consulting.
Black Yield Institute – Based in Cherry Hill, this group is driven by the mission of “Cultivating Self-determination through Black Land and Food Sovereignty.” Find information on viewing and screening its documentary, “Baltimore’s Strange Fruit.”
Black Church Food Security Network – This network provides food, organizes Soil to Sanctuary Community Markets, and supports economic food ventures through its network of Black churches and farmers throughout Baltimore.
Fresh At The Ave – No Boundaries Coalition hosts Saturday Market stands with fresh produce sales, music, and opportunities to get involved at the Upton Ave Market on Pennsylvania Ave. Contact their Health and Food Justice team for information on the area gardens they support.
The Food Project – Based in southwest Baltimore, the project “brings culinary skills, job opportunities, sustainable food sources, mentorship and hope” to area youth.
City Weeds – City Weeds Chef and Farmer Dominic Nell provides #BeMoreGreen STEM programming, focusing on Baltimore’s most underserved neighborhoods
Black Girls Cook – The chefs behind this non-profit “teach inner-city adolescent girls of color the true meaning of farm-to-table by operating hands on cooking classes and growing edible gardens.”
Mera Kitchen Collective – This cooperative aims to empower refugees and immigrants in Baltimore through food entrepreneurship, hosting pop-up events throughout the city.
Real Food Farm – This farm’s team offers educational programs in Clifton Park.