Kansas State Department of Education 

• Farm to Plate -  https://cnw.ksde.org/f2p/what's-new

  • Here you can find grant opportunities, harvest of the month materials, program overviews that can help you tell newcomers to Farm to School/Plate what it's all about, guidance on local procurement for school food authorities, nutrition education materials (Kansas Partners links and lesson plans), and a bountiful list of additional external resources. 

Kansas State University 

• Horticulture Resource Center - https://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/horticulture-resource-center/

  • Here you can access the K-State Research & Extension (KSRE) library, sign up for their horticultural newsletter, search their database of documents to help diagnose and resolve your plant pest problems, find lists of plants best suited for your project, and obtain expert analysis with your plant issues. KSRE encourages you to tell your garden story to have your garden featured in their Garden Spotlight (email hortsupport@ksu.edu with your Heartland Farm to ECE Institute story!).

• School & Youth Programs - https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/kansaslocalfoods/cultivate-community/school-youth.html

  • The Kansas School Garden guide will help administrators, teachers, staff, volunteers, and garden organizations successfully grow and teach from a school garden. 

• Kansas Local Foods:  Sourcing Local Foods - https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/kansaslocalfoods/find-local-food/source-local-food/

  • K-State offers many videos, publications, and related resources to help guide you in getting started with purchasing local meat, produce, or food products.

Garden Templates and Plant Choices for Kansas School Gardens

• https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/garden-templates-and-plant-choices-for-kansas-school-gardens_MF3590.pdf

  • A guide presented by K-State Research & Extension regarding plant layouts and selections for Kansas gardens. The guide includes over 100 pages of information on seasonal garden templates and a hardy section on plant choices with learning connection ideas. Kansas schools can request a free physical copy by contacting Annie Baker (abake@ksu.edu) or Rebecca McMahon (rmcmahon@ksu.edu).

Considerations and Resources for School Garden Design in Kansas 

• https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/considerations-and-resources-for-school-garden-design-in-kansas_MF3589.pdf

  • A guide presented by K-State Research & Extension regarding school garden resources. The guide provides information about getting everyone on the same page, ages and stages in the garden, necessary and optional tools, finding local partnerships, and food safety. The guide has a section specific to ECE & Pre-K and extends into primary and secondary schooling. 

Vegetable Garden Planting Guide

• https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/vegetable-garden-planting-guide-revised_MF315.pdf

  • A quick guide on vegetable yields per plant, average expected planting dates for Kansas, average expected harvest calendar, and a vegetable crop information guide that outlines the number of days to harvest, number of plants per 10 foot row, days to germinate, optimum planting temperatures, depth of planting, average spacing within the row, average spacing between the rows, and frost resistance for many typical Kansas crops. 

Monarch Rearing in ECEs Curriculum

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t1yP0e3hqsEkDzmrx_gCGb-OPos_90HU/edit

  • Developed by Jill Anderson, this Monarch rearing curriculum includes four lessons that will guide you through raising Monarchs in your classrooms. The curriculum includes book recommendations, lesson materials, vetted online videos, and activities. Each lesson describes its objective and alignments with Kansas ECE standards.