Course Resources
This is a repository of supporting resource documents for participants of the hybrid course, "Building Gardens, Building Minds." Click the [+] to expand a list of resources for each module. Please report any broken links to Megan Bame. If you have questions about the course, reach out to Amy Bowman.
Module 1: Benefits of School Gardens
- Benefits of School Gardens (KidsGardening.org)
- Let it Grow (Harvard Graduate School of Education)
- Benefits of School-based Community Gardens (Slow Food USA)
- Enhance Academic Performance (University of Georgia Extension)
- Key Findings (Cornell Garden-Based Learning)
- Educational Benefits of School Gardening for Students (Michigan State University)
Module 2: Before the Build
- The Role of a School Garden Team (Michigan State University Extension)
- Developing a School Garden Classroom Mission Statement
- School Garden Budget Worksheet (save a copy so you can customize to your needs)
- School Garden Materials List
Module 3: Designing and Building your Outdoor Classroom
- Building Your Outdoor Classroom: The Top 10 (Education Outside)
- Building a Raised Bed with Students (Video)
- Raised Bed Lumber, is Pressure-treated safe? (Oregon State Extension)
- Dig deeper into Soils
- FAQs about Soil Testing and Fertilizer (NCDA&CS)
Module 4: Crop Selection and Planning
- First and Last Frost Dates – Interactive Map & Chart (NC State Extension)
- School Year Planting Guide
- Reading a Seed Packet (Alaska Ag in the Classroom)
- I Can Read a Seed Packet – Worksheet
- Themed Garden Beds
- Vegetable Planting Guide for School Gardens in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of North Carolina (NC Cooperative Extension)
- Planning your Garden Bed
- Square Foot Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew
- School Garden Budget Worksheet (save a copy so you can customize to your needs)
- How have frost dates changed over the years? (EPA)
- Garden Vocabulary
Module 5: Planting
- Pea Trellis Design Challenge (New Jersey Agricultural Society)
- First Peas to the Table
Module 6: Maintenance
- Vermicomposting (NC Cooperative Extension)
- Compost Tea
- Local NC CES Offices
- Soil Testing FAQs (NCDA&CS)
- Soilless Media Analysis (NCDA&CS)
Module 7: Safety in the Garden
- USDA citation defining “organic garden” (USDA)
- Principles of Organic Gardening (Garden Organic)
- Growing an Organic Garden – The Fundamentals (PennState Extension)
- Organic Vegetable Gardening Techniques (University of Missouri Extension)
- Chemical Contaminants in the Soil (Duke University)
Module 8: Student Management
- Tips and Tricks for Outdoor Classroom Management (Boston Schoolyard Initiative)
- Outdoor Teaching Strategies (Evergreen)
- How Can I Possibly Manage 30 Kids Outdoors in a Garden?
- Classroom Management Outdoors
- Outdoor Learning Centers
Module 10: Harvesting
- Vegetable Harvest Tips (Michigan State University)
- Harvesting Vegetables (Clemson Cooperative Extension)
Module 11: Tastings and Nutrition
- Tasting Tour Activity (Big Green)
- A Mindfulness Eating Exercise (The Mindfulness Diet)
- Tasting Data Sheet
- Kohlrabi Apple Slaw
- Massaged Kale Salad
- Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Nutrition Education in the Garden (KidsGardening.org)
- Key Findings (Cornell Garden-Based Learning)
- Sowing the seeds of healthy eating (Daily Mail)
- Comparative Tasting Worksheet (Life Lab)
- Phytonutrients: Paint your plate with the colors of the rainbow (Harvard Health Publishing)
- Color Me Healthy (English) (Espanol)
Module 12: Garden Sustainability and Growing your Program
- Updated list of garden grants
- Measuring Impact and Sharing Results (SGSO Network)
- The GREEN Tool (Columbia University)
- School Garden Sustainability Survey (EdEN Lab, University of Texas)
- School Garden Sustainability (Mississippi Farm to School Network)
- Sustaining Your Program (KidsGardening.org)