Gardening

Web sites:

National Gardening Association
Major resource for youth gardening and school gardens including curricula, tool kits, supplies, grant information, and technical support. Great for teachers who already have established gardens and also for parents looking to support projects. Web site hosts a registry of schoolyard garden projects across the country. K-8.

Junior Master Gardener Program
A wide-ranging resource for support, curriculum, and a nation wide youth gardening network. A good web site for kids to access with interesting educational lessons. K-8.

United States Department of Agriculture
This USDA run web site provides an extensive resource list for agriculture in the classroom and K-8 educational materials as well as downloadable curriculum guides. K-8.

American Horticultural Society
A tremendous resource on youth gardening including curricula, supplies, grants, and educational materials. 3-8.

Cornell University Department of Horticulture
Resource for garden based learning, from seed to harvest, for youth and adults. Great activities, lesson plans, publications, and evaluation resources. K-12.

Life Lab Science Program
A popular, hands-on science elementary school curriculum Web site also includes workshops, events, and project models. K-5.

California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom
Web site provides free, downloadable lesson plans in all subject matters. Great resource! K-12.

Cornell University
Garden Mosaics is a project that combines science education with gardening, inter-generational mentoring, multicultural understanding and community action. Great science and action project resources as well as interactive components. K-12.

Publications:

Getting Started: A Guide for Creating School Gardens as Outdoor Classrooms
Getting Started includes instructions for selecting and preparing sites and maintaining gardens and for connecting gardens to the classroom. Visit http://www.ecoliteracy.org for more information and to purchase.
K-12

LiFE: Linking Food and The Environment
The Linking Food and the Environment Program is a two-year inquiry-based science education and nutrition program for fourth through sixth grade urban children, teachers and parents. The program uses the study of food and food systems to teach the life sciences and nutrition through inquiry-based studies. Available through Teacher’s College, Columbia University

The Growing Classroom
The Growing Classroom is a resource book containing step-by-step instructions for setting up a garden-based science program and outdoor classroom activities. Topics include working together in the garden, growing, nutrients, garden ecology, climate, nutrition, gardening tips, and food choices. Available at http://www.lifelabstore.org/activity.html. K-12.

Cooking

Web sites:

Cooking With Kids
An online version of the popular book, Cooking With Kids offers family friendly recipes, tips for the kitchen, fun games and activities. The site is great for both parents and children. K-8.

Edible Schoolyard
The Edible Schoolyard kitchen, in Berkeley, California, offers an experiential learning classroom that focuses on the relationship between food and life. Daily educational opportunities are designed to integrate culture, history, language, ecology, biology, and other classroom-related subject areas into the preparation of food from the garden. Find recipes and general guidance on this website. 5-8.

Publications:

Healthy Food from Healthy Soils
A hands-on, creative curriculum guide spanning food production, taste education, food and culture studies, and waste management. K-6.
Available from Tilbury House Publishers, http://www.tilburyhouse.com, major textbook distributors, and Amazon.

Food is Elementary
A fantastic resource of lesson plans and activities involving all five senses. K-8. Visit http://www.foodstudies.org for more information and to purchase.

The Magical Melting Pot: The All-Family Cookbook that Celebrates America's Diversity
By Michelle Greenwald (Cherry Press/Baker & Taylor, 2003) $29.95
"With enthusiasm, Michelle Greenwald brings to life the childhood stories of many of today's culinary icons. In the process, she draws us back to our own memories shared with family and friends, inviting us in and welcoming us home." - Russell Cronkhite