Classroom Stories

Full of helpful ideas and tips, we hope you will find inspiration in the following articles spotlighting successful school garden programs from around the country.

Herbal Village

To inspire creative problem-solving during an herb study, enrichment teacher Marge Tirpak of Aurora, OH, created an imaginary situation in which students were to be 17th

Weed Busters: Students Tackle the Purple Menace

"When my third graders asked a local naturalist to help them identify wild plants growing on our school grounds, we never imagined their query would lead to a long-term

Classroom Biosphere Update

Carol Bacig and her sixth graders in Duluth, Minnesota, were inspired by suggestions in our "Biosphere in a Bottle" story. Using silty mud and local pondwater, each student

Inquiry Flows

"Exploring life in the river near our school intrigued my third and fourth graders," reports Waits River, VT, teacher Cheryl Ollman. "But, of course, the time for working

Plant a Seed for Good Health

In Santa Cruz County, California, the Plant a Seed for Good Health program emerged to raise awareness about the benefits of growing food in a classroom

From the Garden to the Sea

Before Photo: Site of the future LEGO Rain GardenThe 10 fifth grade students in the FIRST LEGO League Team at Greenbrier Intermediate School in Chesapeake, Virginia

Oak Grove Montessori

"Whether they are 18 months old or eight years old, students taught under the Montessori method learn practical life skills, first and foremost," says Oak Grove Montessori

Metamorphosis: Changing Children's Lives Through Butterflies

"We were looking for a way to get children away from television, video games, and computers and outdoors where they could become involved in the natural world

Eating Your Way Through the Alphabet

"We’ve learned that if we incorporate nutrition education into something fun, or into a project the kids can take ownership over, they’re more apt to try new

Hydroponics on Wheels

The students and teachers at Milton Cooper Elementary in Houston, Texas, have found a unique location to grow plants hydroponically: a 1973 VW Microbus! The

Summer Garden Camp for Visually Impaired Youth

In 2006, the San Diego County California Master Gardener Association developed a garden-based summer camp for visually impaired and blind youth ages 9 to 19 at

Harvest of Dreams

Imagine this scenario: You stumble into the school cafeteria expecting yet another serving of tuna boat, but instead you find bare single-serving pizzas. Next, you’re invited by

Celebrating a Historical Harvest

“Keep it focused, keep it simple at first, and resist the temptation to go crazy,” says fourth grade teacher, Maureen O’Connor. The topic: creating a

The Kitchen Classroom

You won’t find students sitting at desks in Stephanie Raugust’s classroom. Instead, her fifth- and sixth-grade students at Pacific Elementary in Davenport, California, spend their

Growing with GrowLab

Andrea McDonagh and Sara Vogel are dedicated to creating a sustainable GrowLab Science Program in Montclair, New Jersey schools. They began with the K-2 classrooms at Nishuane

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