Spring 2021: Designing a Garden of/for/by Children

April is National Garden Month! Celebrate by joining a three-part series focused on the most important factors to consider when designing a Garden of/for/by Children.

All sessions take place from 4:15-5:30 on the second Thursday of each month. RSVP below to receive the secure Zoom link.

• April 15th: The UC Master Gardeners of Napa County are engaged in an epic partnership with the City of Napa Parks and Recreation Department to develop a learning garden at Las Flores Community Center. The Las Flores Learning Garden will have 2500-square foot area designated for children. A small, but mighty team of volunteers is currently drafting a design. View the recording here.
• May 13th: Involving Students in the Design Process by Louann Talbert. Retired middle school science, culinary, and garden teacher, Louann, developed a project-based learning approach to involving students in designing, expanding, and evaluating garden spaces.
• June 10th: Designing a garden that can withstand the summer. From planting fewer crops to negotiating volunteer schedules, gardens need some summer care. Take away tips for reducing the burden of school gardens in the summer.

Winter 2021: Take Time for Yourself with Houseplants for Health

Did you know that house plants have many benefits? From improving air quality to increasing attention, indoor gardening has been shown to impact health in positive ways. Slough off the stress of 2020 by turning over a new leaf…literally!

On January 18th The School Garden Doctor offered an introductory session to the benefits of house plants for health and education. The one-hour session included self-care as well as teaching strategies from Horticulture@Home, a STEM-based program that takes the Dirt Girls indoors. You can view the slides from the session here.

The second session of Houseplants for Health was held on Monday, February 15th. It included tips for self-care and plant-care, with a focus on light.

Final Session in this Series!  The last Houseplants for Health will focus on indoor plant watering tips, especially for succulents. Possible dates are: Saturday, March 27th (10 am) or Tuesday, March 30th anytime.

Submit the form below to indicate the date/time that works best for you. Zoom link will be sent via Google Calendar upon registration.

Fall 2020: Eat, Read, Talk & Write Your Way to Food Literacy!

In the course, Connecting Home and School through Food Education, participants learn about the program Common Core Cooking, which was designed in 2016 to teach food literacy. Educators will explore five themes that guide high-quality, integrated food education, sample lessons from each theme, and develop their own scope and sequence for building classroom community through cuisine. To learn more, visit the curriculum homepage.

Interested in future professional learning opportunities? Visit the Professional Learning homepage for descriptions of past workshops and events, then submit a request below.

Latest Blog Posts

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  Core Principles Series: Engage with Worms, Bees, Chickens, and Other AnimalsDecember 29, 2022
  Early exposure to organisms builds empathy for living things and teaches about life cycles, ecosystem dynamics, and predator/prey relationships.
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  Core Principles Series: Build a Diverse CommunityOctober 13, 2022
  Students observe birds on campus near the garden in order to categorize behaviors.
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  Core Principles Series: Let the Kids Be the GardenersSeptember 30, 2022
  It’s helpful to give kids some direction, but they need opportunities to try things out and make mistakes.
• 
  Core Principles Series: Make it Hands-OnAugust 21, 2022
  A hands-on instructional approach is a cornerstone of garden-based education.
• 
  Core Principles Series: Build Self-EfficacyJuly 3, 2022
  When a newly planted seed germinates or a freshly harvested radish is eaten, kids wear success in their smiles.