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EEA RESOURCES
Garden-based Learning

You Can Teach Anything in a Garden

School gardens are a great place to observe the life cycle of a seed, or to grow fresh fruits and vegetables to eat. They are also great places for student-directed experiments and investigations about the needs of a plant; classification of organisms; pollination; interactions between plants, fungi and animals; soil composition and health; microorganisms; adaptations that contribute to a species' survival; trophic levels in a food pyramid; phenology; erosion; biogeochemical cycles; Native American practices; genetics and so much more! Check out some of the exciting ways that garden-based learning can add engagement and deeper understanding for your students. 

Getting Started

Garden Types and Designs

Comparing the effectiveness of various gardening methods can be the subject of real-world student investigations. Some of the gardening techniques worth exploring include:​
  • Hugelkultur:  mounding soil (or overturned sod) over rotting logs 
  • Lasagna Garden:  no-dig, no-till organic method of layering garden materials
  • Raised Beds:  above-ground beds can be filled with rich soil and require no tilling
  • African Keyhole Garden: self-fertilizing design includes compost and easy access
  • In-ground Gardens: planning and planting a garden in Georgia
  • Container Gardens:  no space?  no lumber or labor? no worries! garden in a pot!
  • Vertical Gardens:  a solution for limited space, such as this one with recycled bottles
  • Straw Bale Garden: works well for holding water and reduces need for soil
  • Rain Garden: slows down water after a rain, so more sinks in and less runs off
  • Xeric Garden: reduces the need for water by featuring plants adapted to drought

Soil Testing 

Student investigation of garden soils can determine whether what nutrients are available for plants, what texture the soil is,  which plants are suited to grow in it, and what soil amendments might be needed to improve plant growth. 
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Kitchen Scrap Gardening

​No Money? No Seeds? No Problem!
In the typical home kitchen, seeds and sprouts for many plants are thrown away every day.  School cafeterias that serve fresh foods may also have  a potential garden in the trash can or composter. Investigate what can be grown from discarded items such as sprouted potatoes, seeds from vegetables and fruits, root bottoms from celery and green onions, and leafy tops from carrots and pineapples.  Learn more here. 
Learn more by watching this video about the rationale for replacing lawns - or schoolyards - with habitat for native species. 

Pollinator Habitat Gardening

Creating pollinator habitat means selecting and growing native flowers that produce nectar for native adult insects, while also choosing plants with leaves that their caterpillars will eat. Many insects - including monarch butterflies - are specialists whose needs co-evolved with the plants on which they depend. Students learn so much from creating a pollinator habitat!

Carbon Gardening

All living organisms contain carbon. Oil and gas (called "fossil fuels" because they are the remains of long-dead organisms) release their carbon when they are dug up and burned to generate electricity or power vehicles, or when manufactured into plastic.  Carbon in the atmosphere - in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2) - is a gas that amplifies the "greenhouse effect" and warms the planet.  Planting gardens that draw down CO2 from the atmosphere and sequester it in long-lived plants and soils helps offset global warming. 

Plant Investigations in the Garden

There is no better way to learn about plants - their parts, structures and functions, survival needs, and life cycles - than to grow them from seed and observe them first-hand. 

Community Science Projects in the Garden (formerly "citizen science")

Community science projects engage students in collecting and analyzing data that will contribute to authentic scientific research projects. 

Virtual Gardening Activities

Apps, online drag-and-drop websites, and simulation games give students a chance to design and learn about gardens virtually. 

Social Studies in the Garden

Gardens can provide 'fertile ground' for exploring history, culture and social studies.

Math in the Garden

Gardens can provide real-world connections for math, to make learning visible and relevant.

Language Arts in the Garden

Gardens provide an inspiring setting for nature writing, observation and reflection, journaling, interpretation, descriptions, reading, vocabulary development and many other language art skills. 

STEM Projects to Design and Build in the Garden

Sensory and Therapeutic Gardens

Garden Curriculum Collections

Resources for Gardens
Environmental Education Alliance, Inc.  
P.O. Box 801066 | Acworth, GA 30101

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