Creating A School Garden

Earth Day is April 22, 2023!

In honor of Earth Day, we would like to celebrate the life of George Washington Carver, a scientist, inventor, activist, farmer and finally, a teacher…

One of Carver’s most impactful discoveries was learning that growing cotton depletes the soil of nutrients. His solution was just as impactful…

Field rotation is still being used by farmers today. Growing soybeans and peanuts in the cotton fields for a few seasons allowed the soil to regain nutrients. When cotton was replanted in the enriched soil, the yields would increase dramatically. Farmers were also impressed by his knowledge of treatments for plant diseases and using swamp muck as fertilizer. He had a genuine concern for the poor and traveled to several small towns in order to teach the farmers about growing healthy gardens.

He earned a master’s degree from Iowa State Agricultural School (Iowa State University) and then founded the Tuskegee Agricultural Department where he worked for the rest of his life conducting research and for a time, teaching.

We love his view on hands-on teaching:

“A real bug found eating on the child’s cabbage plant in his little garden will be taken up with a vengeance in his composition class. He would much prefer to spell the real, living radish in the garden then the lifeless radish in the book. He would much prefer to figure on the profit of the onions sold from his garden then those sold by some John Jones of Philadelphia.” -George Washington Carver

Agriculture science is an industry that is changing rapidly with new technology, new research and of course new climate patterns. It is an industry in need of people who are curious about nature, interested in helping people and enthusiastic about getting dirty! As teachers, we can use George Washington Carver’s life as well as hands-on gardening activities to inspire our students to become conscientious stewards of the land. The land that is vital for our existence. Maybe some students will even continue Carver’s work of spreading knowledge of healthy gardens and improving the lives of many people. Maybe they will design and create their own gardens for selling fruits and vegetables to make a profit or simply grow nutritious food for their own families. Understanding responsible gardening techniques and growing healthy pesticide-free gardens is how individual people can survive and how nations thrive. Creating a School Garden is a perfect way to celebrate Earth Day! Get dirty teachers!

Here is a clip from Creating a School Garden:

Each school garden is different. The garden in the video is from Maryland. It looks completely different from a garden in Florida, Maine or even California. An inner-city garden will probably look a lot different from one growing in the suburbs or way out in the country.

Geography and the amount of usable land are just a few of the many things to consider: administrative support, budget, managing students, volunteer help and learning structure must also be sketched out before breaking ground. No need to worry, some fantastic gardens have started out as window boxes in the city!

There is no doubt, integrating a garden into your curriculum will take some work in the beginning. Once you have all of the pieces in place, the garden becomes an invaluable teaching tool, a source for fostering a sense of community and a reminder of how careful we must be with our planet.

Projects in this course:

• Action Plan
• Video Response: Reflection
• Design the Garden
• Create a Chore Chart
• Create 1 Garden Activity

The Teacher’s Academy offers relevant coursework and customizable projects so teachers are not wasting time completing their professional development requirements. After completing the projects, teachers submit their work through their Teacher’s Academy account. Within a few days, teachers will receive a message of pass and a link to our survey. Their Certificate of Completion is generated immediately after the short survey has been submitted. Note: The survey is a requirement by the states for an approved provider approval rating.

If the teacher has submitted their work and there is a project missing. A representative from the Teacher’s Academy will contact the teacher with specific instructions for completion and passing the course.

PA teachers: The Teacher’s Academy will upload your Act 48 Hours to your professional account with the PA Department of Education.

The information in this blog on George Washington Carver came from, History.org. Thank you!