ECE and Elementary Programming
Building curiosity, confidence, and connection through sensory garden experiences
Elementary Programming
For our Elementary Programming, we collaborate with schools and administrators to provide an enriching, engaging, and educational experience for all students.
We meet with each school four times throughout the school year, twice in the spring and twice in the fall, incorporating nutritional recipes and gardening skills that reflect the season and environment.
Not only this, but we prioritize culturally-responsive learning, implementing bilingual and multilingual staff and resources to make sure all students have the opportunity to connect with their gardens.
A Typical Year of Programming:
In the Spring
During spring programming, we focus on the beginning of the growing season, which means starting seeds and planting out our school gardens.
We provide students with the opportunity to care for and maintain their own plants, transferring them to their own garden during the second session.
In addition, we include a healthy food demonstration, where students are able to take part and sample nutritious and accessible recipes.
In the Fall
In the fall, we transition to the end of the growing season, where students are able to harvest produce and prepare their gardens for the winter.
This gives students the chance to connect the start and end of a growing cycle and conceptualize what it means to help a garden succeed all year long.
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ECE Programming
At SustainEd Farms, we ensure all our programming is well-suited to each particular grade level and stage of development. For our ECE learners, we adapt our Elementary programming to accommodate younger students, prioritizing hands-on learning focused on senses and feelings.
We incorporate clear visuals, songs, and physical movement, emphasizing the importance of physical independence and language skills. We modify both the recipe and the garden lesson to make sure both are accessible for children at this age; this includes simplifying motor skills, basic step-by-step instructions, and closer teacher collaboration.
Program Outcomes
At this stage of development, we focus on intellectual independence. We want to provide students with opportunities to imagine, create, and engage in abstract thinking. Utilizing our unique outdoor classrooms, we help students adapt from guided to self-directed learning and establish real-world connections to what they’re shown in the garden.
What Teachers are Saying:
“My students loved planting the seeds and taking care of them and then transferring [them] to the garden. One said, ‘I feel like a real farmer!’”
- Teacher at Smith Elementary
“The bilingual staff from SustainEd made this activity accessible to all! I greatly appreciate having the bilingual staff that was willing to be so helpful and friendly to my Spanish speakers! It made it so nice that I did not have to translate the activity for my class. Thank you!”
- Teacher at Force Elementary
“My students really enjoyed watching their cucumber and corn seeds grow! They would remind me every day that they needed to water them!”
- Teacher at Beach Court Elementary
Explore All of our Programming
SustainEd Farms hosts a range of grade-level and community programming to forge lasting relationships between surrounding communities and their school gardens.