The Garden as an Integrating Context for Learning

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Originally appears in the Spring 2019 issue.

OFTEN PIGEON-HOLED as warm-weather-only spots for teaching biology, gardens offer an endless array of learning opportunities for all ages across multiple subjects all year ‘round. With some creative cross-curricular collaboration, teachers can use a garden’s primary function — growing food — as an easy hook for students, creating immediate and obvious relevance to students’ lives.

This article describes two examples of agriculture-based programming, each of which takes place in the context of a teaching farm located on-site at an outdoor education and summer camp facility. One example is a short activity designed for single-visit fourth- and fifth- graders, while the other is a year-long project designed for high school students who visit the facility throughout the year. Both activities are highly flexible and adaptable for use in other contexts.