t h e V i ta l i t y o f G a r d e n S :

enerGizinG the learninG enVironment

e d u c at i o n a l S e S S i o n S

Thursday, July 22 - Pick one A session - 3:30 5:00 p.m.

A1 Beyond the Trowel: Using Scientific Tools in the Garden Kitty Connolly and Rachel Vourlas, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA Studies have shown that hands-on opportunities to use real science instrumentssuch as microscopes and nutrient metershelp children and youth to develop their scientific skills and passion for plants. Using methods and designs from the Huntingtons awardwinning exhibition, Plants are up to Something, participants will learn how to successfully integrate science into dynamic, impactful garden-based programming. This lively workshop will be full of hands-on opportunities and practical tips, plus instructions and resources for introducing authentic botanical science experiences into your program. A2 Biodynamic Composting for Middle School Dory Rindge, Southern California Master Gardener Program, Pasadena, CA Kate Schlesinger, Ocean Charter School North Campus, Los Angeles, CA Build a biodynamic compost pile and learn about the history and tenets of this approach to gardening that views the garden as a self-sufficient organism. Session attendees will participate in an actual lesson plan for teaching students how to create a biodynamic compost pile, as well as an introduction to the principles of biodynamic gardening, the ingredients in biodynamic preparations, soil health, crop rotation, and how to apply the concepts of biodynamics in a school garden setting. A3 Dish Out a Kids Garden Jennifer Manning, Three Rivers Garden Design, Greensboro, NC Container dish gardens are a great way to work up some gardening fun and they are terrific projects to teach children a few planting basics. In this hands-on workshop learn how each step can be used to teach youth about the joys of gardening-from the basics of container gardening to plant selection and care. A4 From Plants to PotionsMaking Medicine from the School Garden Lisa Ludwigsen, School Garden Co., Petaluma, CA Explore herbalism and ways we can use plants to care for ourselves. This hands-on workshop will demonstrate making a simple-yet-effective healing salve and lip balm from common schoolyard plantsfrom growing and processing the plants to creating and packaging the products for personal use, gifts, and program fundraising. This project can be taught as one lesson or encompass many lessons and tie in with history, biology, math, environmentalism and more. Not only do students learn a valuable use of plants but they begin to look at plants and the garden in new and exciting ways. Participants will leave with samples created during the workshop and ideas for working with K-12 students in a variety of settings and with a minimal budget. A5 Green from the Ground UpGrowing Healthy Kids & Plants in Your Gardening Program Amy Berens, Crown Point Ecology Center, Bath, OH Discover how the farm at Crown Point Ecology Center in Bath, Ohio, cultivates crops of healthy kids as well as vegetables through its garden camp program each summer. Find out what it takes to create a program that actively engages and connects youth to the food cycle from planting, tending, harvesting, and eating fruits and vegetables. We will explore hands-on gardening and nature activities, organizational tips to save time and resources, and kid-friendly cooking activities to share the harvest.

t h e V i ta l i t y o f G a r d e n S :
enerGizinG the learninG enVironment

e d u c at i o n a l S e S S i o n S

Thursday, July 22 - Pick one A session - 3:30 5:00 p.m. [continued]

A6 High School Volunteers in the Garden: Harvesting Potential Gregg Hunt, Jeff Karsner, Mollie Swaner, High School Volunteer, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA Large-scale youth volunteering projects offer students opportunities for leadership development, professional exposure, hands-on experience, and specialized learning. But what if your institution doesnt have the budget for an in-depth, mentor-based high-school volunteer program? In this session we will highlight the Huntingtons High-School Volunteer Program as a robust, small-scale component of our volunteer team. Learn about the key components of the program and the projects the youth participate in, ranging from assisting staff and instructors with public programs and facilitating demonstrations to working in the gardens. A7 One-Stop School Gardening: Building a State-Wide School Garden Network Mike Kerkman, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA Briana Lewis, Western Growers Foundation, Irvine, CA Hope Wilson, Dept. of Public Health, Sacramento, CA Participants will learn about the process of building and sustaining an effective statewide clearinghouse for school garden information. The California School Garden Network will be used as a model to guide participants in selecting partners, board members, content, and dissemination methods for a similar network in their own home states. Find out how the Network serves as an important statewide hub for information about creating, sustaining, funding, provisioning, and teaching from school gardens. A8 Taking your Classroom Outdoors with OBIS (Outdoor Biology Instructional Strategies) Karen Mendelow Nelson, Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley, CA Discover diversity in schoolyards and gardens by conducting ecological investigations using OBIS, which A10 was developed at Lawrence Hall at the University of CaliforniaBerkeley. In this workshop, attendees will participate in a sampling of outside activities designed to motivate youngsters ages 10 to 15 to become engaged in the natural world and learn science concepts. Attendees will take home ideas for activities that link gardening and ecology and model opportunities for student inquiry, linking to science standards. A9 Tough LoveLearning from Succulents and Mother Nature Jim Folsom, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA Learn from one of Mother Natures top water conserverssucculentsthrough an in-depth exploration of the Huntington Desert Garden. One of the largest and oldest assemblages of cacti and other succulents in the world, the garden features more than 5,000 species of succulents from two dozen families in 10-acres. Discover how plants can survive on a low-water life and still look great as the Huntington Gardens staff teach you how to grow these fascinating plants indoors or outdoors (if you climate allows). U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Schoolyard Habitat Program Carolyn Kolstad, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Sacramento, CA Carolyn Martus, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Carlsbad, CA The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services Schoolyard Habitat Program has been creating habitats and outdoor classrooms across the nation for over 15 years. Come discover how to create a habitat for wildlife and learning, and the activities to engage students throughout the planning, implementation, and habitat use! Learn about native plants and their many benefits while designing your own schoolyard habitat project.

t h e V i ta l i t y o f G a r d e n S :
enerGizinG the learninG enVironment

e d u c at i o n a l S e S S i o n S

Friday, July 23 - Pick one B, C, and D session - 1:15 2:15 p.m.

B11 Art and Artists in Your Childrens Garden Alan Rader, Terra Designs Studios, Pittsburgh, PA Mary Helen Butler, Memphis Botanic Garden, Memphis, TN Art can teach, enrich, and provide moments of clarity or joy. It can also serve to remind us of our place in the larger world. The Memphis Botanic Garden incorporated artists work into their childrens garden to create memorable and educational moments for children and adult visitors. Learn about the process of locating, engaging, and working with artists to bring art to your childrens garden. Discussion topics will include the tools the garden used in finding and working with the artists and the planning issues the garden addressed including: acquisition, safety, accessibility, and donations. B12 Designing and Sustaining School Gardens and Green Schoolyards Arden Bucklin-Sporer and Rachel Pringle, San Francisco Green Schoolyard Alliance, San Francisco, CA Sharon Danks, Bay Tree Design, Berkeley, CA Join the authors of How to Grow a School Garden: A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers and Asphalt to Ecosystems: Transforming School Groundsfor an informative session about conceiving, designing, and sustaining green schoolyards and school gardens. Get detailed advice on how to: secure support from administrators, raise money, build a kid-friendly garden, manage volunteers, and ensure a smooth transition at the beginning of each school year. Learn about a wide range of green schoolyard design ideas and how to weave your schools interdisciplinary curricula into the landscape. You will take away valuable lesson plans and activities for a range of ages. B13 Designing Outdoor Play Environments for Children in the United Kingdom Lolly Tai, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA Sedentary lifestyles that do not encourage outdoor activity are contributing to obesity and other health problems for todays urban children as well as a sense of disconnection from nature. The United Kingdom has been a leader in addressing this problem.This presentation will summarize creative designs used in the United Kingdom to provide constructive opportunities for children to play outdoors in natural settings. B14 Gardening with Hospitalized Children: Launching a Successful Program Sandy Baggott, Kristin Boettger, and Becky Feasby, Alberta Childrens Hospital, Calgary, Alberta The therapeutic benefits of gardening have been recognized for a long time. Learn about how the Alberta Childrens Hospital in Canada launched its Healing Gardens Program and how horticultural and art therapy are being used in a pediatric hospital setting. Discover how gardening programs on the hospitals 30-acre site are offering opportunities for patients to work on physical, social, cognitive, and emotional rehabilitation in a way that also connects them to nature and plants. B15 Grant Writing 101 Maureen Lok, The Center for Children & Young Adults; Cobb County Master Gardener, Marietta, GA Funding is essential for the operation of any non-profit gardening program. This session will focus on the steps involved in basic grant writing. We will discuss how to tell a story and introduce characters to strengthen your proposal for funding. We will also provide various sources available for funding horticulture-related activities. If your organization is not a non-profit, we will discuss how you can partner with a non-profit to expand your funding options.

t h e V i ta l i t y o f G a r d e n S :
enerGizinG the learninG enVironment

e d u c at i o n a l S e S S i o n S

Friday, July 23 - Pick one B, C, and D session - 1:15 2:15 p.m. [continued]
B16 Greening Your Thumb: Common Garden Solutions C. Darren Butler, LA County Master Gardener, Consulting Horticulturist/Arborist, Tarzana, CA Seeds wont sprout? Plants look yellow and sickly? Bell peppers the size of your thumbnail? Brown, curling leaves? Lush plants refuse to produce flowers or vegetables? Most plant problems result from one or more simple, often interrelated, conditions such as incompatible soil pH, overwatering or underwatering, overfertilization, and inappropriate plant choice. This session will help you recognize, understand, and learn about solutions for plant problems that may have puzzled and frustrated you for years. B17 Growing Gardeners: Developing Education to Inspire our Children Lorrie Baird and Nancy Bowley, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA Longwood Gardens magnificent fountains and displays are world-renowned, but with all the grandeur, how does its childrens garden compete for attention? Hear about how Longwood has successfully bolstered its kid appeal through thoughtful plant selections, a specially designed volunteer program that allows for great creative interaction between staff and children, and inspiring take-home plant projects for young visitors. B18 How Can Public Gardens Best Engage Schools? Erin Marteal, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Based on Masters degree research project conducted through Cornell Universitys Public Garden Leadership fellowship program, this session will illuminate the factors that most engage, as well as inhibit, school participation in public garden educational programming. Find out how to effectively reach teachers and broaden awareness of public gardens not just as field-trip destinations, but venues for teaching professional development and hosting off-site school programs. B19 Cultivating Creativity in the Garden Marcia Eames-Sheavly, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Discover how to lead innovative art- and gardenbased activities! Gain inspiration from the array of Cornell Garden-Based Learning garden arts activities, all available to you via the web. Then be led through a creative process to design activities that fit your gardens mission and meet your intended outcomes. If you work in a garden and engage youth, this program is for you. B20 The Victory Garden ProjectYouth Farming Food Elizabeth Driscoll, NC State University, Raleigh, NC The Victory Garden Project is a North Carolina 4-H program that seeks to renew youths connection to sustainable, local food production by furthering their skills in growing fruits and vegetables. Hear about young people learning to graft heirloom tomatoes and stalking persnickety insect pests while deepening your understanding of sustainable agriculture. Participants will explore ideas for starting a sustainable gardening program with youth and take home experiential activities that engage youth in local food production.

t h e V i ta l i t y o f G a r d e n S :
enerGizinG the learninG enVironment

e d u c at i o n a l S e S S i o n S

Friday, July 23 - Pick one B, C, and D session - 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

C21 Garden Design and Crops for Watershed Health Ann English, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, RainScapes Program, Rockville, MD High-school horticulture programs offer the opportunity to introduce students to a variety of green jobs, especially those related to new low-impact, plant-based development techniques for stormwater management. This session will explore how high-school programs can take advantage of projects that use plants to solve environmental problems caused by stormwater runoff and create beauty at the same time. C22 Garden to Table at Baltimore Montessori Public Charter Denzel Mitchell and Jill Wrigley, Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School, Baltimore, MD Learn how the urban elementary Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School has created a dynamic gardento-table program where students grow fruits and vegetables, prepare healthy snacks and meals, keep bees, create compost, and more! You will hear about how an asphalt playground was replaced with a green and growing learning and playspace, as well as how the program was developed, how its various components are managed, and how the schools students have responded to it. C23 Gardening Beyond the Gates: Launching The New York Botanical Gardens Partnership with an Urban Public School Toby Adams, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY This presentation will reveal the successes and challenges of The New York Botanical Gardens pilot program to establish a garden and gardening programs off-site at a local public school (grades pre-K to 8) in the Bronx. Explore the nuts and bolts of extending a gardening program into the community and learn how this partnership developed from idea to implementation. C25 C24 Gardening Program for At-Risk Children & Teens Maureen Lok, The Center for Children & Young Adults; Cobb County Master Gardener, Marietta, GA Hear the story of how the Cobb County, Georgia Master Gardeners became involved at the Center for Children & Young Adults and how the program evolved. The gardening program at the Center for Children & Young Adults, a long-term residential shelter for abused and abandoned children and teens, involves participants in outdoor activities that provide opportunities for leadership, self-expression, anger management, and meaningful work. Session attendees will not only learn the nuts and bolts of the program, but will also find out how to begin a similar program, get suggestions on how to provide for the needs of an ever-changing population, leverage publicity opportunities, find collaborative partners, and more. Growing and Funding an Urban Community Youth Garden Sharee Cooper, Community Services Consortium, Corvallis, OR Rachel Karasick, CSC Youth House Gardens, Corvallis, OR Find out how the Community Services Consortium Youth Garden in Oregon was started through creative funding and partnershipsand how it is offering lowincome, at-risk youth paid learning experiences that benefit the community. Learn about the creative model for the project that utilizes entrepreneurship, donations, and federal Workforce Investment Act funding. The infrastructure of the program will be discussed and a first-hand account of this aspect of the program will be provided by a former youth gardener. There will also be a discussion of the feasibility of using this structure for other programs and the benefits of pay as incentive for youth garden programs.

t h e V i ta l i t y o f G a r d e n S :
enerGizinG the learninG enVironment

e d u c at i o n a l S e S S i o n S

Friday, July 23 - Pick one B, C, and D session - 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. [continued]
C26 Implementing Themed Gardens on a Small Scale and Budget Julie Foster, Linda Foster, and Susan Mueller, Taconi Elementary, Ocean Springs, MS Hear the story of how the staff at Taconi Elementary in Mississippi created themed mini-gardens and educational stations that include all students, no matter their level of learning ability, as well as all their teachers. Find out how themes like Cool Plants, Snacks, Pollinators, Scroungers, and Victory! have been brought to life at the school. This session will provide helpful insights into working with a small budget, garnering interest from peers, and rallying community members for support. C27 Sowing Seeds of Love: Turning the Cycle of Violence into a Cycle of Growth Nancy Cipes and Linda Preuss, Sojourn Services for Battered Women and Children, Los Angeles, CA Learn how youth living in shelters are able to replace cycles of violence in their lives with cycles of growth by tending a gardencaring for and raising healthy plants. Hear from the creator of the program and a certified edible landscape designer about the program dynamics that contribute to the healing process and empowerment of children who are the witnesses or survivors of domestic violence. C28 Taking a Clue from Nature Mia Lehrer, Mia Lehrer + Associates, Los Angeles, CA Discover a fun and creative approach to teaching environmental issues to children and youth. You will come away with a working understanding of nature services, a term that explores the role that nature plays in benefiting people including life-supporting processes such as filtering water and producing oxygen. This session will provide a method of engaging children and youth to better understand and appreciate these processes and examine how people can most successfully interact with nature. C29 Using Growing Up WILD to Reach Early Childhood Audiences Josetta Hawthorne, Council for Environmental Education, Houston, TX Growing Up WILD (GUW), an early-childhood environmental education program from the Council for Environmental Education, is now being offered in 38 states. Through a wide range of actvities and experiences, GUW provides an early foundation for developing positive impressions about nature and lifelong social and academic skills. Learn about the program and find out how you, as a GUW partner, can provide training to early-childhood educators. All participants will take home a GUW guide with 27 hands-on activities that connect children ages 3 - 7 to nature. C30 Wealth in Diversity: LA County School Gardens Nora Dvosin, Herb Machleder, Yvonne Savio, and Nat Zappia, University of California Cooperative Extension, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles County Master Gardeners have helped establish some 300 school gardens that reflect the diversity of their communities and their organizers. Local Cooperative Extension leaders will offer insights into three different approaches to school gardens. Learn about resources available to garden organizers, find out what happens as projects evolve over time, and hear about the role that grants and state funding have played in Californias school gardening movement.

t h e V i ta l i t y o f G a r d e n S :
enerGizinG the learninG enVironment

e d u c at i o n a l S e S S i o n S

Friday, July 23 - Pick one B, C, and D session - 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

D31 Cool Kid Plants 2010 and Beyond Norman Lownds, 4-H Childrens Garden, East Lansing, MI Learn what is new in 2010 for Cool Kid Plants, a plant selection program where youth do all of the evaluation and selections are based solely on their input. Sponsored by the Michigan 4-H Childrens Garden and the American Horticultural Society, Cool Kids Plants is a unique way to engage youth across the nation in deciding what plants are cool to grow. Discover how your garden and the youth you work with can become a part of this program. D32 Cultivating Academic Success with Garden Therapy Rita Howard, Wellness Gardens, Fair Oaks, CA Life comes with a variety of traumas, some of which we cannot shield our children from. Family economic crises, immigration, or a death in the family are some of the common experiences that may affect a students academic success. Learn how a K-8th grade school garden therapy program can help cultivate academic success for students as they navigate the challenges of their daytoday lives. D33 Funding Your School Garden Mud Baron, Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles, CA Without water, your garden will die. Without funding, your garden program will wither, too. Participants will learn about funding opportunities in the corporate, government, foundation, and private sectors, strategies for cultivating donors to meet the predictable needs of a school garden program, and ways to grow a donor base. D34 Got Badges? Dave Francis, Utah State University Extension, 4-H at Thanksgiving Point, Lehi, UT The garden is a great place for young people to earn badges for various youth programs. Using the Utah State University Extension 4-H partnership with the Boy and Girl Scouts programs as a model, find out how a variety of hands-on activities in the garden can teach science and citizenship to meet youth program badge requirements. D35 Grow a Poem Dar Hosta, Brown Dog Books, Flemington, NJ Dar Hosta, author and illustrator of the acclaimed childrens book, I Am a Tree, gives a fun, informative look at how to integrate creative writing into the classroom, library, or nature center. Learn how to think about creativity in a new, more all-encompassing way, and how to transfer this to your students through collaborative creative-writing sessions that can be completed in only 15 minutes. Session attendees will leave with resources for mentor texts, poetry books, web sites, easy lesson plans and more. D36 Regional Support Networks for Sustaining School Gardens John Fisher, Life Lab, Santa Cruz, CA Jane Hirschi, City Sprouts, Cambridge, MA Regional School Garden Support Networks help school garden support professionals create garden advocates, build community, and lay the foundation for long-term sustainability. In this session, you will learn about the best resources for curriculum use and dissemination, effective networking and communication, funding, and creation and maintenance of multiple school gardens. You will also hear highlights of the School Garden Sustainability Summit hosted by the Life Lab Science Program in 2009.

t h e V i ta l i t y o f G a r d e n S :
enerGizinG the learninG enVironment

e d u c at i o n a l S e S S i o n S

Friday, July 23 - Pick one B, C, and D session - 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. [continued]
D37 Starting a Hands-On Gardening Course for Teachers Shelley Mitchell, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK In the spring of 2010, Oklahoma State University piloted a hands-on gardening course for teachers in area schools to provide them the necessary gardening skills for them to incorporate gardening into their classroom curriculum. Participants will learn the rationale behind the creation of the course, have the opportunity to review the syllabus of lessons and activies, hear how the course progressed (both successes and challenges), and discuss the potential applications and future of the course in Oklahoma and elsewhere. D40 D38 Sustainable Childrens Gardening, Passing the Torch Mary McLean, Arlington Public Schools, Arlington, VA Come see how Tuckahoe Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia has kept growing Peter Rabbits Garden, which was featured during the 2003 National Children & Youth Garden Symposium. Journey through the successes and challenges of this award-winning discovery schoolyard and learn how the community has come together to expand and improve the program from one school year to the next. D39 The Silicon Garden: Technology Projects in School Gardens Shawn Akard and Jason Pittman, Hollin Meadows Science and Math Focus School, Alexandria, VA School gardens and integrated technology are two rapidly-growing phenomena in education. Participants will enjoy demonstrations that use technology resources to provide meaningful educational experiences in the school garden. Among the projects to be demonstrated are: weather forecasting using podcasts and closed circuit TV; investigating the tasks of the Mars rovers using Lego robotics in the garden; and using SKYPE online communications and interactive journals in the garden. Three Approaches to School-Based Learning in the Garden Toby Adams, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY Michelle Cugini, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA Cate Rigoulot , Camden Childrens Garden, Camden, NJ The New York Botanic Gardens Family Garden, Longwood Gardens Nurturing Curiosity Program, and the distance learning program at the Camden Childrens Garden will serve as springboards for an informative exploration of the benefits, challenges, and successes of both on-site and distance learning opportunities. New as well as experienced garden educators will be inspired and take home new and creative lesson ideas.

t h e V i ta l i t y o f G a r d e n S :
enerGizinG the learninG enVironment

e d u c at i o n a l S e S S i o n S

Saturday, July 24 - Pick one E and one F session - 9:15 - 10:15 a.m.
E41 Energizing and Environmentally Engaging: Enriching Education Through Schoolyard Gardens Kurt Van Dexter, Childrens Garden Network, North Kingstown, RI Discover opportunities for student learning through the making of gardens. Art, design, math, science, languages arts, and other academic subjects can be incorporated into the planning, design, construction and periodic maintenance of schoolyard gardens. Selected schoolyard garden projects will be showcased, examples will be shared, handouts will be provided, and networking among participants will be encouraged. E42 Grow Soil, Not Plants C. Darren Butler, LA County Master Gardener, Consulting Horticulturist/Arborist, Tarzana, CA Humans tend to ignore soil or see it as a sterile, uninteresting mass that they walk or build on. Nothing could be further from the truth. You will leave this session amazed by soil and the millions of insects, microbes, and other tiny organisms that inhabit it and make plant lifeand human lifepossible. Our discussion will include a practical, scientific, and philosophical introduction to soil as the foundation of all successful gardening. You will be introduced to basic soil ecology, the soil food web, and where to get your soil lab-tested. E43 New View: A Museum and Garden Partnership for High School Students Susan Gallo, The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Jacksonville, FL Barry Wilson, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Jacksonville, FL New View is a special partnership between the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens and the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (DASOTA) in Jacksonville, Florida, where students are encouraged to create interpretations of a work of art in the Cummer collection using a variety of media. In the 2009 New View program, ninth-grade students studied garden design at the Cummer, then designed and planted a xeriscaped garden at DASOTA using native plants. Attendees will learn about New Views activities, how they meet high school academic standards in science and art, and get recommendations for how this unique partnership could be replicated in other communities. E44 Recycling Useless Household Throwaways Into New Garden Tools Yvonne Savio, University of California Cooperative Extension, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA Kids become much more involved with, concerned about, and protective of their environment when they have the opportunity to get actively involved in recycling. This session will explore the creative recycling of everyday throwaway items into useful tools and materials for the garden. Join us to find out how your egg cartons, milk jugs, berry containers, soda bottles, and toilet paper rolls can have a second life in the garden. E45 STRAW: Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed Laurette Rogers, The Bay Institute, Novato, CA STRAW is a community-based grassroots habitat restoration program that originated in 1992 as a project by fourth-graders to conserve the California freshwater shrimp, an endangered species. The project now spans many schools and creeks in the San Francisco North Bay, galvinizing the local community and leading to significant educational innovations. In this session, you will gain insight into the objectives of and qualities of place-based and project-based learning, as well as the rewards of partners working together on common goals.

t h e V i ta l i t y o f G a r d e n S :
enerGizinG the learninG enVironment

e d u c at i o n a l S e S S i o n S

Saturday, July 24 - Pick one E and one F session - 9:15 - 10:15 a.m.
E46 Terrapeutics: Exploring the Relationship Between Children, Nature, and Education Jean Lawler and Mark Lawler, Flying Ribbit, Byfield, MA The Terrapeutics concept proposes model of teaching is based on the premise that children (K12) are more likely to be successful in the classroom when they spend time engaged in a combination of agricultural activities, nature exploration, and mind-body work (such as yoga, tai chi, or guided imagery). This thought-provoking session will explore supporting research on the topic, share examples of the concepts in action, brainstorm ways to integrate the activities into your programs, and discuss how to nurture administrative support. E47 Victory Gardens: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives Linda Foster and Julie Foster, Taconi Elementary, Ocean Springs, Mississippi Americas involvement in World War II caused citizens to rethink the use and availability of resources. Find out how a school in Mississippi is teaching current sustainability practices through the historical example of World War II Victory Gardens. Using primary sources including visits by veterans, correspondence, ration cards, Victory Garden posters, and other historical documents, students learn about gardening techniques such as soil preparation, composting, and planting to create their own modern Victory! garden. E48 Virtual Gardening and Nutrition Education at KidsCom.com Norman Lownds, 4-H Childrens Garden, East Lansing, MI Learn about new developments in garden and nutrition education as the virtual world meets the living garden. Learn the basics of virtual gardening in the Idea Seeker Universe at KidsCom.com, a website geared towards K-6th graders. See how virtual and real garden activities are a springboard for learning and discover new way to engage and excite kids with gardening. E49 Water in the World: Linking Rainwater Harvesting with Academic Standards Mark Hay , Jodi Levine, Earthroots Field School, Trabuco Canyon, CA Water conservation is at the forefront of global and local water policies. This session will focus on the successful use of the Water in the World curriculum to harvest rooftop runoff for use in the garden at elementary school in California. Find out how, with this integrated curriculum, children can design, implement, and maintain rainwater-harvesting systems on their own school campuses. Earthroots Field School directors and student participants will provide demonstrations and practical insights into integrating academic standards with real-life projects.

Saturday, July 24 - Pick one E and one F session - 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
F51 Lost Parent in the Woods Jenny Rigby, The Acorn Group, Tustin, CA Cindy Tyler, Terra Design Studios, Pittsburgh, PA Children dont come to the garden alone, and it is well documented that they gain a more enduring and meaningful experience if mom and dad interact with them. Yet parents often arrive at a garden without any awareness of what they are supposed to do there with their children. Well discuss what to consider when planning or improving your garden, helping parents take their experience beyond the garden gate to thoughtful discussions at the dinner table. F52 Garden Storytelling: A Tool for Cultivating Hearts and Minds Rita Howard, Wellness Gardens, Fair Oaks, CA Gardens are home to beauty, wonder and science perfect ingredients for good stories. Hear a number of enthralling and exciting garden stories that are kidtested. In this session participants will collectively cull choice nuggets for garden stories. Then learn from a master storyteller how to weave these garden elements into compelling stories. Explore how garden storytelling can support academic and garden curriculum.

t h e V i ta l i t y o f G a r d e n S :
enerGizinG the learninG enVironment

e d u c at i o n a l S e S S i o n S

Saturday, July 24 - Pick one E and one F session - 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. [continued]
F53 Grungy to Glorious Games in the Garden Doris Stahl, Penn State Extension & Outreach, Philadelphia, PA Heather Zimmerman, Penn State Extension & Outreach, Philadelphia, PA Bring new vitality through play to your gardening program by engaging children in fun, interactive games that help them discover the many layers of life in the garden environment. Join us in adaptations of traditional games such as Bingo, Treasure Hunt, and Jeopardy, as well as activities such as geocaching, creative dramatics, and human sculpture that can be used to help children of all ages explore the garden and facilitate learning in any setting. F54 High Schools and Gardens: A Win-Win Partnership in Curriculum Design Lorrae Fuentes, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, CA Hear about an unusual partnership between educators and students to design a plant biology curriculum that satisfies both the academic requirements of students and the research needs of a botanic garden. Using a case-study format, we will discuss basic guidelines for successful partnering with students and educators in a curriculum development project. You will also participate in sample classroom lessons and field activities, design evaluation rubrics, and explore potential applications of the partnership model in your own community. F55 Starting a Childrens Garden on a Low Budget Leah Boas, Boys & Girls Club, Columbus, IN Linda Nay, Foundation for Youth, Columbus, IN Theres no need to wait for a big grant to begin your own childrens garden. In this workshop, you will learn how to obtain free and inexpensive tools, materials, and other resources required to begin and sustain a childrens garden. Activities will include making small pots from newspapers, creating a worm farm, and propagating plants. Recommended resources and takehome source lists will be provided. F56 Sustaining the Garden... And Teaching Too Ellen Robinson, REAL School Gardens, Fort Worth, Texas Find out how you can explore a broad range of academic while facilitating student maintenance of the school garden. This workshop will help teachers see how time spent weeding, for example, can be turned into an important lessons on plant adaptations, erosion and multiplication. Well walk you through activities that prove its possible to weed, water, and teach at the same time! F57 Take A Walk On the Wildside Joyce Mendenhall and Gail Pianalto, Jr. Master Gardeners Washington County, Fayetteville, AR If you really want to teach children, you yourself must first become childlike. We will show you how to teach children to listen to the heartbeat of a tree, find their age in a tree cookie, tickle a bumblebee, and grow mushrooms on a log. Wild places have the power to inspire secrets, wonder and imagination. Hear what the Master Gardeners of Washington County, Arkansas have accomplished in a years time with a new Junior Master Gardener program and their Wildside garden. F58 Telling Our Story: Reflecting, Writing, and Sharing the Power of Garden-Based Learning Angela McGregor, Cornell Garden-Based Learning, Ithaca, NY Explore reflection as a tool for teaching, learning, and communicating the value of your work. You will engage in reflection activities that lead to the development of a powerful storyone that you can share for the purposes of securing funding, rallying community support, and making connections with a larger audience. Take home copies of inspiring reflective writing and other resources to help you effectively tell your garden-based learning story.