School gardens provide dynamic outdoor classrooms where students gain fun, hands-on experience with a wide range of subjects from science and math to project planning, creative writing, and art. These gardens also bring the school community together and provide wildlife habitat to birds and pollinators.
We provide funding and technical assistance to public and private schools for installing edible, native, and pollinator gardens on school grounds. We work with the whole school community, including parents, teachers, students, school administrators, and volunteers, in order to create a school garden that will thrive long-term.
Students are encouraged to get involved in as much of the process as possible, including planning, plant selection, soil preparation, planting, creating maintenance plans for their sites, and creating interpretive signs for their school and the larger community. We also connect teachers with curriculum and professional development training opportunities so that the outdoor classrooms can be fully integrated into their lesson planning, while meeting the Next Generation Science Standards, the goals of Oregon’s Environmental Literacy Plan, and more. To find environmental curricula, visit our Youth Environmental Education page.
If you are interested in planting a new school garden or restoring a neglected one, or want more information or further resources, contact our Urban Conservationist, Mary Logalbo at mary@wmswcd.org or (503) 238-4775, ext. 103.
Resources for Edible Gardens:
Google Groups: Portland Farm & Garden Educators Network
Resources for Native Habitat Gardens:
Backyard Habitat Certification Program
Native Plant Database from East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
