How to Grow a School Garden: A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers [Paperback]

Arden Bucklin-Sporer (Author), Rachel Pringle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2010

In this groundbreaking resource, two school garden pioneers offer parents, teachers, and school administrators everything they need to know to build school gardens and to develop the programs that support them.

Today both schools and parents have a unique opportunity - and an increasing responsibility - to cultivate an awareness of our finite resources, to reinforce values of environmental stewardship, to help students understand concepts of nutrition and health, and to connect children to the natural world. What better way to do this than by engaging young people, their families, and teachers in the wondrous outdoor classroom that is their very own school garden?

It is all here: developing the concept, planning, fundraising, organizing, designing the space, preparing the site, working with parents and schools, teaching in the garden, planting, harvesting, and even cooking, with kid-friendly recipes and year-round activities. Packed with strategies, to-do lists, sample letters, detailed lesson plans, and tricks of the trade from decades of experience developing school garden programs for grades K-8, this hands-on approach will make school garden projects accessible, inexpensive, and sustainable.

Reclaiming a piece of neglected play yard and transforming it into an ecologically rich school garden is among the most beneficial activities that parents, teachers, and children can undertake together. The book provides all the tools that the school community needs to build a productive and engaging school garden that will continue to inspire and nurture their students and families for years to come.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Bucklin-Sporer and Pringle, gardeners and educators, bring extensive personal experience and skill sets to this excellent manual for teachers and parents interested in creating school gardens. With step-by-step tasks, advice on everything from raising funds to garden designs, materials lists, and lesson plans that connect garden activities to curriculums and meeting school standards, this unique guide paves the way for getting a garden off the ground, so to speak, in a yearlong overview that covers ideas for building planting beds, delicious recipes, and composting. The bounty of information is presented in ways that will generate excitement and provide inspiration for teachers and their volunteer partners. Bucklin-Sporer and Pringle are also comprehensive in their approach to providing much needed guidance for communities and schools that have already embarked on creating school gardens, yet require assistance in moving forward. And for those new to the concept, the authors will awaken readers to the critical aspects of teaching children organic-gardening principles, the delights and solace of the gardening experience, and how to nurture a child's understanding of ecology. --Alice Joyce

Review

"The bounty of information is presented in ways that will generate excitement and provide inspiration. [An] excellent manual for teachers and parents." (Booklist )

"As a former early childhood educator and one who gardened with her students, let me say that I wish this book would have existed when I was in the classroom. How to Grow a School Garden takes away the guesswork and provides tip after tip from two women who have many ears of school garden experience under their belts… This book is a must-read for anyone (parent or teachers) interested in bringing gardens to their own school community." (CafeMom.com )

"Here's a book that we wish we could purchase many, many copies of, allowing its fun lessons to spread far and wide." (Rocky Mountain Land Library )

"[Introduces] the joys and benefits of digging in the dirt to kids who might not otherwise get the chance." (Grist.com )

"Offer[s] the information and encouragement for helping schools create a patch of green." (Chicago Tribune )

“This book is a treasure trove of good advice and innovative ideas. From the usual ‘what to grow’ and ‘how to garden’ to using the garden as a  teaching tool and creative starting point…Fabulous resource for schools but also families who want to get more out of their patch of land.”

(whipup.net )

"Bucklin-Sporer and Pringle have written a book that simplifies and clarifies the mysterious process of changing part of any schoolyard from an asphalt wasteland to a lively connection with the natural world."


(San Francisco Chronicle )

“This terrific guide is filled with detailed, practical guidelines for organizing and running a school garden.”

(SciTech Book News )

“This is my bible on starting a school garden."

(Annie Spiegelman Huffington Post )

“Their hands-on approach makes school garden projects accessible, inexpensive and sustainable.” (Marin Independant Journal )

"This book will be a well-thumbed resource in many school and public libraries. ... Strongly recommended." (Library Journal )

"Easy-to-read, informative, and visually pleasing — any parent or teacher considering a school garden will find a wealth of information in this book." (American Gardener )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press (June 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1604690003
• ISBN-13: 978-1604690002
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Resource!, August 6, 2010

By 

Brynna Vogt (Steamboat Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Grow a School Garden: A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers (Paperback)

This is a great resource that takes you step by step through the creation of a garden, from red tape to fundraising to actually planting. It also emphasizes how to build community, parent, teacher, and student support and buy-in. It was fun and easy to read. Loved it!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book!, August 5, 2010

By 

Holland Sutton "lola granola" (Occidental, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Grow a School Garden: A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers (Paperback)

I am no longer a parent of school aged kids but I loved this book. It is filled with great advice about tackling any project that involves cooperation. I was also inspired by the general gardening information. It is well-written with a great sense of humor and it covers broad ranging topics like the importance of teaching ecology to little details like how to write a grant. There is also an extensive resource list in the back which has links to a number of interesting

sites. I so enjoyed reading this - it was a "page turner". Hilarious stories and just an engaging view on the importance of the natural world. If you like gardening, kids or are interested in an important educational movement, this is a must read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars School Garden, March 18, 2011

By 

Paula Moore (Jasper, TX United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: How to Grow a School Garden: A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers (Paperback)

This is a good book for kids and teachers. Our Master Gardeners group has donated this book, along with a few more to our local elementary school.