The California School Garden Training Program (CSGT) trained over 1,700 educators from 2012 - June, 2014. It included workshops on Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden (CSYSG) and Garden-Enhanced Nutrition Education (GENE). CSGT conducted Train-the-Trainer Workshops, where new leaders were trained to replicate the CSYSG and GENE workshops.
View these extensive resources for school garden educators and trainers
Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden Workshop Handouts and Trainer Guides
Download a zipped file (3.6MB) of all CSYSG Workshop Handouts, Trainer Outlines (TO), and Supplementary Trainer Materials.These files are organized in folders with titles that match each section of the workshop. Each section folder contains participant handouts, a trainer outline, and a section separator page. The Supplementary Materials Folder contains a sample workshop flier, cover sheets, workshop evaluation, packet table of contents, supply lists, and more. Also find a folder with tips for working with adult learners. Happy trainings!
Why School Gardens Presentation
School Garden Design Elements Presentation
Garden-Enhanced Nutrition Education Workshop Handouts and Trainer Guides
Download all GENE Workshop Handouts and Trainer Materials (zipped file 16.1MB) These files are organized in folders with titles that match each section of the workshop.The GENE Training Materials folder contains sample agendas, workshop evaluation, packet table of contents, packet cover sheet, supply lists, tips for working with adult learners, and Mini-Grant information. Happy trainings!
Download Edible Themed Crop Planning Image Cards and Lesson Instructions (zipped file 11MB)
Garden-Enhanced Nutrition Education Workshop Introduction Presentation
GENE in Action Presentation
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California School Garden Training Program Final Numbers
Additionally the CSGT training model and resources were shared at 6 statewide conferences reaching 229 people.
Workshop Participant Final Survey Highlights
GENE
77% of final survey respondents stated that they increased the amount of fruits and vegetables they tasted/ate with students
67% said they increased time spent using the garden to teach nutrition education
97% noted some (56%) or significant (41%) marked improvement in their effectiveness in implementing garden-enhanced nutrition education
75% noted some (59%) or significant (16%) marked improvement in student's families' consumption of fruits and vegetablesCSYSG
27% installed a school garden
76% improved an existing school garden7
3% shared what they learned from the Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden workshop with colleagues
93% noted some (45%) or significant (48%) marked improvement in their abilities to access resources to support their garden program
Quotes from Final Survey
“I never ate a snow pea pod before, now I will eat millions!” - Student"
Can we have some MORE kale chips?" - Student"
[My favorite thing I learned about in the garden was] drinking strawberry water. It tastes good and it's good for you." 4th grader, after making strawberry lemonade on a hot day and talking about the vitamins in strawberries.” - Student“
After my kindergarten students experienced "eating a rainbow" and the rainbow body… while eating their mid-morning snack at the snack table, they would hold up vegetables and fruits and bring them to the part of the body that the vegetable or fruit made healthy and say things like "my carrot is eye food" or "my grapes are brain food" - Teacher
“One of my high school students is on the football team. One day when we were working on our school garden I saw him staring at the football field. When I asked him what he was doing, he said, "I was just thinking about how much food we could grow if we converted this football field." – Teacher
“I am a community partner working in an elementary school that has a majority of youth in the free and reduced lunch program. They often get vegetables they do not like in the packaged meals and have a bad association with eating their vegetables. We grew fresh carrots in the garden and the kids came out of the garden so happy to be carrying their harvest! In fact, it has made them more adventurous to try new items that the school district is implementing. Some kids I never expected to be trying new items are eating and enjoying raw sweet potatoes! Just like me, when you invest time into something and care for it, you are that much more likely to try it and be empowered to grow more!” – Student“
I didn't know worms and bugs were so much fun to play with! I didn't know I liked Kale! Now I know I like 3 different kinds of kale!” – Student
California School Garden Training 2012-2014
The California School Garden Training Program was funded by a California Department of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant.
Project leads include Life Lab, UC Davis Children's Garden Program, The Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego, all in collaboration with the California School Garden Network.
For more information contact John Fisher at 831.471-7831 or