Education Outside Resources for School Garden Programs
The resources listed below were created by Education Outside, a nonprofit based in San Francisco that operated a successful AmeriCorps program serving schools throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Education Outside was committed to advancing science education in public schools, outdoors. Education Outside closed its doors in June of 2019, but garden-based programming continues in these schools through other organizations.
These resources represent best practices, and lessons learned over eight years of training and deploying garden educators in public schools.
These materials are for use by schools, School Garden Support Organizations, AmeriCorps programs, or other environmental education programs working in schools. There is a range of topics from building buy-in to building and maintaining infrastructure. Also included is an abridged version of Education Outside's kindergarten through 5th grade curriculum. These resources will be particularly helpful for organizations supporting multiple school gardens and the specialized educators who teach in them, but will also provide many useful tips and templates for classroom teachers who bring students to the garden.For parents and teachers looking to start a school garden and aren’t sure where to begin, please refer to Education Outside's book, How to Grow a School Garden: A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers which can be purchased online.Importantly, Education Outside has included materials related to their approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion in their hiring practices, programming, and training.Please note that these resources are made available to the public for free, but are not for commercial use. Credit should be given to Education Outside if any material is used or adapted.View a complete introduction to these resources and a brief history of Education Outside
Browse Table of Contents in the Drop-down Sections Below
View Table of Contents as a Google Doc
Download All 54 Documents in a Zipped Folder
Education Outside Program and Instructional Materials
Education Outside K-5 Science Curriculum (Abridged)
• Education Outside Curriculum Overview and K-5 Lessons
Lesson Planning Resources
• Using The Learning Cycle to Write Outdoor Science Lessons
• Curriculum Visuals: SpanishEducation Outside’s Best Practices for Teaching in the School Garden Overview
• Best Practices for Building Classroom Culture
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Education Outside's Organizational Approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Building Culturally Responsive and Inclusive Outdoor Classrooms
Cooking Outside
• Best Practices for Cooking Outside
• Recipes for Cooking in the Outdoor Classroom
• Essential School Garden Cooking Supplies
• Training: Cooking Outside with Students
Hiring Garden Educators
Training Garden Educators
• Education Outside’s Training Approach
• Training Calendar Scope & Sequence
Learning & Teaching Outdoors (one PDF that includes all LTO trainings below)
• Backwards Planning, The Learning Cycle, and Lesson Adaptation
• Building a Foundation for Effective Classroom Management
• Teaching Next Generation Science Standards Outside
• Cooking Outside with Students
Leadership for Community Engagement (one PDF that includes all LCE trainings below)
• Laying the Foundation for Discussing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Among Garden Educators
• Supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with External Consultants
• Communication: Feedback, Nonviolent Communication, and Grant Writing
• Reflecting on Organizational Culture: Deepening the Work
Outdoor Classroom Design (one PDF that includes all OCD trainings below)
• Annual Care with Students in the Outdoor Classroom
• Designing Outdoor Classrooms for Effective Teaching
• Construction Skills & Safety Basics
• Perennials in the Outdoor Classroom
Garden Educator Management & Coaching
• Education Outside Support Systems for Garden Educators
• Education Outside Support Systems for Program Managers
• Program Feedback & Evaluation
Garden & Green Spaces
• Building Your Outdoor Classroom: The Top 10 (Overview)
◦ The Top 10: An Extended Picture Guide◦ The Top 10: A Summary Guide
• Basic Construction Plans for School Garden Infrastructure
Building Buy-In With Data
• Evaluating Your Program: Building Buy-In with Data
Resources Focused on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
These resources are included in the Table of Contents above, and are highlighted here for reference.
• Education Outside's Organizational Approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Building Culturally Responsive and Inclusive Outdoor Classrooms
• Laying the Foundation for Discussing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Among Garden Educators
• Supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with External Consultants