Introducing Life Lab's K-2 Next Generation Science in the Garden Curriculum

These units are designed to engage students in Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Science and Engineering Practices in order to investigate and discover key ideas from grade-level NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas and Crosscutting Concepts. 

Content Standard Connections to The Growing Classroom and Sowing the Seeds of Wonder

Here at Life Lab, we have cross-mapped every lesson in The Growing Classroom with the new Common Core Math and Language Arts standards and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) being rolled out in schools across the country! We've also cross-mapped every lesson in Sowing the Seeds of Wonder with California's Preschool Learning Foundations.

More Resources to Connect Garden-Based Learning with the New Content Standards

A school garden (however large or small) provides a meaningful context in which students can apply new academic concepts and skills. Whether they are graphing the temperature of their compost pile over time; reading a recipe to make fresh salsa; writing a story from the perspective of an ant; or presenting to a buddy class on the animals that visited their sunflower patch, the opportunities for children to practice traditional academic subjects in the garden are limitless! As students use their newfound math and language skills to measure, calculate, graph, and communicate about things that really matter to them, they deepen their understanding of the subject matter while also rediscovering the joy and fascination that characterizes learning within a meaningful context.

Here's a quick list of content standards that are especially easy to connect to the garden.

• K-8 Next Generation Science Standards in the Garden

• Common Core Standards Used in the Garden and Edible Education

And a few other useful resources on this topic:

Californians check out The State Board of Education adopted the Science Framework

Farm to School and the Common Core Standards created by Emily Hoyler of Shelburne Farms' Sustainable Schools Project.

Six Key Reasons the New Next Generation Science Standards are Great for Environmental Education by Kevin Coyle 

Webinars Shared by Life Lab’s Education Director Whitney Cohen

Edweb’s Common Core in the Garden

Edweb’s Next Generation Science Standards in the Garden

NGSS Science & Engineering in the Garden Posters

Download all 8 Science and Engineering Practices on one poster

Download 8 separate posters of each Science and Engineering Practices in a zipped folder