National Farm to School Month!

This event is hosted by the National Farm to School Network. October is National Farm to School Month! Join us and thousands of schools, early care and education sites, farms, communities and organizations across the country as we celebrate food education, school gardens and lunch trays filled with healthy, local ingredients. Here are several easy ways to get involved: Be Inspired : Follow the National Farm to School Network on our blog , Facebook , Twitter and Instagram to see inspiring examples of farm to school success and innovation. Get Involved : Explore our national calendar of Farm to School Month events to see how you can celebrate in your state. If you are hosting events for Farm to School Month, we encourage you to submit them to the calendar! View Official Merch: Visit our National Farm to School Month storefront for exclusive apparel, stationary, and more, specially designed to help you celebrate! Spread the Word : Shout out about farm to school and share what you’re doing for National Farm to School Month with the hashtags #F2SMonth and #farmtoschool on social media. Explore Resources : Check out our free resources for planning and promoting celebrations in your community, including our Farm to School Month Celebration Toolkit, customizable posters and bookmarks, stickers and more. This year, all of the Farm to School Month artwork on our posters, stickers, and bookmarks has been beautifully redesigned by artist Rachel Yumi Chung. Happy National Farm to School Month!

Webinar: Cafeteria to Compost, School Based Composting Programs

This webinar is hosted by the School Garden Support Organization Network. Garden School Foundation will present about their Cafeteria to Compost Program, a food waste recovery and diversion program that takes place inside elementary schools cafeteria. This webinar will include an overview and history of their program, the impact of the program in the last school year, a menu of programming options that they are developing, and next steps if you are a school, teacher, or district interested in adopting an on campus food waste diversion program. Presenters will include: - Rachel Black, Executive Director at the Garden School Foundation, Los Angeles, CA -Ann Dang, Cafeteria to Compost Manager at the Garden School Foundation, Los Angeles, CA

Webinar: Real Life Heroes: How Teaching Diverse Voices Improves Literacy and SEL Skills

This webinar is hosted by the School Garden Support Organization Network. Our students must be able to see themselves represented in the stories and people we teach them about. In this workshop, you will learn about "Remarkable People" in the worlds of agriculture, cuisine, science, and environmental activism. This curriculum highlights more than 20 individuals that represent a diverse spectrum of accomplishments, cultures, and historical eras, including Alice Waters, Cesar Chavez, George Washington Carver, Roy Choi and many unsung heroes whose stories have traditionally not been told in educational settings. You will learn about children's books that celebrate each Remarkable Person, and learn how to teach related activities that span multiple skills and disciplines, including craft projects, science experiments, cooking lessons, and guest speaker presentations. Finally, you will learn how to develop a capstone project that allows students to build confidence in themselves as future change-makers and reflect on ways that they are already remarkable. Although this curriculum has been developed as a yearlong 2nd grade unit, it can easily be translated into different grades and timeframes, regardless of whether you teach in a garden or indoor classroom. Attendees will have a chance to discuss with one another which Remarkable People would fit best into their own curricula, as well as explore ways to invite local and regional heroes to interact with their students. Presenters will include: - Adam Wright, Agricultural Arts Program Coordinator at Mountain Song Community School, Colorado Springs, CO.

Webinar: Teaching Social Studies in the Garden with the C3 Framework

This webinar series is presented by Life Lab in partnership with KidsGardening. Join us for a webinar exploring the fusion of social studies education and outdoor learning through the lens of the C3 Framework. This session will guide educators, parents, and garden enthusiasts to harness the power of gardens as vibrant settings for teaching social studies concepts, promoting civic literacy, and nurturing active, informed citizens. Focus areas will include: Exploring the C3 Framework: Understand the foundations of the C3 Framework and its significance in promoting inquiry-based, civics-focused social studies education. Discovering the Garden as a Social Studies Classroom: Learn how to transform your garden into an engaging, hands-on social studies classroom where students explore history, geography, economics, and civics in a natural and interactive environment. Cultivating Community Connections: Discover how garden-based social studies education fosters connections with local communities and encourages civic engagement among students. Discussing Real-World Examples: Hear inspiring success stories and practical examples from educators who have effectively used the C3 Framework to teach social studies in the garden. Whether you're an educator eager to enrich your social studies curriculum, a parent interested in fostering civic literacy, or a garden enthusiast passionate about social studies, this webinar will equip you with knowledge and strategies to create a dynamic, garden-based social studies learning experience. ____________ This webinar is part of a yearlong "In the Growing Classroom" webinar series presented by Life Lab that blends the marvels of nature, the magic of cross-curricular connections, and the joy of culinary exploration! This 6-part series invites you to explore effective outdoor classroom management, integrating Next Generation Science Standards and the C3 Framework for Social Studies into garden education and the culinary arts through traditional and heat-free methods. Learn More and Register for Any Webinar in this Series