Garden Site Videos and Activities

Connecting Food, Land & People

Waimea Middle Public Conversion Charter School - Waimea, HI

Ninth grader Jerneen shares the meaning of oli, traditional chants, and how growing staple crops like kalo teach about important cultural connections between plants, people, food and the land. Students in Māla’ai harvest, cook and explain the practice of kilo, a Hawaiian practice of keen observation. Created in partnership with Malaai. Waimea video and editing by Visionary Video.

vie  (Runtime 4:26)

Activity
‘E kilo ‘oe – Observe Nature with all Your Senses

Discussion Prompts
Jerneen taught us about how, in her school garden in Hawai’i, they “oli,” or chant, before they go into the garden. Do you have any traditions like this that you do in your family or culture, for example before you eat food, before you enter special places, or participate in certain events?


Make a Tape Bracelet

Radcliff Elementary - Watsonville, CA

Students share what the garden has meant to them during this unique year of virtual schooling, and describe some of their favorite garden activities. Sixth grade students Jasmin and Mariel then demonstrate how to make flower tape bracelets. Created in partnership with Life Lab  & PVUSD Extended Learning. Watsonville videographer Carlos Campos.  (Runtime 3:05)

Activity
Make a Simple Flower Tape

Bracelet Pulseras de Cinta Actividad y Video

Discussion Prompt
Lots of students shared their favorite activities to do in the garden. What are some of your favorite activities to do in the garden, or outside in nature?


Harvest the Sun Twice

Manzo Elementary School - Tucson, AZ

Sisters Frieda and Pilar return to the school garden they helped build to talk about the cutting edge research happening at the intersection of food, water, and energy production. In this garden Manzo students observe differences between a control garden and an experimental garden that lives under the canopy of photovoltaic solar panels–a garden that harvests the sun twice! Created in partnership with Manzo Elementary School.  (Runtime 2:36)

Activity
Explore the world of germination and conduct controlled germination experiments of your own! After downloading the PDF Click “start here”

Discussion Prompt
Frieda and Pilar taught us about a controlled experiment they’re doing, comparing vegetables grown under the full sun with vegetables grown under solar panels. Which vegetables do you think will grow better and why do you think that?


How Do You Build Community?

Lake Middle School - Denver, CO

The Lake Learning Garden is a place for the neighborhood and school community to come together in a common, growing space, with shared hopes. We hear from students who reflect on how the changes in the garden can reflect changes in life. Created in partnership with Big Green. Denver video and editing by Brooke Buchan  (Runtime 2:53)

Activity, Discuss the Following
How do you help build community?
What have you worked on with a team in your community?
How does eating and sharing food help build community?


Make Garden Fresh Aguas Frescas

In the Garden with Professor of Nutrition Sciences Jamie Davis - Austin, TX

Professor Davis from the University of Texas, Austin shares research on how school gardens can increase vegetable intake and  how school gardens can enhance one’s ability to concentrate and improve grades. Then, students are invited to make garden fresh agua frescas. Created in partnership with TX Sprouts.  (Runtime 3:03)

Activity
Garden Fresh Agua Frescas

Discussion Prompts
Dr. Jamie Davis talked about how healthy foods power us up to do our favorite things. What can healthy foods help you do? What are some healthy foods you like to eat?


What Does a Seed Mean to You?

Woodlawn High School - Birmingham, AL

Woodlawn graduate Sedrick and Woodlawn apprentice Destiny share the journey of a seed and the impact it can have on a community. Sedrick and Destiny explain what caring for a seed has meant to them and their communities. Created in partnership with Jones Valley Teaching Farm.  (Runtime 3:58)

Activity
Use this writing prompt to answer the question “What a seed means to you?” and use the poem prompts to create your own seed poem.

Bonus Math Extension: Destiny and Sedrick told us that they grew 5,800 pounds of produce, and they said that was equal to 4,218 basketballs. How do you think they figured that out?


We are All Scientists - Engineer a Flying Seed Model

Whittier Elementary - Washington, D.C.

Garden Instructor Luisa and 5th grade students share how they practice science in the garden. Students track the weather and engineer flying seeds. Created in partnership with Out Teach. DC video by Automatic Films. (Runtime 2:26)

Make a flying seed model
Activity and Video
Activity and Video in Spanish

More Activities
Check out these great STEM activities students can do outdoors!

Discussion Prompt
The students at Whittier Elementary School showed us how to make a model of seeds that travel. Why do you think it might be important for a seed to be able to travel away from its parent plant?