ToolShed 

Our ToolShed program offers resources, training, and consulting services to help schools and educators start a garden-based education program. We provide effective curriculum, gardening support, and guidance in implementing garden-based programming. ToolShed is offered in a 3-tiered system depending on your needs.

Garden Education Resource Package

A complete downloadable collection of resources, including…

  • Learning Garden Handbook. All of our tips & tricks for creating educational garden spaces

  • Guide for recruiting and working with volunteers.

  • Vegetable of the Month Program Guide. A comprehensive manual for starting a cafeteria program that promotes nutrition by featuring a monthly vegetable

  • Curriculum Plan. 32 garden-based lesson plans for grades K-5, and 7 lesson plans for grades 6-8              

    • The lessons include engaging activities, are based on Experiential Education philosophy, and offer specific suggestions for facilitating democratic learning processes.

    • All of the lessons can be implemented without a garden, though some do require an outdoor space.

    • Lessons follow a year-long, thematic arc that correlates with seasonal changes of temperate climates, though could be done anywhere.

    • All lesson materials are linked in the lesson plans and included as printable PDFs, or some can be used digitally.

The Curriculum also includes:

  • activity list for further connecting garden learning with math, literacy, and geography

  • a matrix that shows how the lessons align with NextGeneration curricular standards

  • a description of various teaching methods and pedagogies

  • a garden-based vocabulary list

  • a garden-based book list providing resources for funding educational garden projects

Check out a sample lesson plan: Discovering Insects. This is a lesson we do in Spring out in school gardens, but can also be done indoors.

CLICK THE ‘DONATE’ BUTTON BELOW TO PURCHASE Toolshed - Our Garden Education Resource Package for $300!

Garden Consultation

  • We tailor our services to your needs. Services may include:

    • supporting with fundraising to cover costs of the school garden, such as help with completing grant applications

    • helping to organize a garden build day with students and/or volunteers

    • creating a garden budget that includes products and vendor information

    • designing the garden space and creating a planting plan

  • We will help build your garden, but will not be available for continued maintenance. That’s up to you!

  • We are be available for ongoing assistance via phone/email to answer any questions that may come up related to gardening and garden-based education.

Professional Development

What does a Land to Learn professional development workshop look like?

  • The goals of the workshops are to prepare teachers to use the school garden as an educational space and to feel supported in their journey of teaching our curriculum and/or applying their own ideas. 

  • We facilitate collaborative learning experiences and share resources that provide support, ideas, and inspiration for implementing garden-based education while meeting teaching goals and learning targets.

  • Our experienced educators demonstrate various activities while modeling a learner-centered approach to facilitating lessons. 

  • Teachers have hands-on opportunities to participate in lesson activities.

  • We cover basic gardening information and techniques.

Why choose Land to Learn for garden consultations and professional development?

Over 10 years of implementing garden-based education in the Hudson Valley have taught us that it is difficult to develop a successful, long-term garden program without outside support. There are many reasons why school garden programs falter and fall into disrepair:

  • Teachers and administrators need support linking the garden to state learning standards. Teaching in a garden can feel overwhelming at first. Even the most experienced teacher may struggle to see how the school garden can fit into the school day without taking away from something else—like an ELA or Math block. We offer a 3-part professional development series to prepare teachers for success using our curriculum in the garden, as well as creating opportunities to teach their own lessons in the space. Our ToolShed professional development workshops cultivate a cohort of trained teachers to use the garden for years to come!

  • Garden care requires long-term planning. Many school gardens grow out of the work of a select few active parents or an excited teacher watering and weeding with love. While this is a great way to start, we have found that these garden champions often move on after a few years—perhaps their child aged out of the school, the family shifted focus to sports, or the teacher retired or changed schools. This results in the garden falling into disrepair rather quickly and leaves schools waiting for a new champion to emerge to revitalize the space. We offer consultation services that help get your garden built and develop a long-term maintenance strategy to ensure the space stays user-friendly for students and staff, even if one or two champions move on. 

  • What about summer? Aren't gardens most productive over the summer months when school is out? Yes. This is a huge issue with many school gardens in colder climates. We will help you develop a robust volunteer program to plant seeds and water the space over summer. We also provide a Garden Education Resource Package that includes a crop plan specifically timed for spring and fall harvests so students and teachers can enjoy the harvest!


We would love to provide a tailored quote for your needs and organization. Give us a call or email us with some more information on how we can help you build and maintain a garden, or provide PD for yourself or your team.

To learn more, contact Nicole Porto nicole@landtolearn.org (845) 765-8899

Pricing:

Tier 1 - $300

  • Land to Learn’s Garden Education Resource Package, which includes a year-round, standards-aligned Garden-Based Curriculum, our School Garden Handbook, our Vegetable of the Month Program Guide, and more. You’ll be able to start your own garden time lessons with fun and easy to follow lessons and activities.

Tier 2 - $1,000

  • Land to Learn’s Garden Education Resource Package, PLUS

  • 1 Professional Development workshop for teachers, ‘Using Gardens to Teach’

Tier 3 - $5,000

  • Land to Learn’s Garden Education Resource Package, PLUS

  • 1 - 3 Professional Development workshops for teachers, ‘Using Gardens to Teach’, PLUS

  • Garden Consultation Services*

  • And/Or Assistance with building an educational garden*

    *We can tailor these services according to your school or district needs