Garden Based Learning

Collective Roots works with children, youth and adults to design and sustain organic gardens on school and community sites. These sites are linked with kindergarten through twelfth grade curriculum that meets California state science standards as well as health and nutrition curriculum that promotes school, community and state health/nutrition goals.

Some of our accomplishments include:

• creating and managing the one-acre flagship garden at East Palo Alto Charter School, including integrated garden-based education for students in grades kindergarten through eighth;
• running afterschool garden programming at Girls 2 Women in East Palo Alto;
• conducting in-school and afterschool garden-based programming at Clifford Elementary School in Redwood City; and
• developing a garden and garden-based curriculum for in-school and afterschool programsat the 49ers Academy in East Palo Alto.

Collective Roots Garden Based Education Programs.

K-5 Lessons Collective Roots provides year-round lessons to all K-5 classes (264 students) at the East Palo Alto Charter School (EPACS). Each day, students are engaged in a science lesson and then move to the outdoor classroom to participate in hands-on organic gardening and other activities connected to the lesson, such as bird watching, insect exploration, planting, and mulching. Lessons are based on the California State Science Standards. We welcome teachers to visit our curriculum library at our office site, and are happy to provide suggestions for curriculum that has worked well for our programs in science, health, nutrition and food systems.

Middle School Collective Roots' Middle School Elective (MSE) is a garden-based learning course available to 6th, 7th and 8th graders at EPACS. Students are introduced to the principles and practices of organic farming; nutrition; and issues of justice and food access. Each class attends exciting field trips to an organic farm or garden. Collective Roots has also partnered with the San Francisco 49ers Academy to provide garden-based lessons to middle school students. Collective Roots is in the process of developing Middle and High School garden-based learning curricula.

After-school Programs Collective Roots offers after-school programming to K-5, Middle and High School students. Collective Roots has partnered with Girls to Women, College Track and the San Francisco 49ers Academy in the 2008-2009 school year to create three new successful after-school programs. Students in Collective Roots after-school programs participate in all aspects of maintaining an organic garden, organic meal preparation featuring produce they have grown, and garden related arts and crafts.

Community Service and Field Trip Opportunities In 2009, Collective Roots welcomed nearly 700 community members for service days, educational visits and field trips. These events included school groups from kindergarten through college, corporate service days, community tours and ecumenical groups. Visits include information about the work of Collective Roots, as well as garden-based education and activities. We are happy to coordinate a service day, field trip and/or educational opportunity for your group. A fee may apply.  Please contact volunteer@collectiveroots.org with questions. 

Thank you very much to our volunteers and supporters! If you are interested in volunteering or supporting our programing in other ways, please contact volunteer@collectiveroots.org.