Education Outside Resources for School Garden Programs

The resources listed below were created by Education Outside, a nonprofit based in San Francisco that operated a successful AmeriCorps program serving schools throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Education Outside was committed to advancing science education in public schools, outdoors. Education Outside closed its doors in June of 2019, but garden-based programming continues in these schools through other organizations.

These resources represent best practices, and lessons learned over eight years of training and deploying garden educators in public schools.

These materials are for use by schools, School Garden Support Organizations, AmeriCorps programs, or other environmental education programs working in schools. There is a range of topics from building buy-in to building and maintaining infrastructure. Also included is an abridged version of Education Outside's kindergarten through 5th grade curriculum. These resources will be particularly helpful for organizations supporting multiple school gardens and the specialized educators who teach in them, but will also provide many useful tips and templates for classroom teachers who bring students to the garden.For parents and teachers looking to start a school garden and aren’t sure where to begin, please refer to Education Outside's book, How to Grow a School Garden: A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers which can be purchased online.Importantly, Education Outside has included materials related to their approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion in their hiring practices, programming, and training.Please note that these resources are made available to the public for free, but are not for commercial use. Credit should be given to Education Outside if any material is used or adapted.View a complete introduction to these resources and a brief history of Education Outside

Browse Table of Contents in the Drop-down Sections Below

View Table of Contents as a Google Doc

Download All 54 Documents in a Zipped Folder

Education Outside Program and Instructional Materials

Education Outside K-5 Science Curriculum (Abridged)

• Education Outside Curriculum Overview and K-5 Lessons

• Kindergarten

• First Grade

• Second Grade

• Third Grade

• Fourth Grade

• Fifth Grade

Lesson Planning Resources

• Using The Learning Cycle to Write Outdoor Science Lessons

• Adapting the Curriculum

• Curriculum Visuals: English

• Curriculum Visuals: SpanishEducation Outside’s Best Practices for Teaching in the School Garden Overview

• Best Practices for Building Classroom Culture

• Best Practices Rubric

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

• Education Outside's Organizational Approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

• Building Culturally Responsive and Inclusive Outdoor Classrooms

Cooking Outside

• Best Practices for Cooking Outside

• Recipes for Cooking in the Outdoor Classroom

• Essential School Garden Cooking Supplies

• Training: Cooking Outside with Students

Hiring Garden Educators

• Hiring Considerations

Training Garden Educators

• Education Outside’s Training Approach

• Training Calendar Scope & Sequence

Learning & Teaching Outdoors (one PDF that includes all LTO trainings below)

• Backwards Planning, The Learning Cycle, and Lesson Adaptation

• Building a Foundation for Effective Classroom Management

• Making it Stick

• Teaching Next Generation Science Standards Outside

• Restorative Practices

• Behavior Management

• Facilitating Inquiry

• Cooking Outside with Students

• Trauma Informed Practices

Leadership for Community Engagement (one PDF that includes all LCE trainings below)

• Laying the Foundation for Discussing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Among Garden Educators

• Getting to Know Yourself and Your Community: Identity Mapping, Fitting-in vs. Belonging, and Asset Mapping

• Supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with External Consultants

• Communication: Feedback, Nonviolent Communication, and Grant Writing

• Reflecting on Organizational Culture: Deepening the Work

Outdoor Classroom Design (one PDF that includes all OCD trainings below)

• Annual Care with Students in the Outdoor Classroom

• Designing Outdoor Classrooms for Effective Teaching

• Construction Skills & Safety Basics

• Perennials in the Outdoor Classroom

Garden Educator Management & Coaching

• Education Outside Support Systems for Garden Educators

• Education Outside Support Systems for Program Managers

• Program Feedback & Evaluation

Garden & Green Spaces

• Building Your Outdoor Classroom: The Top 10 (Overview)

◦ The Top 10: An Extended Picture Guide◦ The Top 10: A Summary Guide

• Basic Construction Plans for School Garden Infrastructure

Building Buy-In With Data

• Evaluating Your Program: Building Buy-In with Data

Resources Focused on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

These resources are included in the Table of Contents above, and are highlighted here for reference.

• Education Outside's Organizational Approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

• Building Culturally Responsive and Inclusive Outdoor Classrooms

• Hiring Considerations

• Laying the Foundation for Discussing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Among Garden Educators

• Getting to Know Yourself and Your Community: Identity Mapping, Fitting-in vs. Belonging & Asset Mapping

• Supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with External Consultants

• Reflecting on Organizational Culture: Deepening the Work