Cultivating Connections: Social Studies in Garden-Based Learning

Cultivating Connections: Social Studies in
Garden-Based Learning

Imagine 525 school garden enthusiasts from across the nation, gathered together in sunny San Diego, CA, with a common goal to inform, inspire & invigorate the school garden movement.

Can you feel the excitement in the air? 

This is exactly what transpired at the biannual Growing School Gardens Summit, hosted by Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, in partnership with Life Lab and SGSO Network. 

*Photo Credit: Jenna Shea Photo Journalism 

At the Summit, Life Lab introduced a new training led by Regi Jones and Whitney Cohen, focusing on bringing social studies to life in the garden.

At Life Lab, we have dozens of student-centered, engaging, and rigorous science lessons on themes like ecological interdependence or pollination. But what about the human elements of agriculture?

How could we teach about the experiences of immigrant farm workers or people who were enslaved? The challenge was to maintain accuracy while prioritizing students' social-emotional well-being.

In their short course, Regi and Whitney shared two demonstration lessons developed with input from Learning for Justice’s Social Justice Standards, and the C3 Social Studies Framework.

One lesson involved participants brainstorming community assets, making aguas frescas with garden produce, and exploring the contributions of a young Latino immigrant through poetry.

But wait, the fun doesn't stop there! Regi and Whitney are on a mission to continue sharing this curriculum, with upcoming workshops at the Life Lab Garden Classroom.