Many people ask us for research that validates the work we do. Find a great collection of summary documents and peer reviewed article databases below:
101 Ways Gardens Connect to Learning
Summary Documents
The Impact of Garden-Based Learning on Student Health and Nutrition Two page collection of research briefs
Co-Benefits of a Learning Garden from BigGreen.org
Info-graphics on the Benefits of Green School Yards from the Children and Nature Network
Life Lab Essay, The Garden, A Master Teacher An excellent essay on the many benefits of garden-based learning.
Benefits of Gardening for Children Two page summary and research briefs from the University of Colorado
The Benefits of Farm to School A four page handout from the National Farm to School Network that does a great job outlining who benefits from farm to school programming.
Slow Food USA’s Nation School Garden Program (bottom of the page) A great collection of research supported documents and slide presentations on each topic!
Student Learning Outcomes of Garden-Based Education: A Literature Review by Melanie Stewart Masters of Environmental Education Candidate University of Minnesota – Duluth May, 2014
What is the Relationship of Student Health to Academic Achievement? A nice graphic handout and references
Health and Academic Achievement 12 page download from the CDC sharing how health and wellness lead to academic achievement.
Oregon Department of Health 50 Slide Power Point Academic Achievement & Health: When and Where to Intervene?
Why School Gardens Presentation from the California School Garden Training Program. Shares the value of school gardens and how they are used in California.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention Research Brief on Nutrition Education in Schools mentions schools gardens and links to additional resources.
Rutgers University’s Learning Through the Garden page is a nice summary document.
Benefits of Environmental Education for K-12 Students from Stanford University and EE Works
Review of Research Article and Research Article Databases
EE Research Database from the North American Association for Environmental Education and Children and Nature Network – research for the field of environmental education and the movement to connect children and nature, and includes multiple ways to search for articles, syntheses, and research summaries.
Children and Nature Network Research Database
Impact of Garden-Based Learning on Academic Outcomes in Schools: Synthesis of Research Between 1990 and 2010 Dilafruz R. Williams, P. Scott Dixon
The Learning Gardens at Portland State University Graduate School of Education Papers and Articles and Science in the Learning Gardens Project
California School Garden Network’s Research Article Database
More benefits of Garden-Based Learning are documented on Cornell’s Garden-Based Learning site. Additionally they list resources for evaluating garden-based learning work.
National Farm to School Resource Database search peer reviewed articles
Farm to School: A Selected and Annotated Bibliography from USDA’s National Ag Library
