Description - Develop a garden for children to maintain and harvest.

Goals - National Council of Social Studies

• Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of people, places, and environments.
• Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance.
• Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people organize for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
  

Resources

• Local garden centers
• 4H clubs
• Botanical centers
• Local organizations such as churches, nursing homes, schools that have an area or space for planting in the ground or in a pot.
  

Action Steps - To begin this living garden…

• Locate a piece of land either near the school or on the school property (or choose an area for a “pot” container garden). Have students research the responsible party for the land and request its use for the garden. Check any zoning with the city or town before moving forward.
• Contact a local charity, shelter, or church organization. See if the food, flowers, or herbs harvested could be used by another charity or organization.
• Set up a plan for planting the area. You will need parent volunteers to help cultivate and mark off areas of the garden.
• Help students choose what will be planted. Use the information obtained from researching the resources to see which plants will grow heartily in your area.
• Design a schedule for watering, tilling, and weeding. Students should be responsible for maintaining the garden on schedule during school.
• Arrange for summer maintenance of the garden. Some of the students may like to take this project on as a special service project.
• Set up a plan for harvesting the specific food, flowers, or herbs.
  

Other options for Food/Flower Donation

• Nursing homes
• Local school or preschool
• Homeless shelter
• Local charity serving food
  

Evaluation - Ask students to evaluate the effectiveness of their garden. Have them offer suggestions about what might make the garden even better.