Garden Stories
Learn the story behind the garden! Find inspiration from these exceptional youth and school garden programs across the country.
Back to the Roots’ Story of Synchronicity
Nikhil and Alex’s Roots From the very beginning, the story of Nikhil Arora and Alejandro “Alex” Velez, founders of Back to the Roots has been one of synchronicity. “Synchronicity” is a term first used by Psychologist Carl Jung to refer…
Logan’s Story: Using the garden to meet therapy goals
For the Buzzell family, gardening is healing. Jinah is the mother of Logan and Lyla who are known as “The Buzz Tots.” They spend many hours together in the garden – their “jungle” – with bare feet in the soil,…
Jasmine Jefferson — Black Girls with Gardens
Drops of water glistening on leaves; the earthy smell of soil; green, succulent foliage. Pink petals; bees buzzing; a sweet floral aroma wafting in the air. These sensations are what brings Jasmine Jefferson back to her childhood. Jasmine comes from…
Colah Tawkin — Black in the Garden
A friend of Colah compares her to a tree – grounded, growing, and thriving, despite an ever-changing environment. Like many gardeners, Colah Tawkin has learned many life lessons from plants, especially what they can teach us about resilience and adaptability.…
Inclusive Signage at Flatwoods Elementary
KidsGardening defines Inclusion as: belonging, voice, community, and safety. Having “Inclusive Signage” in the garden means incorporating these aspects in outdoor learning spaces through visual signs. Nicole Dugat, Executive Director of Schoolyard Roots, shares how they incorporate inclusive signage at…
An interview with author Grace Lin
On November 18, 2021 during an Instagram Live “Garden Story,” Lily Nguyen, Education Specialist at KidsGardening, interviewed Grace Lin about her experience gardening and growing up, and how her experiences shaped her work as a children’s book author. The following…
Urban Gardening In NYC with Wambui Ippolito
Wambui Ippolito’s favorite garden is her grandmother’s in East Africa. Her grandmother would return from the city after work and tend to her vegetables, where she and Wambui would bond amongst the flourishing beans, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. “It made me…
A Relaxing Garden in Puerto Rico
A Relaxing Garden in Puerto Rico Young Perla Sofía riding her tricycle. When asked about her favorite garden memory, Perla Sofía Curbelo-Santiago recalls wandering around the streets of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, peeking over her neighbors’ fences to see what they…
Growing School Gardens: A Virtual Tour
Growing School Gardens: A Virtual Tour Picture your school garden — or any garden — in your head. What’s your favorite fruit or vegetable to grow or eat? Arugula.” says Tristana Pirkl, program manager of the School Garden Support Organization…
A Literary Garden
“It’s impossible to teach Walden and talk about Thoreau observing nature in a cinderblock classroom without windows,” says high school English teacher Jennifer Tianen. This belief is what inspired Jennifer to bring her students outside and to start a literary…
Advocating for Garden-Based Learning
“Gardening covers a lot of bases when it comes to student needs” says Kris Johnson, “Academic needs, social needs, emotional needs. It’s not just ‘ok we’re going to learn about plants,’ it’s not just nuts and bolts—the physical environment of…
Letting Kids Take the Lead
Program Spotlights: The Caring Center “I can recall being in preschool and having an experience that had a big impression on me—it made me want to become a chef,” says Erica Lewis, Food Service Manager at the Caring Center in…
Project Climate Club
Program Spotlights: Project Climate Club “I’ve always been a garden kid,” says Alexi Lindeman, a senior at Heritage High School in Brentwood, CA, and coordinator of a 2020 Carton 2 Garden project that received an Honorable Mention. “My dad’s an…
Abenaki Food and Heritage
Abenaki Food and Heritage Earlier this year The Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation partnered with a number of Vermont-based food systems-focused organizations to start the Abenaki Land Link Project. In its pilot year, the program provided indigenous seeds…
Oglala Lakota Youth Reclaiming Language
Oglala Lakota Youth The Red Cloud Indian School (Maȟpíya Lúta Owáyawa) in the Pine Ridge, SD is using their Farm to School program to provide opportunities for Oglala Lakota youth in grades K-12 to connect with their tribe’s traditional knowledge and…
Program Spotlights – RM Miano Elementary
R.M. Miano Elementary If you are looking for an example of a successful and sustainable school garden program, 2019 Budding Botanist winner R.M Miano Elementary School in Los Banos, California is a great place to start. “Seventeen years ago, we…
Sequoia Elementary School Garden Build
To celebrate the UN’s International Volunteer Day (Tuesday, December 5, 2017),KidsGardening teamed up with ProFlowers for an exciting garden expansion at Sequoia Elementary School in San Diego, California. Giving back to their local community, close to 30 ProFlowers employees volunteered their…
KG Program Spotlights – Carson Daly & KidsGardening Plant a Garden in Brooklyn
Carson Daly & KidsGardening.org Plant a Garden in Brooklyn With 52 raised beds in place, over 400 plants, 15 pallets of organic soil, flooring, and irrigation, a beautiful, bountiful school garden grows in Brooklyn. This ideal edible school garden provides…
