We work with schools and youth-serving organizations to create school-day and after-school garden programs that are high-impact, hands-on, and fun! Students dig in with seeds, seedlings, and garden work and are challenged to think critically about issues of social and environmental justice, self-sufficiency, and ecological sustainability. Importantly, they have opportunities to help alleviate hunger and give back to their communities.
We are available to create on-site programs, or to mentor and provide technical assistance to teachers interested in garden-based education. And we can help connect garden programs to the Maine Learning Results and ensure that the garden is an integral part of the learning environment. To learn more, contact executive director Craig Lapine.
Earth Steward Gardener Curriculum
Welcome to Cultivating Community's Earth Steward Gardeners curriculum. Gardens are magical, powerful places. With the right guidance and the right activities, gardens can help young people learn nearly everything they need to know about themselves and the world. If you are a teacher, a parent, or an environmental educator looking for an inspiring way to help young people cultivate an ethic of stewardship, civic engagement, and academic achievement, you have arrived at the right place. The Earth Steward Gardener curriculum provides garden and food activities you can use-in every season and across every academic discipline-to help kids understand how we're all connected to the land, our communities, and each other. Earth Steward Gardener activities are arranged by season. Within each lesson, you'll all see an indication of which learning areas and-for teachers in the State of Maine-which Learning Results the activity addresses. Once you've tried an activity with the kids in your life, we'd love to hear back from you what you learned and any adaptation you made. Send your comments to Charlie Utter
All Seasons
- Data Chart: Garden Beneficials (Predators, Pollinators, & Soil Improvers)
- Garden Beneficials Poster: Predators, Pollinators & Soil Improvers
- Charity Versus Change
- Follow That Pizza
- Local Food Family Feud
- Rubric
- Solutions To Hunger
- The True Cost Of Food
- Understanding The Local Face Of Hunger
Spring
- ESGI Planting Recomendations
- Garden Planning Checklist
- Garden Planning Resource List
- Plan To Plant
- Planning Your Garden With Your Students
- Recognizing Our Impact
- Seed Starting
Summer
Fall
- Conventional Agriculture Farming For The Future
- Cooking From The Garden
- Fall Field Trip Planner
- Garden Treasure Hunt An Introduction
- Gardening Books for the Classroom
- Interpreting Soil Test Results Worksheet
- Manure Day A Resource For Planning
- Road Map
- Seasons To A School Garden Planning Your Year
- Seedsaving Preserving The Legacy Planning For Next Year
- Soil Health Amending The Garden
Winter
- A Study In Local Farm History The Gorham Example
- Answers to the Questions About Sarah
- Comparing And Contrasting Farms In Gorham 100 Years Ago And Today
- Directions for Reading the Journal of Sarah
- Interviewing Your Local Farmers
- Intro To Compost
- Questions for Sarah
- Town Meeting Farmland Preservation
- Worms Vermi-Composting In The Classroom
The Earth Steward Garden Curriculum grew out of years of Cultivating Community's work in gardens with youth and teachers. Lead authors were Jessica Bean of Cultivating Community and Heather Russell of Gorham Middle School with input from teachers at Gorham Middle School, King Middle School, and Congin School.
Although the information in this document has been funded in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement NE97149701 to Cultivating Community, it may not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency and no official endorsement should be inferred.
