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School Gardens

School gardens at New Lebanon and Western Middle Schools are living laboratories that extend traditional classroom instruction by fostering inquiry based hands-on learning experiences. Through planting, cultivating, and harvesting, students experience first hand how local ecosystems and global food systems are deeply interdependent – connecting science, math, social studies and civic responsibility in relevant meaningful ways.

Students

Study plant life cycles
Conduct controlled experiments
Capture data through seasonal changes
Harvest and taste the food they have nurtured together with the school community

Teachers

Participate in professional development to integrate school gardens in the curriculum
Engage students more effectively who are multi-language learners and diverse learners
Deepen school and community connections to share the work and joy of maintaining a healthy garden.