Garden Classrooms

Hyalite Elementary School Garden Program

Hyalite Elementary School has a robust garden of 7 raised beds, amounting to over 700 square feet of garden space! We use the gardens to grow flowers, herbs and produce to educate our Pre-K through 5th-grade students about how to grow food, provide the opportunity to try new foods and know where healthy food comes from! We also have a greenhouse and edible landscaping as part of our schoolyard environment.

Bridge House School Herb Garden

We are an external service provider that provides a catering service to schools in the Western Cape. We asked for a small piece of land to plant herbs that we could use in our meals. The junior school gardening club then assisted us in planting the herbs. It would be great to have a larger piece of land to grow more vegtables or even fruit.

Hillis School Gardners

Hillis Elementary School started their garden in the spring of 2011. Thanks to Beth Sloan, principal at Hillis, The garden is incorporated into the everyday life of the school. Each Wednesday, every student participates in Eco Hour. This hour has a wide array of topics that cover nutrition, horticulture, and environmental stewardship. Des Moines FoodCorps helps with lesson plans for the 5th grade and Stephanie Peterson, garden coordinator, supports the rest of Hillis. Some lessons have included school wide crock pot day, sweet potato day, and interactive nutrition lessons.

Moulton Extended Learning Center

The original garden was started over 10 years ago. Des Moines FoodCorps helped revitalize the garden with Ms. Rushing, Ms. Johnson, and Ms. Werning this past spring. The site is 40x70 feet and is also supported by Christian Family Urban Ministries with after school programing throughout the entire year. The program through CFUM, Food Club, allows students to cook, grow and get their hands dirty! 

West High School Garden (Waterloo FoodCorps)

A high school garden and garden club were established in 2012. There is in-class education as well. Produce from this garden is given to the culinary programs and donated to the Food Bank. 

Lowell Elementary (Waterloo FoodCorps)

 People's Garden Grant installed a garden here in spring 2012. In conjunction with this garden, there are classes on gardening and cooking with garden produce.

Wings Park Elementary Garden

 Wings Park Elementary installed several vegetables raised beds the Summer of 2012.  Students in grades 2-5 plant, tend, and harvest these vegetables.  Produce is used in the annual Oelwein Harvest Fest.

Oelwein High School High Tunnel

 The Oelwein High School high tunnel is run by the local FFA Chapter.  Produce from the high tunnel is sold to the school cafeteria and used at Oelwein's annuual Harvest Fest.

Valley Elementary School Garden

 The Valley Elementary School gardens were created to both beautify the campus and provide learning opportunities for all students.  All students, preschool-5th grade participate in the planting, cultivation, and harvesting of the gardens.  There is one small, more decorative bed located in front of the school, close to where parents drop their kids off, and another larger bed behind the school nestled amongst the playground.  During the growing season, kids love to pick cherry tomatoes at recess!

Postville Community Garden

 The Postville Community Garden is a beautiful and sprawling space dedicated to bring people from diverse backgrounds together to grow their own food.  About a third of the garden is grown for and by students from Postville Community School District.  During the growing season, elementary students gather on a weekly basis to care for the garden, learn about growing practices, and prepare a healthy snack.  All food produced by the garden is either sent home with the students who grow it, or sent to the school cafeteria.

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