Explore Ecology School Garden Program

The Sage Garden Project is sponsering me this year, but I work as a Garden Educator for Explore Ecology.

Explore Ecology is an environmental education and arts non-profit located in Santa Barbara, CA.  We work with over 30,000 children a year, inspiring them to engage with the natural world, think critically and experience the value of environmental stewardship. Our programs include the Art From Scrap Creative ReUse Store and Gallery, Environmental Education, the Watershed Resource Center, School Gardens Program, and ReUseSB. 

The School Garden Program maintains gardens in 35 elementary schools in Santa Barbara County.  The mission of the program is to promote a greater understanding of the connections between children and their environment through garden based education.  Gardening with kids is an amazing way to connect kids to the food they eat and to the local environment while providing hands on learning across all academic disciplines.  Students in the garden will work with each other to nurture their school's garden promoting a sense of ownership while learning practical life skills and enjoying the beauty of nature.  Garden Educators teach garden-based lessons that include Common Core an NGSS. Environmental and nutrition education are also an important componenet of the garden lessons.