Edible schoolyards

The Skylight School for Justice will develop a gardening program that functions to connect so many concepts in classroom learning and also support social-emotional learning as well. Gardens directly support the schools’ justice focus and give teachers many opportunities to creatively use the garden for an instructional starting point.

The Edible Schoolyards of New Orleans is a model that the Skylight School for Justice will replicate: Kindergarten students were introduced to one new food each week; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students were offered gardening classes involving planting, harvesting, and collecting data on the gardens; 4th graders learned about wetlands and aquatic life, and were also -- along with 8th graders -- engaged in using the scientific method to collect data. All children were given the opportunity to learn to cook produce from the garden. The project was made culturally relevant through enlisting volunteers from the community and hosting community events which were open to everyone. Flowers, water pitchers, and place cards at each table created a shared sense of ownership and responsibility among the students. Related environmental education curriculum included experiences with new foods and a focus on plants, erosion and wetlands.

A synthesis of 48 studies using garden-based learning showed a preponderance of positive impacts on direct academic outcomes with the highest positive impact for science followed by math and language arts. Indirect academic outcomes were also measured with social development surfacing most frequently and positively.