Rooted in School Gardens
Hands-in-the-Dirt Garden Education
Our Gardener-in-Residence program provides hands-in-the-dirt garden-based education in partnership with participating MMSD schools. All school gardens are unique, ranging from a collection of container gardens or raised beds to a half-acre of plowed land, but they all provide students with a real-time look at how food is grown.
School gardens also have many other benefits including:
- An outdoor space that can provide powerful hands-on experiences that make learning come alive
- Motivating kids to eat more fruits and vegetables
- Promoting physical activity and quality outdoor experiences
- Providing local produce
- Instilling a respect for nature and a desire to care for the environment
- Positive impact on student achievement and behavior
Gardener-in-Residence FAQs
The Gardener-in-Residence (GiR) program connects kids to their food through hands-on garden lessons where they grow, harvest, and enjoy fresh produce.
Program duration is ten weeks in the fall and ten weeks in the spring, with an optional add-on ten weeks in the winter.
Rooted assigns a dedicated Garden Educator to the school for 8 hours a week during the duration of the program. The Garden Educator leads outdoor garden education lessons with students, following the school’s schedule.
Additionally, Rooted provides:
- Oakhill seedling-starts in the spring to populate the school garden
- Access to seeds
- Access to basic cooking supplies (mixing bowls, plates, choppers, cutting boards) for in-garden cooking activities
$3,000/10 weeks of programming
A discounted $2,000/10 weeks of programming is available for qualifying schools. Please contact us to determine if your school qualifies for a discounted rate.
- Cover the costs of specific lesson/project supplies, any food for cooking activities that is not from the school garden, garden upkeep needs including compost, soil, updates/renovations, etc. Winter programming may require additional supplies for indoor lessons.
- Provide the Garden Educator with arts and crafts supplies for lessons if needed
- Maintain the school garden spaces year-round (for example, schools should organize garden workdays, make a plan for summer maintenance, etc.). If schools are unable to provide regular maintenance throughout the summer Rooted staff may be able to provide support, please contact Erica Krug for options
- Create the schedule for the Garden Educator, with lessons scheduled for either one 8-hour school day or two 4-hour half days each week
- Provide a liaison on behalf of the school to act as the main point of contact for the Garden Educator and Rooted. This position is eligible for a $100 stipend
Rooted currently partners with eight MMSD schools through our Gardener-in-Residence program:
Ada Deer (Elvehjem) Elementary
Crestwood Elementary
Huegel Elementary
Lake View Elementary
Mendota Elementary
Nuestro Mundo Elementary
Schenk Elementary
Van Hise Elementary
If you are interested in participating in the Gardener-in-Residence Program, please fill out the GiR Interest Form
