Resources for Educators
Cultural Literacy & Inclusion
Growing a truly successful school garden program means cultivating more than just plants, it means nurturing an environment where all students feel represented, valued, and engaged. Continuous learning about social, racial, environmental, and food justice strengthens our ability to create meaningful learning experiences for all students. These resources help educators understand and address systemic inequities to create an inclusive and safe learning environment where each individual child feels represented and understood.
Why It Matters
- –Honor the agricultural traditions and foodways of diverse communities
- –Recognize the Indigenous knowledge and practices of the land where your school stands
- –Create more inclusive learning environments where all students feel they belong
- –Connect garden-based education with social justice and environmental sustainability
- –Build stronger relationships with families and community members through shared cultural experiences
- –Help students connect with their cultural heritage reflected in what they grow and learn
Equity & Inclusion in the Garden
Tools and frameworks for integrating equity principles into school garden programs and centering diverse perspectives in garden-based learning.
Access their actively maintained Equity & Inclusion in Garden-Based Education resources, which include tools to help integrate equity and inclusion principles into all aspects of school garden programs. SGSO Equity & Inclusion Resources
Explore this extensive collection of "how-to" videos, gardening projects, and online educational resources created by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The resources include gardening tutorials, land stewardship practices, and culturally relevant growing information. BIPOC-Led Videos & Resources
Access this free e-course designed to help educators effectively center cultural learning in school garden programs through lesson plans, growing guides, and educational materials. Celebrating Cultural Inclusion in the School Garden
Watch this comprehensive webinar series that explores ways to celebrate and center culture through garden-based learning with experts from diverse backgrounds. Culturally Inclusive Teaching Webinars
indigenous teachings & land-based learning
Honor the first stewards of the land by incorporating Indigenous agricultural knowledge and practices. These resources connect garden education with Native histories, traditions, and ongoing contributions to sustainable food systems.
Tend, Gather, and Grow is a K-12 curriculum that focuses on native and naturalized plants of the Pacific Northwest region. Through hands-on activities, students explore themes in wild food traditions, herbal medicine, plant technologies, cultural ecosystems, and tree communities. Northwest Native American plant knowledge and stories are woven throughout the curriculum.
The Native Plants and Foods Curriculum Portal includes 5 educational toolkits that explore native and naturalized plants and foods of the Pacific Northwest region. These curricula were developed with an emphasis on serving Native communities and include Indigenous knowledge, stories, and traditions. The curricula may also be applicable for non-native educators and can be used as a model for other regions. Learn more on their website.
Connecting Traditional Foods, Stories, Language and Community: A comprehensive guide that recognizes the unique interconnection of traditional knowledge, community, language, and ancestral connections to land and food in Native communities. Native Farm to School Resource Guide
Resources for expanding farm to school in Native communities, including traditional foods implementation, working with Native producers, and connecting classroom education with tribal seed banks. Farm to School in Native Communities
Native Grown and Gathered Guide - Native Grown & Gathered is a grassroots initiative focused on supporting Indigenous food systems across the Northwest and Rocky Mountain regions. We believe in the power of community-driven solutions to enhance food sovereignty and ensure access to nutritious, traditional foods.
Tribal Food Sovereignty Innovation Lab - Comprehensive collection of funding resources and support available to Native food producers and tribal organizations working on food sovereignty and security. Tribal Food Sovereignty Innovation Lab
Robin Wall Kimmerer: The Honorable Harvest - Teachings on traditional ecological knowledge and sustainable harvesting practices. Honorable Harvest Video
GATHER Film - Documentary about the growing movement among Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political and cultural identities through food sovereignty. GATHER Film Information
Oregon Indian Education Association (OIEA) Resources - Organization promoting quality educational services for American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian people in Oregon. OIEA Website
Oregon Legislature enacted Senate Bill 13 (known as Tribal History/Shared History) in 2017, which directs Oregon Department of Education (ODE), in partnership with Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes, to create Native American K-12 curriculum for Oregon public schools.
The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians received funds from ODE to develop place-based lessons about Siletz history, culture, and governance spread over multiple content areas.
Spanish Language Resources
Make your garden program more accessible to Spanish-speaking students and families with translated and culturally relevant materials.
- KidsGardening Recursos en Español - Spanish lessons, activities, and resources
- Life Lab Recursos en Español - Books, printable materials, and posters for garden education
- La enseñanza en la Aula de la Naturaleza - Teaching in Nature's Classroom (free download)
- Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom - Spanish language lesson plans
- ¿Hay Tierra? - Comprehensive lesson plans and garden guide
- Linda Letra Bilingual Books
- Farm to ECE Multicultural Books & Discussion Guides
- Las espinacas de Sylvia
- Las calabicatas de Zora
- Calabaza, Calabaza by Jeanne Titherington
- Un Puñado de Semillas by Monica Hughes
- La Araña Muy Ocupada by Eric Carle
- El Camino de Amelia by Linda Jacobs Altman
- Life Lab School Garden Resource Collection - Spanish language guide
- Video: Rosie & Andy Spanish Garden Lessons
Cocina con Alimentos de California - School food cooking guide
Multicultural Book List
The Food Trust's multicultural collection features books with characters from underrepresented groups by diverse authors, including bilingual and Spanish-language titles covering gardening, farms, cooking, family meals, farmers markets, and more.
Download Book List (PDF)SEL, Mindfulness, and Inclusive Design
Support the social-emotional development of all learners and create garden spaces that are physically and emotionally accessible for students of all abilities.
- Oregon State University Extension: Trauma-Informed Toolkit - A comprehensive resource designed specifically for educators implementing trauma-informed practices in educational settings, including garden-based learning environments. OSU Trauma-Informed Toolkit
- American Horticultural Therapy Association - Information on therapeutic garden design and horticultural therapy practices for physical and mental wellbeing. AHTA Resources
- Oregon School-Based Health Centers - Guidance on connecting garden programs with school-based health initiatives for holistic student wellness. School-Based Health Resources
- Trauma-Informed Garden Education - Resources for creating garden spaces that support healing and resilience for students who have experienced trauma. Trauma-Informed Practices Guide
- Mindfulness in the Garden - Curriculum and activities for integrating mindfulness practices into garden-based education. Mindfulness Garden Activities
- CASEL-Aligned Garden Activities - Garden lessons designed to support core social-emotional learning competencies. SEL Garden Framework
- Mindfulness Activity - Fruit and vegetable coloring pages from the Center of Ecoliteracy
- Universal Design for Learning in Garden Spaces - Guidelines for creating physically and emotionally accessible garden environments for students of all abilities. Universal Design Guidelines
- Growing Together: Inclusive Garden Planning Guide - Strategies for designing garden programs that accommodate diverse physical, cognitive, and emotional needs. Inclusive Garden Planning
Creating an Inclusive Garden
Beyond resources, creating an inclusive garden requires thoughtful, ongoing practices.