About Us

Why School Gardens? | What We Do | Schools | Our Team | Partners | Board of Directors|

Mission:

Lower Columbia School Gardens empowers our community by connecting kids and families with real food and hands-on learning. Through dynamic garden and cooking programs, we cultivate health, equity, life-long learning, and stewardship of the world around us.

Why School Gardens?

Kids Need Them

A school garden is a dynamic learning environment where students work hard together, study and explore the natural world, care for living things and discover where real food actually comes from. Kids experience hands-on, real-life applications of science, math, nutrition, social studies, and more. You might see them testing soil samples; harvesting and drying seed pods to plant in the spring; spreading rich compost over raised beds; or sautèing fresh (picked 5 minutes prior!) vegetables with olive oil and herbs in an outdoor kitchen. Many of these kids have never before planted a seed, used a shovel or wheelbarrow, or picked a fresh berry! As one 3rd grader new to the garden said recently, "I never knew you could eat plants!"

Communities Need Them

Cowlitz County has some of the highest rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet and lifestyle related illness in the State of Washington, and it ranks 39 out of 39 counties for healthy behaviors. School gardens directly counteract these trends by getting kids active and getting them excited about growing, cooking, and eating fresh, healthy foods. As students bring this excitement home and involve their families and friends, our neighborhoods and communities are strengthened. Families build a greater connection with the school, and not just during the school day: there are afterschool and weekend gardening sessions, spring plant sales, summer produce stands, fall harvest festivals.

What Keeps Us Going

Since 2002 we've witnessed firsthand the magic that happens in school gardens - kids work hard and discover together, learn to cook and eat fresh whole foods they have grown themselves. Each day we are reminded this is good for kids - they need this. We see gardens as an integral part of every school, even (and especially) as schools face tough budget cuts. It can be difficult for schools to maintain a successful garden program without outside help, and that's exactly why we're here. We coordinate community support from businesses, families, service organizations, and individuals like you knowing that together we can cultivate the values of lifelong learning, sustainability, health & community.

What We Do

Demand for school gardens is growing nationwide, but implementing a successful and sustainable program requires a combination of expertise, community support, material and financial support. At LCSG, we are dedicated to helping parents and educators realize the many benefits a garden program brings to the kids in their schools.

After successfully implementing and sustaining 4 full fledged programs, with several more in various stages of development we are uniquely qualified to grow school gardens that enhance the quality of education, civic engagement, family involvement, nutritional and environmental education, social development, and physical health of kids in our schools.

• The Fun Stuff

  Our staff and volunteers garden and cook with hundreds of students every week. Kids are eager to engage in meaningful work and make discoveries in the garden - it's our job to facilitate those experiences, keep them safe and focused, and look for the teachable moments. Whether the task of the day is planting asparagus, digging up potatoes, or brewing fresh herbal tea, trained volunteers set kids up to succeed.

• Planning

  Each program is different and will develop in its own way, but having a good plan makes all the other steps in the process fall into place. Believing that success breeds more success, we think ahead to make sure that programs take more steps forward than back.

• Development

  A school garden is a multifaceted organism that can achieve a broad range of exciting outcomes. LCSG understands and strives to develop well designed and outfitted programs. This includes providing educators with lesson plans and making sure the facilities, supplies, and planting schedules facilitate these lessons.

• Coordinate Volunteers

  Kids thrive with individual attention and instruction, and gardens thrive and beautify their surroundings with regular care. People are our most valuable resource and our volunteers represent the best our community has to offer. Our ever expanding ranks include biologists, public servants, teachers, doctors, early childhood educators, artists, carpenters, business professionals, health care professionals, expert and amateur gardeners, and everyone in between--we're all here to lend our time, attention, and know-how to kids. To make a long story longer - we've got some incredibly talented folks backing this effort because they see that their individual effort makes a difference, and there's something for everyone. What are you waiting for? Join us!

• Raise & Manage Funds

  In relation to the potential benefits of school gardens, the cost is low. However, it's not free. Knowing what to spend money on and when to spend it plays a part in managing a successful garden and is often the most difficult part for a new program. LCSG is here to help school garden programs plan and navigate the financial side of school garden management. This includes identifying material needs and donation sources, running fundraising events, and grant writing support. In addition, LCSG manages a pool of funds, tools, and materials that can help gardens get started and on their way to becoming a self-propelled institution within their community.