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In this episode of the School Gardens with Ease Podcast, host Leila Mireskandari shifts focus to address parents who are eager to bring a garden to their child's school. While primarily aimed at parents, the episode offers valuable insights for teachers as well, particularly in building partnerships with parents to create sustainable, educational gardens.

Leila reflects on her own journey, starting as a concerned parent without a background in gardening, before transforming her passion into a full-time career. Sharing personal stories from her early days of volunteering for after-school gardening programs, she highlights the challenges and lessons learned along the way, including the reality of burnout and the lack of teacher engagement when gardens are treated as extracurricular projects.

Key Takeaways:

• Sustainability of School Gardens: The most effective and sustainable school gardens are those led by teachers, grown by students, and supported by parents. These gardens integrate seamlessly into the school day and curriculum, making them more impactful and easier to maintain.
• Parent Involvement: Rather than spearheading garden projects themselves, parents should focus their energy on supporting the garden after it’s established. Fundraising for supplies and lesson plans, as well as helping with summer watering, are the best ways to contribute.
• Avoiding Burnout: Leila emphasizes that parent-led after-school programs or garden clubs, though well-intentioned, often lead to chaos, exhaustion, and unsustainable projects. She advises parents to resist the urge to take on the full responsibility and instead collaborate with interested teachers.
• Lesson Plans and Support: Leila has developed comprehensive lesson plan packages and provides coaching for teachers to ensure that school gardens are educational and integrated into the curriculum. Parents are encouraged to help fundraise for these materials.

By the end of the episode, Leila urges parents to find a passionate teacher and send them her way for guidance and resources, emphasizing that this is the easiest and most effective path to a thriving school garden.

Resources Mentioned:

• School garden lesson plan packages and coaching support by Leila Mireskandari: https://www.kidsgrowingcity.ca/Gardening-for-Elementary-Teachers

Tune in next week for more tips on making school gardens easy and impactful!