School Gardens with Ease

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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!

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Welcome to School Gardens with Ease! I'm your host, Leila Mireskandari, and in this episode, I explore how food gardens can serve multiple purposes—beyond just growing food.

Last week, I spoke with Victoria Hackett from Outdoor Classrooms about her system for outdoor education, where she identified four types of gardens:

• Gardens that feed
• Gardens for art and beauty
• Gardens as outdoor learning stations
• Gardens that attract wildlife

If you missed that episode, I encourage you to check it out and connect with Victoria if outdoor education interests you.

A Food Garden That Does It All

In today’s episode, I discuss how the food gardens we create in my Oasis programs—like the Oasis School and Caja Oasis—can serve all four functions at once. Using Permaculture principles, we integrate multiple elements into our garden designs to meet diverse needs. Here's how:

1. Feeding People
   • The primary focus of my programs is to grow food during class time and align it with the curriculum, teaching students not just gardening but also math, science, language arts, and more.
2. Creating Outdoor Learning Stations
   • These gardens become living classrooms, providing hands-on learning experiences, even for older students up to grade 8.
3. Attracting Wildlife
   • Through polyculture and companion planting, our gardens invite beneficial insects like bees, butterflies, and ladybugs. Edible flowers like marigolds and nasturtiums add beauty and attract essential pollinators.
4. Serving as Art and Beauty Spaces
   • Inspired by nature, we design gardens with curves rather than rigid rectangles. These organic shapes—like circles and mandalas—add aesthetic appeal and mimic natural ecosystems, making the garden inviting and magical.

Permaculture Principles in Action

While I don’t teach Permaculture directly, its principles influence every element of my programs—from lesson plans and plant selection to student booklets and step-by-step growing guides. Concepts like valuing diversity and integrating elements ensure our gardens serve multiple purposes.

If you're curious about how the Oasis Program Suite can help you build a multi-purpose school garden with ease, check out the link below:
https://www.kidsgrowingcity.ca/links-oasis-programs

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In this episode of School Gardens with Ease, host Leila Mireskandari welcomes her first-ever guest, Victoria Hackett, M.Ed., an award-winning nature-based educator and advocate. Victoria shares her journey from being a parent envisioning a better outdoor space for her children’s school to becoming a leader in the creation of outdoor classrooms. Together, Leila and Victoria discuss the transformative power of outdoor learning and how it impacts both children and educators.

Key Discussion Points:

• Victoria's Journey: Learn how Victoria’s experience as a parent led her to create her first outdoor classroom, and how this inspired her to help educators integrate nature into their teaching practices.
• The 5 Phases of Outdoor Teaching: Victoria breaks down her approach to outdoor education, which includes creating the infrastructure, getting kids outdoors, teaching and learning in nature, embracing weather challenges, and ensuring sustainability in outdoor spaces.
• The 4 Types of Gardens: Explore the different types of gardens that can be created in an outdoor classroom: Gardens that Feed, Gardens that Attract Wildlife, Gardens for Art and Beauty, and Gardens as Outdoor Learning Stations.
• Overcoming Barriers: Victoria and Leila discuss the common challenges teachers face, such as lack of time and discomfort with outdoor spaces, and offer practical solutions to help teachers feel more confident about teaching outside.
• The Benefits of Outdoor Learning: Discover the numerous developmental and emotional benefits children experience when they spend time outdoors, from reduced stress to improved behavior and deeper connections with nature.

About Victoria Hackett, M.Ed.

Victoria Hackett is a passionate leader in outdoor education with over 30 years of experience in various educational settings. Through her work with educators and parents, she provides tailored support to help cultivate outdoor classrooms that enrich children's learning and well-being. She is the creator of the Outdoor Classrooms Podcast, CIRCLE membership community, and the upcoming Outdoor Classrooms Teacher Certification Program. Victoria is dedicated to combating nature-deficit disorder and fostering environments where children can thrive outdoors.

Connect with Victoria:

• Website: www.outdoor-classrooms.com
• Email: [email protected]
• CIRCLE Membership Community: Join Here

Victoria will be launching her new Outdoor Classrooms Teacher Certification Program in late December 2024/January 2025. Stay tuned for details!

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In this episode of School Gardens with Ease, host Leila Mireskandari reveals the biggest mistake teachers make when writing or finding gardening lesson plans. Spoiler alert: it's all about how you approach them!

Leila explains that many teachers start by focusing on their curriculum needs—like teaching math, science, or language arts—and then try to build a gardening lesson around those topics. While that method might work for some hands-on activities, it’s not the right approach for growing a garden. Leila breaks down why this strategy leads to scattered, non-cohesive lessons that won't help you or your students grow an actual garden.

Instead, Leila shares her expert approach: Start with the garden! From there, create a step-by-step list of tasks needed to grow your garden, then tie those tasks back to your core curriculum. Whether you’re planning a classroom, container, raised bed, or in-ground garden, this method ensures that your students grow a thriving garden while learning a variety of subjects in the process.

Highlights of this episode include:

• Examples of ineffective gardening lesson plans
• Why gardening isn’t a one-off activity like cooking
• How to connect gardening activities to multiple curriculum subjects
• The importance of proper timing and task management in growing a garden
• Leila’s secret for creating impactful, cohesive lesson plans for classroom gardens

Leila also introduces her Oasis series of programs, which offer ready-to-use lesson plans designed to help teachers grow a full garden during class time in just 10 hours over spring. Whether you’re new to school gardens or looking to improve your gardening lesson plans, this episode is packed with actionable advice.

Key Takeaway: Start with the garden and build your lesson plans around what needs to be done to grow it—then link those tasks to your curriculum.

Resources Mentioned:

• Oasis Series Programs: Find pre-made lesson plans and guides to grow your classroom garden effortlessly.
• Leila’s Recommended Seed List for Schools – Click here for a list of easy-to-grow seeds for your classroom garden.
• Learn the best technique for indoor seed starting for classrooms that guarantees your success in growing strong and health seedlings using this Indoor Seed Starting in Schools: PDF Guide

If you have any questions or need more tips, feel free to reach out to Leila for future episode topics. 
[email protected]

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In this episode, Leila dives into the single biggest mistake teachers make when starting a school garden. Drawing from over a decade of experience working with hundreds of teachers, Leila reveals why trying to grow a garden outside of class time is the number one error educators should avoid. She explains how this common misconception leads to frustration, exhaustion, and disengagement—and how to avoid it.

Leila emphasizes the importance of integrating garden projects into class time, making them a hands-on, experiential teaching tool that connects to various subjects like science, math, language arts, and social studies. With real-life examples and actionable advice, Leila shares how designing, building, and maintaining the garden as part of the curriculum can enhance student engagement and learning.

Key Points Discussed:

• Why growing a garden outside of class time is the biggest mistake teachers make.
• The misconception that gardens must be set up outside class before being used for education.
• The importance of connecting the garden to the curriculum as a hands-on teaching tool.
• How gardens can facilitate the teaching of subjects like soil science, water cycles, biodiversity, math, and social justice.
• The challenges of managing a garden grown outside class time, including coordination, time, and resources.
• The benefits of engaging students in every aspect of the garden, from design to maintenance, to foster a sense of ownership and responsibility.

Stay tuned for the next episode, where Leila will discuss the biggest mistake teachers make when writing lesson plans for school gardens.

Connect with Leila:

• Website: https://www.kidsgrowingcity.ca/
• Instagram: @kidsgrowingcity
• Twitter: @kidsgrowingcity
• Facebook: @kidsgrowingcity

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In this episode of School Gardens with Ease, Leila Mireskandari takes a step back from technical tips to bust the biggest myths about growing a school garden. If you've been overwhelmed by the idea of starting a garden at your school, this episode is for you! Leila goes straight to the heart of five common misconceptions that might be holding you back.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Myth 1: The more volunteers, the easier it is – Not necessarily! Learn why too much help can actually create chaos.
• Myth 2: School gardens are hard work – Only if you’re doing it wrong. Leila shares how to simplify the process.
• Myth 3: Growing a school garden requires extra time – Wrong! Discover how to make it part of your teaching without giving up your weekends or afternoons.
• Myth 4: Summer is the growing season, so school gardens don’t make sense – Leila explains why spring and fall are key, not summer.
• Myth 5: You need to know how to grow food to start a school garden – Find out why teaching skills are more important than gardening skills.

Leila shares her decade of experience, offering practical advice that will help you grow your dream teaching garden with ease. Plus, check out her Seed Starting Guide for schools, linked in the show notes, to help you get started strong.

Don’t let myths hold you back from creating an amazing teaching tool for your classroom!

Indoor Seed Starting in Schools guide:
https://www.kidsgrowingcity.ca/offers/pZ2cNrYj/checkout

My Recommended List of Seeds for Schools:
https://www.kidsgrowingcity.ca/get-seed-list-gift-for-teachers

To learn more about my Oasis Suite of programs you can visit the following link:
https://www.kidsgrowingcity.ca/links-oasis-programs

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In today’s episode, we're breaking down one of the most confusing aspects of gardening for many teachers: planting seeds. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the timing, spacing, or whether to plant seeds indoors or outdoors, this episode is for you. Leila simplifies the process so you can confidently start your school garden without wasting time on complex details.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• The importance of timing for planting based on your gardening zone
• How to use the free tool at Growveg.com to create a custom planting schedule
• Which seeds need to be planted indoors vs. outdoors (and which don’t like transplanting!)
• Leila’s three fun seed-spacing categories: Sprinkles, 1-Inchers, and 1-Footers
• Why you can ignore the stress around perfect spacing, and how companion planting can save the day
• How to make your garden look lush while conserving water and preventing weeds

Helpful Links:

• Growveg.com – Get your custom planting schedule based on your zone and the seeds you want to grow.
• Leila’s Recommended Seed List for Schools – Click here for a list of easy-to-grow seeds for your classroom garden.
• Learn the best technique for indoor seed starting for classrooms that guarantees your success in growing strong and health seedlings using this Indoor Seed Starting in Schools: PDF Guide

Tune in and gain the confidence to tackle the seed-starting process with ease!

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In this episode of School Gardens with Ease, Leila shares creative and engaging gardening activities perfect for fall and winter.
Even without an outdoor garden, you can bring greenery and food-growing projects into your classroom with low-cost, hands-on activities.
Learn about seed stratification, making seed balls, growing microgreens, and more!
These activities are fun, educational, and easy to integrate into your lessons, keeping students connected to nature year-round.

Download the accompanying checklist for all the activities mentioned in this episode:
https://www.kidsgrowingcity.ca/fall-and-winter-gardening-checklist-for-classrooms

And here's Leila's complete course with step by step Lesson Plans, Student Booklets, and Classroom Wall posters plus an optional supplies delivery for Greater Toronto Area schools on this very topic:
https://www.kidsgrowingcity.ca/oasis-fall-and-winter-indoors-2024

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In this final installment of our series on pitching your annual vegetable school garden, we're diving deep into two essential topics that will take your garden proposal to the next level: cost-effective garden design and budgeting strategies.

Join Leila Mireskandari as she reveals powerful permaculture design techniques, like Hugelkultur and sheet mulching, that can transform your school garden into a regenerative, water-conserving powerhouse—all while staying within budget. Learn why curvy, natural garden designs outperform traditional straight rows and discover how to source materials like wood and soil for free or at minimal cost.

Leila also tackles the crucial aspect of budgeting for your garden project. From seeds and soil to the often-overlooked need for high-quality lesson plans, she breaks down exactly what you need to include in your budget to ensure your garden is both educational and sustainable. Plus, find out which commonly purchased garden items are a complete waste of money and what to invest in instead.

Don't miss this episode if you're ready to pitch a school garden project that impresses funders, engages students, and keeps costs low!

Key Takeaways:

• Why you should embrace natural curves in your garden design.
• How Hugelkultur can drastically reduce your garden's water needs and build rich soil over time.
• The benefits of sheet mulching and how it can save you from digging up grass.
• Essential items to include in your garden budget—and what to avoid.
• The critical role of lesson plans in making your garden a true educational experience.

Links & Resources:

• Download the summary PDF of this 5-episode series [Link in show notes].
• Learn more about the Oasis Series programs for ready-to-use lesson plans, student booklets, and classroom wall posters: https://www.kidsgrowingcity.ca/links-oasis-programs
• Guide to setting up a watering chest for your garden: https://www.kidsgrowingcity.ca/offers/c5FtFUCe/checkout
• Hugelkultur Guide:
  https://www.kidsgrowingcity.ca/offers/8WLA6Gpd/checkout
• Contact Leila at [email protected] for personalized advice or questions.

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In Episode 14 of the School Gardens with Ease podcast, Leila Mireskandari continues her deep dive into crafting a winning proposal for your school’s annual vegetable garden project. This episode is a must-listen for teachers ready to transform their classrooms and schools into thriving green spaces that enhance learning across all subjects.

What You’ll Learn:

• Timing is Everything: Discover how to seamlessly integrate garden activities into your daily class schedule without adding extra work or stress.
• Perfect Placement: Learn why the location of your garden is crucial and how to choose a spot that gets optimal sunlight, is easily accessible for watering, and remains visible to foster community support.
• Classroom vs. Outdoor Gardens: Get expert advice on whether to start with a classroom garden or dive straight into an outdoor garden project. Leila shares the benefits and challenges of each, helping you make the best decision for your school.
• Preventing Garden Vandalism: Understand why visibility is key to protecting your garden from vandalism and theft, and how personalized student-made signs can create a sense of community ownership.
• Looking Ahead: Stay tuned for the next episode, where Leila will introduce low-maintenance Permaculture design ideas and budget-friendly tips to help you build a sustainable and impactful school garden.

Whether you're a first-time garden planner or an experienced educator looking to enhance your current project, this episode is packed with practical tips and insights to ensure your school garden proposal is a success. Don’t forget to check out parts 1-3 of this series for a comprehensive guide to pitching and planning your school garden.

My Recommended List of Seeds for Schools:
https://www.kidsgrowingcity.ca/get-seed-list-gift-for-teachers

Indoor Seed Starting in Schools guide:
https://www.kidsgrowingcity.ca/offers/pZ2cNrYj/checkout

To learn more about my Oasis Suite of programs you can visit the following link:
https://www.kidsgrowingcity.ca/links-oasis-programs