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NC State Extension

Gardening in Preschools

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NC State Resources for Gardening in Early Child Care Education

Preschool Gardening Publications

    Screenshot Fruit Trees Publicaton

     

    Preschool Gardening Activity Guide

    Gardening Activity Publication Cover
    Farm to Early Care and Education Resource Guide
    Food Safety tips for school and community gardens. Food safety
    Collard Greens and Common Ground:
    A North Carolina Community Food Gardening Handbook
    The Natural Learning Initiative Screen Shot of the Natural Learning Initiative Home Page - Nature play and learning every day1
    Farm to Early Care and Education Farm to Early Care and Education
    NC Extension Plant Toolbox

    Descriptions, Images, Alternatives

    Screen Shot of NC Extension Plant Toolbox

    Virtual Tour of Preschool Garden Designed by the Natural Learning Initiative

    Landscape Design for Preschool


    1-hour Videos from the

    Center for Environmental Farming Systems

    Aquaponics

    Learn to build and manage a small aquaponics system including what fish and plants to grow.

    Tenita Solanto, Green Panda Farms, Navy Veteran, Urban Farmer

    Composting

    How to start a healthy composting bin at home or at your child care center.

    Rhonda Sherman, NC State Extension Solid Waste Specialist (vermicomposting, composting, recycling)

    Cover slide for Compost video

    Container Vegetable Gardening

    Select an appropriate site, choose vegetable varieties that will thrive, and manage container gardens for bountiful harvests!

    Eli Snyder, Extension Agent, Agriculture – Commercial and Consumer Horticulture in Wilks County

    Coverslide for Container Gardening

    Edible Landscaping

    Growing fruits, nuts, and herbs in preschool centers. Learn which are easies, where to plant, and how to grow edible trees, shrubs, vines, flowers, & herbs

    Dr. Lucy Bradley is an Extension Specialist in Consumer and Community Horticulture at NC State University.
    Beyond veggies

    Fall Gardening

    Identify an appropriate site to grow vegetables and plants that thrive in fall gardens in North Carolina. Understand when and how to plant garden crops, and how to protect them from frosts or freezes.

    Eli Snyder, Extension Agent, Agriculture – Commercial and Consumer Horticulture in Wilks County

    Cover slide for fall gardeing video

    Hydroponics

    The science behind hydroponics systems, instructions on how to build a mini system for the classroom, and experiments for preschoolers!

    Dr. Brandon Huber, Graduate of the NC State Controlled Environments Horticulture

    Cover slide for hydroponics video

    Pollinator Class

    Discover why the world of flittering, fluttering, buzzing, and crawling pollinators is critical to our everyday lives.

    Build science inquiry skills around pollinator identification and behavior. Learn how to raise painted lady butterflies and any other caterpillar you might find. Embrace the joy (and not the fear) of these winged wonders.

    Liz Driscoll, 4-H Specialist, Crop and Soil Science, Entomology and Plant Pathology, and Horticultural Science – Grow for it!

    Cover slide for pollinator video

    Scrap Gardening and Botanical Sciences

    Teach children to make bath bombs, chapstick, and more botanical self-care products.

    Liz Driscoll4-H Specialist, Crop and Soil Science, Entomology and Plant Pathology, and Horticultural Science – Grow for it!

    Cover slide Botanical Self-Care

    Tips and Tricks for Gardening with Children

    Specific tips for working with young children in the garden.

    Marie Hitt, Growing up Healthy, Project Manager, Orange County Partnership for Young Children

    Cover slide of video garden with young children
    Veggie Gardening 101

    An introduction to vegetable gardening at early childcare centers. Learn how to select a garden site, what is easy to grow, when to plant.
    Dr. Lucy Bradley is an Extension Specialist in Consumer and Community Horticulture at NC State University. She directs the NC Extension Master Gardener Program.

    Kids looking at plant

    Vermicomposting

    How to start vermicomposting:  what worms species to work with, what a healthy worm bin looks like, and the value of vermicomposting.

    Rhonda Sherman, NC State Extension Solid Waste Specialist (vermicomposting, composting, recycling)

    Cover for Vermicopost video

    Resources from our partners

    Health and Safety of Gardening in Childcare Centers

    NC Farm to Preschool Network
    Reviewed and approved by
    NC Children’s Environmental Health
    January 2021

    Image of over page of publication

    Farm to Preschool Toolkit

    Growing Minds: Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project

     Farm to preschool toolkit - open book
    NC Poison Control

    Home Page for Poison Control- Plants Page

    Additional Resources