Since 2017, we have hosted webinars created by SGSOs for SGSOs.
Join us for an upcoming offering or browse our archives. Visit our Online Forum and Best Practices Documents for additional content related to webinar topics.
2019 Webinars
In the Months to Come:
Sharing Program Impacts — 4/14/20
Latin American School Gardens (en español) — 5/12/20
Teaching English Language Learners — June TBA
Recruiting and Managing College Interns — July TBA
Trauma-Informed Education and Horticultural Therapy – 3/12/2020 11am PST / 2pm EST Register Here
There are a multitude of factors that contribute to Adverse Childhood Experiences. During our 60 minute webinar we will introduce definitions and resources to support schools and children through Trauma-informed Education and Horticultural Therapy.
Amy Yillik of Oregon’s High Desert Education Service District will share her work and resources of building a culture of caring for students with trauma. Wanda Stewart, Executive Director of Common Vision and Garden Educator at Hoover Elementary in Oakland, CA, will share stories of how she uses the healing power of the garden to serve her students. Trish Hildinger, Registered Horticultural Therapist and long time school garden instructor, will introduce strategies and philosophy behind using gardens as healing spaces.
Amy Yillik – Culture of Care, High Desert Education Service District
Wanda Stewart – Common Vision
Trish Hildinger, HTR – Horticultural Therapy Santa Cruz
Resources on Trauma Informed Teaching
Resources on Horticultural Therapy
Classroom Management in the Garden – January 28, 2020 View Archive
Or View archive on our Forum along with webinar participant contributions.
Employing solid classroom management techniques is a key factor for educational success. In this webinar, we will explore classroom management strategies specifically in the garden setting and the importance they play in creating a successful and sustainable school garden program. Topics covered will include how to create consistent routines, organize equipment, involve volunteers, utilize garden stations, and more!
Presenters include:
National Curriculum Manager Dianna Zeegers from Big Green
Community Manager Russell Sterten from the Edible Schoolyard Project
Education Specialist Sarah Pounders from KidsGardening
District-Run School Garden Programs –December 12, 2020 View Archive
This webinar features district-run school garden program directors from a medium and large school districts sharing their experience and expertise in launching and maintaining district run garden programs. Co-presented as part of the National Farm to School Network’s Partner Open Space presented in partnership with the School Garden Support Organization Network. Find more resources related to district-run school garden programs on our Best Practices Resource page.
Winter Programming for SGSO’s in Northern Climates – October 8, 2019 View Archive
When much of the school year takes place in freezing temperatures, how do SGSO’s keep kids engaged with garden-based learning, and what are other roles that SGSO’s can take on when the garden is dormant? We’ll discuss ways to bring gardening inside, as well as ways to create advocacy, training, and networking opportunities. Presenters include Stefanie Bugash Scopoline from the Wisconsin School Garden Network and Community Groundworks in Wisconsin, Christine Gall from Burlington School Food Project / KidsGardening in Vermont, and Erin Jackson from Gallatin Valley Farm to School in Montana.
Volunteer Management and Community Support Webinar – September 26th, 2019 View Archive
Are you looking to engage your community in building, maintaining and celebrating your garden? School gardens are ideal places to involve the community and school gardens also require significant maintenance so they’re the perfect place to bring people together. Join us as we discuss a few ways in which we have involved the community from regular maintenance with families, weekly volunteer hours, to large work days. We will discuss some of our favorite ways to get people out and excited, ideas for managing large volunteer groups, how to engage consistent volunteers, and help keep your garden looking good.Presented by: Sam Ullery: School Gardens Specialist Office of the State Superintendent of Education Washington, DC and Willa Pohlman Director of Programing and trainings City Blossoms, TBA
Crowdfunding for School Gardens – August 28th, 2019 View Archive
Time and time again, the ability to raise adequate financial support tops the list of challenges of school garden programs both at individual school and SGSO levels. In this webinar we will explore the concept of crowdfunding which is a term broadly used to describe fundraising efforts focused on raising smaller amounts of money from large numbers of people frequently through online and social media efforts. Presenters include Sarah Pounders from KidsGardening, Roger Doiron from Seedmoney.org and Hillary Lyons from Slow Food USA who will each share their experiences with crowdfunding campaigns and tips for SGSO’s interested in pursuing this type of funding.View resources related the Crowdfunding webinar on our forum.
School and Community Farm Stands – May 30th, 2019 View Archive
School gardens can be used to engage the community through school and community farm stands, which take on various issues centered around food access and education. Please join us in a virtual panel discussion where we will dig into some different ways in which farm stands are being implemented and impacting students and the community. This session will follow a unique format and will give a lot of time for audience questions. If you have a question for the panelists, please share it in your registration so that they presenters can seek to answer it.
Panelists will include:Sam Adels & Zoe Markwalter – Hudson Valley SeedMikhaela Mullins – Denver Urban GardensDavid Lazere – DC GreensLyndsey Waugh & Molly Brown – Sprouts Foundation
Summer Camps Programs at School Gardens and Farms – March 26, 2019 View Archive
Looking for ideas to keep your school gardens tended and active during the summer? Are you thinking of new ways to bring garden-based learning to a community garden or farm site? Join us for a webinar on the ins and outs of running kids day camp programs on educational gardens. Erin Jackson, Education Director at Gallatin Valley Farm to School, and Amy Carlson, Garden Education Director at Life Lab, will share their years of experience and resources for creating day camp programs. From promotions to post assessments and everything in between, this hour long webinar will provide you with inspiration and ideas to create or enhance summer programming on your educational garden or farm.
2018 Webinars
Selecting, Installing and Managing School Garden Bed Systems – January 30th View Archive Download a PDF Version
Choosing the best garden bed system for your school garden program can be an important contributing factor to long-term success. When you are working with multiple school garden sites, the number of variables to consider increases and using standardized bed systems with all of your schools can provide both benefits and challenges. In this webinar, we will hear from SGSOs who have developed standard garden bed packages and find out what has worked for them and how they source their materials. Presented by:
- Sarah Pounders, KidsGardening
- Brandi Keller, Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension
- Tim Villard and Darin DeLay, Big Green (Formerly The Kitchen Community)
- Adam Zmick, Gardeneers
Garden To Cafeteria Toolkit – May 22nd, 2018 View Archive
Are you interested in bringing fresh produce from the school garden into the cafeteria to be used in preparation of healthy school lunches? Join us for a webinar that will introduce the new Garden to Cafeteria Toolkit from Slow Food USA and Whole Kids Foundation and describe the ongoing support for Food Service Departments provided by Slow Food USA. On hand will also be Tegan Bernstein of the USDA, contributor to the toolkit, to answer any questions. Our goal is to build a Garden to Cafeteria community to support numerous districts in creating their own Garden to Cafeteria programs using the toolkit.
Equity & Access in the School Garden Movement — October 30 View Archive
School gardens can be a powerful tool for promoting racial and social equity, but equally important are the ways school garden organizations and school garden educators approach equity and access. Please join Suzannah Holsenbeck of Common Ground, Ida Sobotik of Community Groundworks, and Sam Ullery of the DC Office of State Superintendent of Education as they discuss what equity in school gardens means to their organizations. They will share case studies and offer suggestions for how your organization can tackle issues around equity and access in your work.
2017 Webinars
School Garden Program Sustainability and Finances — April 25, 2017 View Archive
School gardens are tremendously popular and valuable resources, but these programs often face questions about if they can continue year-to-year. In this Webinar, we discuss dedicated garden program staffing, community engagement, and other factors that lead to programmatic sustainability. We’ll also learn from successful initiatives to secure corporate sponsorships; community partnerships; legislation; and school or district-level investments that lead to financial sustainability. Hosted by: Sam Ulery, School Garden Specialist at the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s Division of Wellness and Nutrition
Hosted by: Sam Ulery, School Garden Specialist at the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s Division of Wellness and Nutrition
View Best Practices Document on Program Sustainability and join the dialog on Program Sustainability and Finances on our forum.
Maintaining Multiple School Gardens . May 9, 2017 View Archive
All school gardens have one thing in common: they have to be maintained so they can continue to be productive and thriving educational spaces and school resources. In this webinar, viewers will learn about successful approaches that School Garden Support Organizations have used to maintain multiple school gardens. In addition, we will share best practices, tools and resources related to garden maintenance needs throughout the seasons. Hosted by: Stephanie Kichler, National Education Manager at The Kitchen Community; Kyla Van Deusen, Program Manager at Captain Planet Foundation; John Fisher, Director of Programs and Partnerships at Life Lab
View Best Practices Document on Maintaining Multiple School Gardens and join the dialog on Maintaining Multiple School Gardens on our forum.
Identifying and Measuring Impact June 6, 2017 View Archive
Hear how and why School Garden Support Organizations across the nation measure the impact of school garden programming. A wide range of assessment tools and strategies from different organizations will be shared.
Hosted by: Robyn Burns, Program Director, CitySprouts; With Meg Hiesinger, The Ecology Center; Suzannah Holsenbeck, Common Ground – High School Urban Farm and Environmental Education Center; May Tsupros, Gardeneers
View Best Practices Document on Measuring Impact of School Gardens and join the dialog on Maintaining Multiple School Gardens on our forum.
Professional Development Models for Training Garden Educators – September 12, 2017 View Archive
School Garden Support Organizations work to prepare teachers, organization staff, and community volunteers to lead students in garden-based learning activities. Learn different approaches School Garden Support Organizations use to lead high quality professional development for garden educators.
Hosted by: Vanessa Ford, Director of Training & Curriculum Development, REAL School Gardens
View Best Practices Document Professional Development Models for Training Garden Educators on our forum.
Other Archived Webinars on School Garden Topics
EdWeb School Garden Community Webinar Series. This webinar series and online network are a predecessor to the SGSO Network. Many of these webinars were presented by SGSO Network Organizations.
- Regional Support Models for Sustaining School Gardens
- Common Core in the Garden
- Outdoor Classroom Management
- Design Ideas for a Fun, Successful Instructional School Garden
- Inquiry in the Garden
- Square-Foot Gardening & Bigger Beds: Maximizing Your School Garden Space
- From School Garden to Cafeteria Table: How to Plan, Grow, and Use Garden Produce in a School Cafeteria Lunch Program
- Next Generation Science in the Garden
- Healthy Food + Healthy Ecosystems = Healthy Neighborhoods (A Summer Garden Program for Middle School Youth)
- Innovative Ways to Fund Your School Garden Program
- Tools to Create Social Change Through Youth Farming and Gardening
- The Edible Schoolyard Project
- Building a Youth Beekeeping Program
- Skills of a Successful School Garden Coordinator
- Garden to Plate
- Summertime in the School Garden: Exploring Opportunities to Support and Share Your School Garden
- Breaking it Down: School Composting Made Easy with FoodCorps
- Fruit Trees in the School Garden
- Get Food Education in Every School: Join the National Initiative!
- Celebrate National Farm to School Month!
- Raising Funds & Friends for Your School Garden: Hard-Learned Lessons from Granny’s Garden School
- School Gardening in the Fall
- Winter Planning For The Spring School Garden
- Feast for Every Season
- Help Students Discover that TREES ROCK! Classroom Resources & Contest Info from Scotties
Slow Food USA School Garden Program Webinars
- Monthly webinars on topics related to running school gardens.
- Also see Slow Food USA Garden to Cafeteria Toolkit view the archive at WholeKids Foundation GoToWebinar channel.
Whole Kids Foundation Webinar Channel
WKF hosts the National School Garden Network Webinars you can find SGSO Webinars in addition to other school garden related webinars.
North American Association of Environmental Educators
Monthly webinars series on relevant topics
National Farm to School Resources – Search: Webinar
- Past related topics:
- Evaluating your Farm to School program – Best practices and tools
- Farm to School: Cooking with Children in the Classroom
- School Gardens vs. Summer Vacation
- Food, Farm and Nutrition Curriculum Connections: Developing Educational Experiences
- Using school garden produce in school food service
- Local and State Governments: Key Partners in Farm to School
USDA Farm to School Community Food Systems Webinars
Offers farm to school themed videos and webinars some of which are focused on school gardens.
Children and Nature Network Webinar Series
Expert instructors offer real-time education on how to create, develop and launch a number of programs designed to encourage children, families and communities to connect with nature.
Kidsgardening.org Webinars
The Edible Schoolyard Project – Google Hangouts