Logo courtesy of Coast of Maine
Farm to Table Kids, Mizzen Education and Coast of Maine have announced the launch of Growing Gardeners, a joint initiative to empower educators and bring hands-on garden learning to schoolyards, out-of-school-time programs and classrooms across the country.
As educators prepare for the school year and beyond, this tri-partner collaboration provides a comprehensive solution to build, rejuvenate and sustain educational gardens, according to a news release. The program pairs expert-designed gardening lessons with on-demand digital access and gardening guidance, ensuring educators have the full support required to cultivate outdoor classrooms and inspire continuous learning.
The initiative launches with two ready-to-use collections for grades 3 through 8: "Things to Know Before You Grow" and "How to Grow Dahlias."
The education is created by Farm to Table Kids, an organic educational farm in Maine that inspires children to find what lights their heart in nature through regenerative farming, farm-to-table cooking and nature crafting. The collections turn garden bed setup, soil health, fall planting and harvesting into engaging, educator-friendly lessons.
“Gardening gives children a transformative connection to healthy food, science, the natural world and themselves,” said Stephanie McDonough, founder of Farm to Table Kids. “Growing Gardeners allows us to take what we’ve learned through years of teaching children hands-on in Maine and share it with educators nationwide. Mizzen makes that learning accessible at no cost, and Coast of Maine helps address one of the most practical barriers schools face: having rich organic soil and resources to actually grow roots."
The hub is hosted exclusively on Mizzen Education, a digital platform providing free, high-quality learning content and tools to out-of-school-time educators, classroom teachers and youth program providers nationwide. Through Mizzen, educators can access the hub for step-by-step videos, printable activity sheets and seasonal planting guides.