Explore Ecology School Gardens Are Blossoming – Happy National Farm to School Month!
It’s National Farm to School Month! Join Explore Ecology in celebrating the connection between children and local farming, gardening, and healthy food.
Started in 2010, Farm to School Month is celebrated in all 50 US states, with over 23 million students participating in farm to school activities annually.
In Santa Barbara County, Explore Ecology celebrates the Farm to School Movement every school day, by teaching over 10,000 children a year how to grow organic produce. Our Garden Educators work in 38 school gardens where students get to try new vegetable and fruits and learn about nutrition, composting, and soil health. The gardens also function as beautiful outdoor classrooms where subjects like Math, Science, and Art are taught. In many schools, garden-grown produce ends up in cafeterias as part of healthy school meals.
How can you celebrate Farm to School Month? Visit your Farmers’ Market and try a new food that you can share with family and friends, pledge to incorporate more local, seasonal produce in your diet, or volunteer at your local school’s garden by contacting Alex (at) ExploreEcology.org.
Happy Farm to School Month from Explore Ecology!
Josh was born and raised in Santa Barbara, where his passion and curiosity for the environment began and has continued to grow. During his undergraduate studies, Josh pursued this interest at the University of California at Santa Cruz, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies.
Melissa Dodos developed her passion for creative reuse as a mother of four and elementary educator over the past 25 years. She loves to inspire creativity by connecting people with resources and ideas.
Veronica grew up in San Diego and spent four years in San Luis Obispo studying Animal Science at Cal Poly. As an undergrad she learned lots about livestock, agriculture, and wildlife.
Stephanie began her journey as an educator over twenty years ago working as a preschool teacher in Washington state for a cooperative preschool program affiliated with Whatcom Community College. She loved observing the wonder and curiosity of the children and bringing them out into nature to explore the natural world. She continued her love for learning and got her teaching license and then her Montessori certification and worked as an elementary teacher in Tribal, Public, and Montessori schools. She collaborated to create a school garden and her students loved it so much that it became a special place where they could garden, read, explore, play, and it provided a safe sanctuary for students to calm down and reset when they were having difficult moments.
Morgan’s mermaid soul is always seeking adventure—swimming a relay across the Santa Barbara Channel and taking the first photo of a newborn orca off Anacapa Island being standout experiences close to home.
Lindsay Johnson
