Transitional Kindergarten

• Seasonal fruits and vegetables; harvesting, counting seeds, following recipes, and making jam
• Exploring colors in nature through "eating the rainbow" while building early literacy
• Discovering plant parts, patterns, and the garden through hands-on science
• Meeting chickens and learning how animals survive within garden ecosystems

Kindergarten

• Growing gardens from seed while exploring plant parts and environmental literacy
• Healthy eating through salad art, storytelling, and understanding where food comes from
• Finding math and art in nature through shapes, patterns, and observation
• Investigating the plant life cycle from germination to decomposition

1st Grade

• Understanding how plants grow through seed sorting, germination, and photosynthesis
• Exploring biomimicry by discovering how nature inspires design and engineering
• Celebrating food traditions across cultures through cabbage tasting and cooking
• Investigating worms and decomposition as the foundation of healthy soil

2nd Grade

• Following the journey from farm to table while exploring sustainable food systems
• Comparing traditional and modern food production through hands-on butter making
• Building math skills with seeds, fruit patterns, counting, and measurement
• Reducing food waste through pickling, food preservation, and global food traditions

3rd Grade

• Practicing sustainability through composting, plant life cycles, and student-run garden entrepreneurship
• Exploring the wellness and medicinal uses of herbs throughout history
• Applying engineering and math through plant structures, measurement, and design challenges
• Investigating animal adaptations through bird studies and scientific data collection

4th Grade

• Applying multiplication, division, and mapping skills through real-world garden design
• Discovering biodiversity by planting native wildflowers and supporting pollinators
• Exploring climate science and the role plants play in cooling and protecting our environment
• Investigating renewable energy through solar cooking and resilience in nature

5th Grade

• Examining agriculture, food chains, seed saving, and the interconnectedness of ecosystems
• Exploring scientific concepts through gravity, fungi, decomposition, and soil health
• Investigating wetlands, watersheds, erosion, and environmental stewardship
• Studying chickens within ecosystems while building responsibility, collaboration, and social-emotional skills

Middle School

Our Food for Thought series helps students explore and debate the concept that eating is an ecological act. Over several lessons, children examine the connections between the food we eat, the health of our bodies, and ultimately the health of our communities and the land that sustains us.