Episode 04: Gardening as an entry point to thinking big

Ft. outdoor and garden educator Kaci Rae Christopher

In the fourth episode of Earthy Chats, co-hosts Jade Harvey-Berrill and Ian Shanahan chatted with outdoor and garden educator Kaci Rae Christopher, author of The School Garden Curriculum! Here's a sneak-peek at what was discussed:

*growing a science mindset through gardening

*finding connections to systems thinking

*how storytelling fits into "garden culture"

*stories of student growth

*dreaming big and starting small (with just a bucket of soil)

*cross-curricular connections

*empowering students by learning local

We also got into some good (bad?) gardening puns, a thorny story of cricket (the sport, not the insect), mystery tomatoes, and hobbits (!?!).

Guest:

Kaci Rae Christopher is an outdoor and garden educator whose passion is fostering a healthy land ethic, personal empowerment, and environmental literacy in children of all ages. She does this through outdoor immersion and skill-building. She was previously the School Garden Coordinator for the Springwater Environmental Sciences School and the Outdoor Educator for ERA. She lives in Sisters, Oregon.

Her book The School Garden Curriculum: An Integrated K–8 Guide aims to sow the seeds of science and wonder and inspire the next generation of Earth stewards. The School Garden Curriculum offers a unique and comprehensive framework, enabling students to grow their knowledge throughout the school year and build on it from kindergarten to eighth-grade. From seasonal garden activities to inquiry projects and science-skill building, children will develop organic gardening solutions, a positive land ethic, systems thinking, and instincts for ecological stewardship.