Four Steps to Getting Woolly! 

Step 1. Convince Your School 
Persuade your PTA/PTO or Principal that school gardens are good for your school. Here are some talking points about the benefits of school gardens. 

Why a Woolly School Garden (WSG)? 
Since 2004, the Children Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act requires every school district to develop and implement a wellness (nutrition and activity) policy, which aims to teach, encourage, and support healthy eating by students, for example through a gardening and nutrition program.  Most schools in the U.S. do not have school gardens or nutrition education as part of the school curriculum. Many schools would like to build a garden but don’t have the resources, space, or understanding of the complex process required to create and maintain one. And that is exactly where the Woolly School Garden Program comes in -- by making sustainable school gardens possible on every level at any school -- from creation, to maintenance, to implementing a nutrition education curriculum.

The Woolly School Garden Program provides an easy and immediate solution for schools nationwide to create an outdoor garden classroom. WSG uses any sunny wall or fence to create a vertical, edible garden cost-effectively, and the user-friendly curriculum allows teachers to easily teach their students how to grow their own food and make healthy food choices.

Our vertical edible gardens don’t require you to give up any space. No digging required! Our nutrition and gardening curriculum is standards-based, making it easy for any teacher to incorporate our lessons in to the classroom! Whereas many school gardens can cost thousands of dollars to install, a Woolly School Garden is cost-effective at only $1,000 for the whole kit. Amazing, right?

School Gardens + Health 
Our youth suffers from double-digit obesity and diabetes rates due to poor nutrition and lack of physical activity.  The need to educate children about nutrition is vital. Children who are hungry or poorly nourished do less well in school, both academically and behaviorally.

Together, we can reverse these trends through gardening and nutrition education. Numerous studies prove that school-based garden and nutrition education programs positively impact the adoption of healthy eating habits; children are more likely to try new fruits and vegetables if they grow them themselves.

When children assist in growing food, children’s understanding of food and its relationship to their personal health increases, in addition to their knowledge of and preference for fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, it is proven that these preferences “persist longer when nutrition education is accompanied by gardening activities as compared to nutrition education alone.”     School gardens also demand physical activity. Thus empowering children with the knowledge to make healthier food choices through nutrition education along with the skill of growing their own food is critical to improving the health of American youth.  

School Gardens + Academics
Further, research strongly supports that garden-based education increases academic achievement and often results in higher test scores.  Science achievement of students who participated in a hands-on gardening program was higher than that of students who only engaged in classroom curriculum, and participants in a school garden program in California experienced significant gains in overall GPA in math and science, and improvement on a standardized psychosocial questionnaire.  

Learning truly comes alive in a school garden. From math to science, reading to nutrition, almost any topic can be taught in a garden! With the garden as their classroom, lessons come to life as seeds sprout, worms decompose, plant growth is documented, and fresh veggies are harvested!

Step 2: Sign Up Your School
Fill out our quick application to enroll your school for the Woolly School Garden Program. We'll need to verify the information with you prior to enrollment and map placement. 

Step 3: Fundraise For Your Woolly School Garden 
Check out our Fundraising Toolkit for several documents that will help you fundraise for your WSG! 

Step 4: Garden! Grow! Learn!
Most importantly, once you have your Woolly School Garden, use it! Garden with your students, show them how to grow their own fruits & veggies, & use the curriculum! If you have questions about installation, maintenance, or watering, please check out our Frequently Asked Questions or email us at info@woollyschoolgarden.org