Youth Gardening Education

Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners are provide gardening and nutrition education to the youth of Arlington County and the City of Alexandria in a variety of ways.

EMG training a junior master gardener group.

The 4-H Junior Master Gardener Program

Basic gardening provides an exciting opportunity for young people to develop curiosity about and appreciation for gardening and the natural world. In Arlington and Alexandria, 4-H and Extension Master Gardeners collaborate to do this through the 4-H Junior Master Gardener program.

The 4-H Junior Master Gardener program pairs teams of Extension Master Gardeners with students in Alexandria and Arlington public schools. EMGs work with on-site school staff. Programs are offered after school (grades 1–5) in the spring and fall, and topics vary by site.

Alexandria Programs

“I Can Shine Garden” at Tancil Court

In 2010, the City of Alexandria worked with Extension Master Gardeners to create the children’s garden at Tancil Court adjacent to the Ruby Tucker Center, which provides after-school programming and other family services to the residents in the surrounding area. The idea was for kids to be more active outside and learn about healthy food choices while having fun.

Preschoolers through fourth graders at the public housing project learn through gardening that vegetables start life from seeds — not in cans, boxes or encased in plastic. Coached by Master Gardeners, the children learn how to plant, cultivate, harvest and use vegetables, fruits and herbs in healthy snacks.

Individual EMG School Involvement – Alexandria

Chapel in the Woods

EMG: Nancy Davis

For more than four years, Beth El religious school students and their parents have played an active role in restoring the 2-acre forest behind the synagogue at 3830 Seminary Rd., Alexandria. The forest is called the Chapel in the Woods, as it has a prayer circle and two teaching circles that provide places for services and quiet meditation in addition to walking, playing and gardening. Although the kindergarten through seventh-grade classes visit the forest no more than twice a year, the environmental preservation theme has become very much a part of the curriculum year-round. Giving back to the earth, “tikkun olam,” is taught and practiced. Kids and parents help clear the woods of invasive species and replant with native trees, shrubs and perennials.

Jefferson-Houston Elementary School

EMG: Lisa-Helene Lawson,

By Lisa-Helene Lawson, new Extension Master Gardener, Class of Spring 2022

Extension Master Gardener (EMG) volunteers support school gardens in many ways. We are called upon to be an educator, problem solver, and cheerleader for school gardens. The EMG Volunteer Intern is training for all of these roles. A summer issue that most school garden administrators grapple with is the lack of volunteers to help with the myriad of gardening tasks needed to maintain the gardens. Here’s where my training as an EMG volunteer intern had a positive impact on a school teaching garden.

Note: Click on images to see enlarged photos, captions, and photo attributions.
On a mobile phone, click on the information symbol (circle with a letter ℹ︎ symbol).

The school that I volunteered with was Jefferson-Houston, Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS). I added both value and support to Beverly Shelton, the garden administrator, by recommending she plant cover crops. Through my EMG education, I learned cover crops are low maintenance, control weeds, and add nitrogen to the soil. We planted Cowpeas and Buckwheat in the beds. In September, the thriving cover crops welcomed students back to school.

School gardens are an excellent means to teach math and science. The older children learned about nitrogen, a major component of chlorophyll, essential for the photosynthesis process. Meanwhile, the kindergarten class had a math lesson and great fun picking and counting the Cowpeas. ACPS has employed a Children’s Garden Liaison for many years and this individual is part of the ACPS Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Team. Go School Gardens!

William Ramsey Elementary School

EMG: Bob Besse

In the fall of 2021, Peter Ehmann-Jones, a fifth-grade teacher at William Ramsay Elementary School, obtained a grant from the National Audubon Society to create a native plant garden. His goal is to teach children about the importance of native plants and sustainable gardening practices, and the fun of digging in dirt. EMG Bob Besse collaborated with Peter on his garden design, and together with EMGs Charles Gardner and Mary Lou Leary, helped bring it to life. Bob continues to provide ongoing support for the project.

Arlington Programs

Individual EMG School Involvement – Arlington

Washington-Liberty Victory Garden Club

EMG Elizabeth Collaton, EMG Anne Braghetta, and VCE Extension Agent Kirsten Conrad and FOUA member David Sachs

The Club meets weekly on Mondays after school, usually meeting first with their teacher sponsor, and then heading outside for hands-on activities. These activities have included: garden cleanup; cover crop and winter vegetable planting; designing, planning and building a second raised garden bed; installing a storage bench; securing a second rain barrel; fundraising at the holiday bazaar for the club; networking with other student clubs to maximize involvement and cooperation; design, planning, and writing memos and proposals to support the expansion of the Club’s efforts to include a second garden site.

EMG support includes troubleshooting various gardening and site challenges, such as the removal of some invasive plants and solving some erosion issues adjacent to the raised bed. Education topics have included soil health; climate change; working effectively with school administrators; fundraising; and innovative small-space gardening strategies, including vertical gardening.

Carlin Springs Elementary School

EMG Nancy M. Davis, EMG Valerie LaTortue, EMG Intern Richard Derbyshire and Master Naturalist Kathy Reeder

From April to June 2022, 16 students at Carlin Springs School participated in two weekly after-school garden clubs. One was part of the school’s club program and the other was an extended-day activity. Each were held back-to-back for eight kids and led by master gardeners Nancy M. Davis, Valerie LaTortue, intern Richard Derbyshire and master naturalist Kathy Reeder. This year, the curriculum focused on building and then planting in three raised beds using the hügelkultur method that calls for laying sticks, leaves and mulch under the soil to generate nutrients and heat.

Adults & students planting in raised beds. Photos courtesy of Nancy M. Davis

Demonstration Gardens Scavenger Hunts

New! Looking for a great way to have some fun while getting to know native plants? Try our Scavenger Hunts!

Simpson Garden Native Plant Scavenger Hunt

Use your phone to click on the link below (no software downloads required!) and be guided through a step-by-step hunt through the garden, with plenty of clues about where to find plants and trees. Learn the identity of native plants and fun facts about them. Answers are provided as you go. The activity usually takes less than one hour to complete, but there is no time limit and you may do as much or as little as you like. This is a great activity for families, play dates, friends, or any garden enthusiast seeking to add some challenge to their garden walk. Please be mindful of staying on the paths to protect our plantings! Enjoy!

Our inaugural Scavenger Hunt is at Simpson Park Demonstration Garden, located at 420 East Monroe Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301, between the YMCA and Eugene Simpson baseball stadium, and behind the Simpson Park Playground at 399 E. Duncan Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301. Parking is available at the YMCA and on E. Duncan.

Simpson Gardens Native Plant Scavenger Hunt

More scavenger hunts to come!

Schoolyard Gardening with FOUA – Arlington

Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners support children’s gardening programs in collaboration with Friends of Urban Agriculture (FOUA).

FOUA supports a growing list of school gardens in Arlington, connecting students and teachers to volunteers and other resources to bring their gardening visions to life. The school garden concept is taking off as young people seek concrete learning opportunities to make a difference in their communities. School gardens as outdoor classrooms can enhance teacher lesson plans, involve students in real-world application of STEM and STEAM academics, ignite interest in agriculture-related job fields, and demonstrate community sustainability goals across the calendar year.

School gardens provide teaching opportunities for students, hands-on learning experiences, nutritious produce for consumption in classrooms and lunchrooms, and provide much-needed fresh produce to school community families and local food pantries. School garden programs develop students’ appreciation of “where their food comes from” and develop life-long skills they can use to grow their own food.

Furthermore, school garden projects help students gain leadership and collaboration skills, as well as first-hand knowledge of how growing food addresses equity and food security goals in their communities. Finally, in a county as dense as Arlington, school gardens carve out and nurture vital open space for wildlife and beneficial insects, not to mention students, teachers and community members.

To learn more about growing school gardens in Arlington, visit School Gardens on the FOUA website.

Extension Master Gardeners are encouraged to volunteer to collaborate with schoolyard gardening projects at the following Arlington County schools:

Victory gardens poster by Wakefield student Renee Whiffen

Elementary Schools:

Abingdon
Barrett
Barcroft
Campbell
Carlin Springs
Hoffman-Boston
Oakridge
Science Focus

High Schools:

Wakefield
Washington-Liberty Victory Garden Club
Yorktown

2022 Youth Education Activity Resources

Developed by Extension Master Gardeners in 2022, these monthly fliers support the development of children and youth in garden education. Younger children may require parental guidance. All children will require materials and instructions to complete any activities.