‘The Year Round Organic School Garden’ is a practical guide for teachers and other education practitioners. 

It aims to help with the planning, design, creation and use of an organic school garden with children and teenagers. It demonstrates the huge possibilities of using the school grounds as an educational resource, to learn about organic food production & the importance of bio-diversity.  A school organic garden is a practical, long lasting and sustainable response to the current environmental issues of climate change and sustainable development education.  By bringing lessons in biodiversity and food production into the heart of the school system, it is ‘Think Global Act Local’ in action. School grounds tend to be grass & concrete; this environmental school design converts the school grounds into a highly stimulating & interactive educational resource. 

The guide incorporates cross curricular activities such as Science in the Garden, Maths and Art into the garden. It sets out practical projects on growing local food, creating biodiversity and native habitats in the school grounds; encouraging healthy eating, doing nature based activities and getting children active.  It aims to highlight for the children, that important link with where their food comes from, and above all is a fun and rewarding project to undertake.

Both Kerry Earth Education Project and Irish Seedsavers have been working in practical environmental education for over 8 years, and have recorded this wealth of knowledge in a simple and accessible way to provide teachers with the tools to get out in the garden and get growing.

For more information, contact the Kerry Earth Education Project at http://www.gortbrackorganicfarm.com/what_we_do.htm or the Irish Seed Savers Assocation at http://www.irishseedsavers.ie/