School Garden Teacher Training at OAEC - June 15-19 & June 29-July 3

[OAEC Office]

Hello School Garden Educators! 

The Occidental Arts & Ecology Center's 5-day residential School Garden Teacher Trainings is now open for enrollment. It's hard to believe that we're in our 25th year!  Whether you are new to the movement or years into the process, our flagship program will give you and your team the inspiration to bring your "learnscape" to life. Join us! 

School Garden Teacher Training 5-day residential immersion 3.5 CEUs available   June 15 - 19 June 29 - July 3   $950/person $900/person for teams of 2 or more Includes organic meals and lodging at OAEC's beautiful 80-acre site in West Sonoma County, CA Resilient Schools Program at OAEC Now in our 25th year! OAEC has trained over 1,000 educators from 300+ schools to launch and sustain School Garden programs throughout California and beyond. This training is appropriate for individuals as well as teams of teachers, garden educators, administrators, homeschoolers and parent volunteers alike.

Course Details By connecting to Common Core Standards and Next Generation Science Standards with a STREAM focus, the course supports school teams to incorporate school gardens into multiple subject areas using place-based, experiential learning. Through a combination of hands-on sessions, trips to local school gardens, and presentations of best practices by experts in the field, participants gain experience in:     •    the basics of organic gardening including composting, seed saving, water management, cooking from the garden and more     •    pedagogical approaches to teaching outside & project-based learning     •    school-wide systems integration such as farm-to-cafeteria     •    organizing skills to engage the larger neighborhood & community Participants also get a crash course in permaculture design that will coach your team through steps to create an integrated sustainability "learnscape" on your campus!   See a sample syllabus> Our Site On our stunning 80-acre site, you will see a wide array of bio intensive gardening and permaculture systems in action including our seed bank and nursery, grey water systems, roof water catchment, composting, natural building and a 70-acre Wildlands ecological preserve.  Aside from the learning opportunities that the site offers, participants in our School Garden Teacher Training course can also enjoy other features and fruits of the land, including the famously delicious homegrown food, pond, sauna, hot tub, hiking trails, and comfortable eco-dwellings.  Testimonials “It was truly an amazing week chock full of thought provoking ideas. I expected to learn about school gardens, and I’m leaving with a vigorous, life-changing vision of the world and my role as a teacher and parent.” “Eight years into creating a native plant habitat at our school and my vision is still founded on principles learned at the OAEC School Garden Teacher Training. We were recognized as Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year by the Sonoma County Conservation Council.” Sign Up Now!