A meaningful science education can amplify students’ sense of wonder about the natural world and cultivate skills and attitudes for ecological citizenship. School gardens provide a place for students to do science as they explore disciplinary and crosscutting concepts.

Guiding questions from A Framework for K-12 Science Education (National Research Council, 2012) such as the examples listed below can be the start of scientific garden investigations:

• How do organisms live, grow, respond to their environment, and reproduce?
• How and why do organisms interact with their environment and what are the effects of these interactions?
• What is biodiversity, how do humans affect it, and how does it affect humans?
• How do humans depend on Earth’s resources?
• How do humans change the planet?

General Resources:

• Using science investigations to develop caring practices for social-ecological systems
• Getting their hands dirty: Engaging learners in authentic science practices outside the classroom