Can't join us? Please consider supporting Life Lab. Go to www.lifelab.org/donate.

Please reserve a seat here or by calling 831.459.3833
RSVP soon– garden seating is limited.

We look forward to seeing you!

View photos and highlights from our 2011 Benefit Brunch… [Read More →]

Santa Cruz, California
Rolling interviews starting May 15th, 2012

Position Description: FoodWhat is seeking to add a third member to our team with a primary focus on development and capacity building. Program support and building relationships with our youth will also be a key component to this work. FoodWhat was founded in 2007, serving five youth our first year. This year we had more … [Read More →]

Life Lab is a national leader in farm- and garden-based education. At the Life Lab Garden Classroom in Santa Cruz, California, we promote experiential learning for all ages through children’s camps, field trips, youth and internship programs, and teacher workshops. Drawing on over thirty years of working with students we have also created curricula and workshops for educators interested in bringing learning to life in gardens nationwide.

 … [Read More →]

View Newsletter

View Archives

Garden Tips and Recipe
Make a Human Sundial
Edible Crop Planning
Recipe – Kale Salad

Program Updates
The Book of Garden Projects for Kids
Update on the California School Garden Training Program
In the Community Spotlight
Youth Food Bill of Rights
What We Have Been Doing Since Our Last Newsletter
Meet Our Garden Educator – Amy Carlson

Upcoming Events
Spring and Summer Garden … [Read More →]

Shaking in the Observation Hive

Swarm Has Landed

… [Read More →]

Hop on your bike and ride for Food What! The bike ride will take you through some of the most beautiful spots in Santa Cruz County. At the end of the ride enjoy a three course Slow Food Dinner with wine!

Not ready to ride? You can choose to support a … [Read More →]

Upcoming Workshops at the Life Lab Garden Classroom

Thursday, May 17 - New Offering Science Inquiry in the Garden

Saturday, May 19 - Sowing the Seeds of Wonder: Discovering the Garden in Early Childhood Education

Saturday – Sunday, August 18-19 - The Growing Classroom: Intro to Garden-Based Learning

More Details

If you would like to be notified when we add new workshop dates, please join our email list… [Read More →]

• Spring Break Garden Sprouts Camp for 4-6 year olds
• Wildlands & Watering Cans Summer Day Camp for 7-10 year olds
• Garden Sprouts Camp Summer Day Camp for 4-6 year olds
• Farm & Wilderness Summer Day Camp for 11-14 year olds

More info. at www.lifelab.org/camp… [Read More →]

The Community Spotlight:

"Like so many adults, I assumed for many years that kids didn't like vegetables," recalls Whitney Cohen. "As it turns out, this myth is just dead wrong." As the Education Director for local nonprofit, Life Lab, since 2007, Cohen has been using knowledge of the universal love of fresh produce as a teaching tool for

… [Read More →]

View front and back cover… [Read More →]

You don't want to miss our Winter 2012 Newsletter.

In This Issue

Garden Tips and Lessons
Lesson – Six Seed Trail Mix
Making Garden Signs – Tips and Photos
Lesson Packet – Feeling Fine With Fresh Foods
Recipe – Winter Squash Teacakes 

Program Updates
2011 Program Highlights 
Announcing the California School Garden Training Program
Sharing Adventures With Others
"Food, What?!" Photo-of-the-Month – Sign Up
Meet Our Outreach Director – … [Read More →]

From 2012 – Spring 2014 we will:

– Conduct 21 free workshops for school garden teams working to create or enhance school gardens.
- -Lead 12 train the trainers workshops for school … [Read More →]

Annuals plants go from a planted seed to producing a seed within a year. They complete their whole lifecycle in one year or season. Annual plants make up most of our vegetable crops, and many of them can be harvested within 2 to 3 months after sowing. (Bi-annual plants are simliar to annuals but they may live up to two years before producing seeds and coming … [Read More →]

Feeling Fine With Fresh Foods

Lesson packet from our Feeling Fine with Fresh Foods Field Trip.

Our winter field trip helps students make the important connection between their health and the foods they choose. Classes explore our Garden Classroom and the UCSC Farm, and activities prepare students to make informed decisions about what they eat.

Download the pre/post visit lesson packet (25 pages) for 3rd-5th grades which includes:

• Stone Soup
… [Read More →]

By labeling the plants in their garden, kids learn about them and make
the connections between the foods they eat and the plants growing
in the garden. Adults also … [Read More →]

Really not much has changed. Well, except the hairdos, computers and a few other things, but all in all school gardens were based on the same concepts as today. Sun, soil, water and air mixed with … [Read More →]

It has been another successful season of growth, learning and wonder for Life Lab and the thousands of kids, youth, families, teachers and schools we serve. Hear what our program participants had to say about our work in in our 2011 Highlights flier.

2011 by the numbers:

• 3,100 children participated in field trips and camps at our Garden Classroom
   
• 893 teens grew stronger, healthier and more inspired though "Food,
… [Read More →]

A great extension to a seed study lesson. Make a trail mix of edible seeds while students practice math skills. While eating your trail mix discuss all the ways we eat seeds and grains. Download seed cards and lesson.… [Read More →]

We are looking forward to a new year of bringing learning to life in a garden.

As we get ready to roll we invite you to take a look at our staff holiday party pics. The Santa Cruz Roller Palladium hosted our mini-gala. Not quite like most staff holiday parties, but we sure had fun!… [Read More →]

We have the goal to raise $12,500 through the Good Times Community Fund.  Right now, every dollar donated will be matched.  Please Consider a Year-End Donation to Keep FoodWhat Going and Growing in 2012!  Every bit counts–from $10 to $10,000–each contribution will keep us strong and supports local youth!

View the … [Read More →]

• 60+ unique experiences and products to browse!
• Get a jump on your holiday shopping!!
• Have fun shopping online for a good cause!!!

Your auction purchases will help Life Lab change the lives of kids and teens through farm- and garden-based education and empowerment programs.

Auction … [Read More →]

It is not often that we have graduate level interns, who have classroom experience, and are proficient with a video camera and editing. We lucked out! Callia Wolfe shares a bit about her path to finding us and her experience at the Garden Classroom. Callia writes….

I have heard it called many things: destiny, kismet, serendipity. All terms referring to the moment when your path opens, you can feel a … [Read More →]

Here is the … [Read More →]

Worm Composting Basics

The Worm Guide: Vermicomposting Guide for Teachers From California Waste Management Board

Even More from CalRecycle

Play Worm Bin Bingo

Our Worms Signs are a nice addition to your compost area

Learn to compost with worms. Our How to Compost with … [Read More →]

Life Lab Internships

Long ago, before the time of higher education, SAT’s and grueling college applications, we would instead dedicate ourselves to a mentor. Apprenticeships took the place of school, giving us a career path guided by another person skilled in the trade that we chose to follow. Todays apprenticeship type experiences often take the form of what we refer to as internships.

A … [Read More →]

Our summer day camps are coming to a close. Foggy mornings and sunny afternoons have framed great days of exploration, harvest, cooking, crafts, farm chores, and fresh-fruit-pop-sucking-story-time.

Two chicks were born during camp, one is a unique Frizzle chick! Only about 1/4 of Frizzle offspring actually get the curly frizzled feathers and this chick is fantasically frizzled.

Expanded sessions of Garden Sprouts were … [Read More →]

Over the years we have been asked, "Do you have any garden-based education resources in Spanish?"

Here's a nice collection of resources for teaching and working in school and community gardens with Spanish speakers:

The Life Lab Science K-5 Curriculum is a garden-based science curriculum which is in written in English with Spanish language handouts, parent letters, and lab pages. It is the most thorough resource that we have seen … [Read More →]

Check out more "Food, What?!" Photo-of-the-Months… [Read More →]

Few spaces still open. Come join us at Life Lab for an exciting season of all-new Garden Day Camps at the Life Lab Garden Classroom

New this year at camp

• Early-care and after-care!
• Expanded Garden Sprouts Camp!

Visit our camp page to learn more

• Wildlands & Watering Cans Camp for 7-10 year olds
• Garden Sprouts Camp for 4-6 year olds
• Farm & Wilderness Camp for 11-14 year olds
• Summer Camp
… [Read More →]

Santa Cruz Weekly Strawberry Blast An Eye-Opener for Students had this to say:

Hosted by Life Lab’s youth empowerment group, Food, What?!, the fourth annual Strawberry Blast took 300 middle and high school students from Santa Cruz County on

… [Read More →]

“We believe in the power of youth – that young people have a voice and that food is the perfect vehicle to begin that journey.

… [Read More →]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The City of Santa Cruz Officially Proclaims May 1 to be Garden Classroom Day in Honor of Life Lab Science Program’s Onsite … [Read More →]

Research on nutrition education and cooking activities with kids consistently point to positive and lasting affects on their perception of food. After being involved with the creation of healthy recipes, kids routinely show an inclination for choosing and enjoying fruits and vegetables. There is even more evidence of this when cooking is paired with garden based education. The full circle really hits home when a child is involved with a … [Read More →]