PVUSD Partner School

Partnering with the Pajaro Valley School District

Life Lab cultivates children’s love of learning, nutricious food, and nature through garden-based education. In partnership with PVUSD’s commitments to the Whole Child, Whole Family, and Whole Community, Life Lab is providing curriculum and instruction for PVUSD students to explore Next Generation Science, language, fresh vegetables and fruits, the environment, food systems, and community connections that sustain us – all with curiosity, wonder and joy!

What We Do

Each of our PVUSD Partner School sites has a dedicated Life Lab Garden Educator that leads weekly classes for students, focused on Next Generation Science, tasting and nutrition and garden care. All school year students are scheduled for three-hour field trips to our Blooming Classroom on a western Watsonville farm. Students are welcomed into the garden during recesses, lunch, and we gather families together for community garden workdays.

Fall & Spring Next Generation Science in the Garden (M-Th)
Serving TK-3rd grade classes with opportunities for upper grades when schedule allows.
Goals: Scientific literacy, academic language, enthusiasm for learning, science identity, Harvest of the Month tastings

Winter Kids Cook Program (M-Th)
Serving upper grades with weekly nutrition classes.
Goals: Exploring nutritious foods, empowerment, willingness to try new fruits and vegetables

Year-Long Expanded Learning (M-F)
Serving all elementary grades for after school and summer school programming in gardens.
Goals: Community-building, garden caretaking and school stewardship, hands-on nutrition/cooking education, social-emotional learning

Life Lab Garden Classrooms are living spaces for the school community to use during non-scheduled class times.

Download 2023-24 program overview.

Our Impact

Why We Do It

Life Lab’s Partner School Program strives to create a culture of garden-based learning in elementary schools to enhance science and nutrition education during school day and after school instruction. Our team of Life Lab Instructors lead lessons alongside classroom teachers at our partner schools every week at 13 elementary schools.

We facilitate school garden workdays and plant donations, and provide teacher training. Our partner school teachers report that our NGSS in the Garden program improves students’ scientific knowledge, enthusiasm for learning, school pride, and connection to nature. In our Kids Cook program, over 70% of students report that they like or love what they are tasting, and 50-60% are trying a new fruit or vegetable for the first time each class.