Category : Life Lab Programs
Webinar and Curriculum – The Soil Story: Unearthing Connections Between Climate Change, the Food We Eat, and Human Health
NOAA Planet Stewards Education Project webinar The Soil Story: Unearthing Connections Between Climate Change, the Food We Eat, and Human Health presented by Jessica Handy, Education Coordinator for Kiss the Ground, and Whitney Cohen, Education Director of [...]
Watsonville School Garden Crew – Spring 2017
June 7th - Hall District School Flower Planting and Irrigation Installation Today we planted flowers with first graders and continued irrigaiton installation May 31 - Hall District School Irrigation Installati [...]
Watsonville School Garden Crew – Winter 2017
See what we are up to with our Winter 2017 Watsonville School Garden Crew March 8 - Radcliffe School Garden Clean Up and Redesign Today we repaired some garden beds, moved and filled garden beds to sunnier spots of the garden, and set up an outdo [...]
Intern with Life Lab
Come work with kids in a garden setting. We have placements year round at our Garden Classroom Site on the UCSC Farm or in Watsonville at our Blooming Classroom Site. Additionally our School Garden Corps program places interns to work at school gardens and provides t [...]
See Our New Blooming Classroom Site
Learn more about our work in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District at www.lifelab.org/pajaro. [...]
2014 Summer Camp Highlights!
View Photos from the 2014 Camp Season Aahhh, summer…. The season of summer day camp; when Life Lab rings with the sound of children’s laughter, the sun shines down on the heads of kids playing games in the meadow, and every child lifts up a cup of a delicious g [...]
We’re Changing the Nature of Education
View Life Lab's Education Director Whitney Cohen's inspiring description of how Life Lab is changing the nature of education to the audience of our 2014 Benefit Brunch. Please consider supporting Life Lab's work. Make a donation today. [...]
1,700+ Educators Trained in California School Garden Training Program
The California School Garden Training Program (CSGT) trained 1,729 educators from 2012- June, 2014. It includes workshops on Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden (CSYSG) and Garden-Enhanced Nutrition Education (GENE). CSGT also conducts Train-the-Trainer Works [...]
California FoodCorps State Training at the Garden Classroom
This past week, 11 California FoodCorps service members gathered in Santa Cruz at the Life Lab Garden Classroom to engage in a three day training to learn how to connect kids to real food and see first-hand some of the best school garden and Farm to School models in act [...]
The Danes Are Here
We have been having a great time showing visitors from Denmark some of the best farm to school and school garden programs in the region. The Danish study tour group, organized by Life Lab, is composed of eighteen government ministers, university faculty and graduate stu [...]
EdWeb’s Growing School Gardens Online Community and Webinars
LIfe Lab is a proud partner of EdWeb's online community and a contributor to their school garden webinars. Join the community and online forum at Ed Web View archives of webinars by Life Lab Inquiry in the Garden: Facilitating Student-Led Investigatio [...]
Fall 2013 Newsletter
View our September 2013 Newsletter View newsletter archives Program Updates Meet Faith - Support our Work Summer Accomplishments Announcing the National School Garden Network The Top Ten of Farm- and Garden-Based Education Garden Tips and Educator Re [...]
School Garden Support Organizations Unite!
We are glad to announce our latest endeavor to support school garden program development. Join the forum. The National School Garden Network connects organizations and individuals supporting multiple school gardens across district, regional, or state levels. The networ [...]
Day Camp Registration Open
Spring Break 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/cam [...]
December 2012 Life Lab Newsletter
You don't want to miss our December 2012 Newsletter. In This Issue Garden Tips and Educator Resources Planting Fruits Trees and Vines in School Gardens Sustaining School Gardens - Funding Garden Coordinators Book Review: Our School Garden! Recipe: H [...]
California FoodCorps
FoodCorps California, managed by Co-Host Sites Life Lab and the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, has selected ten organizations to place twelve service corps members across the state in 2013-2014. Visit the California FoodCorps Page. www.facebook.com/FoodC [...]
“Food, What?!” Youth Maya Salsedo is named as Brower Youth Awardee
We are pleased to share that Maya Salsedo, one of our first FoodWhat youth participants from 2007, was chosen from hundreds to receive the 2012 Brower Youth Awardees. Maya was selected for her work empowering youth with tools to advocate for a just food system. See muc [...]
Summer 2012 Newsletter
You don't want to miss our Summer 2012 Newsletter. In This Issue Garden Tips and Educator Resources Seed Saving Resources and Video Growing Questions - Inquiry in the Garden Teaching at a Farmer's Market Recipes: Zucchini Baba Ganoush and More Disc [...]
Introducing the California School Garden Training Program
Life Lab, along with organizational partners from the UC Davis Childrens' Garden Program and the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego, will train 1,500 educators, volunteers, parents and school garden support professionals throughout the state of Cali [...]
2011 Program Highlights
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 [...]
Shared Adventures
Life Lab partnered with Shared Adventures, a local nonprofit which organizes recreation activities for people with special needs, to host an inclusive Farm-to-Fork Field Trip for 14 adults and 2 children from the special needs community. View the photos. Despite mobilit [...]
Life Lab’s Online Auction
Going Once, Going Twice.... Sold to Support Life Lab Programs! Life Lab's Online Auction Closed on November 20th. Thanks to those who supported us. www.lifelab.org/auction 60+ unique experiences and products to browse! Get a jump on your holiday shopping [...]
My 3,436 Mile Journey to Life Lab – Reflections from Intern Callia Wolfe
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 [...]
Meet Our Chickens
The hardest working staff at the Garden Classroom are our hens. Us humans go home at the end of the day and these girls, and one boy, watch over the garden 24/7, 365 days a year. During the day you can check in on them at their water dish web cam. You might be lucky eno [...]
400 Interns and Counting – Working with Interns at The Garden Classroom
Tips for running an internship program Life Lab Internships Engaging University Students in Local School Gardens: A Toolkit for School Districts, School Garden Support Organizations and Universities 400 Interns and Counting – Working with Interns at The Garden Cla [...]
Camp Chicks!, Photos, and Recipes
Day Camps 2011 Click to View Album 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 chi [...]
“Food, What?!” July Photo-of-the-Month
Our summer youth program, "Food, What?!" hosted 100+ visitors for our annual youth day. The July Photo-of-the-Month features shots from the event. Check out more "Food, What?!" Photo-of-the-Months [...]
Our Vision in Action
When we started planning the Garden Classroom, a bit over ten years ago, we envisioned days like this one. We have many days like this throughout the year, but on May 20th I kept my camera on hand as I worked with a group of community leaders from Mexico and Central Ame [...]
Garden Classroom Day Camps
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 (more…) [...]
Santa Cruz Weekly ~ “Food, What?!” Strawberry Blast Serves Hundreds of Teens
The Life Lab Garden Classroom and UCSC Farm played host to hundreds of Santa Cruz Teens during the "Food, What?!" Strawberry Blast. The local press was there to cover the event: Santa Cruz Weekly Strawberry Blast An Eye-Opener for Students had this to say: H [...]
The Eddy ~ “Food, What?!” Wins Eddy Award
The Santa Cruz Education Foundation's Eddy Wellness Award was presented to Food, What on May 3, 2011. The Eddy Awards recognize excellence in education. Congrats to our five year old program that has gone from serving 5 kids in 2007 to 54 students this year! &ldqu [...]
Good Times ~ “Food, What?!” Director Honored with a Nextie Award
Santa Cruz NEXT is committed to providing a fun, hip and diverse environment to discuss issues affecting the next generation of our community. They highlight and promote access to and development of economic, social and cultural opportunities, and are a catalyst for con [...]
Good Times ~ “Food, What?!” Youth Able John Highlighted
In the December 15th cover story "Smells Like Teen Spirit" of the GoodTimes, Food, What youth participant Able John was highlighted along with 5 other inspiring youth. Able states: “I remember being really small and not liking vegetables very much, but m [...]
Good Times ~ From Field to Able – “Food, What?!” Youth Program
A nice article from The GoodTimes 11.2.2010 The Youth Crew at Food, What?! mixes farming-based curriculum with personal, business, community and networking skills Since 1979 Santa Cruz’s nonprofit Life Lab organization has built a fine boutique of garden-based [...]
English Language Development Bears Fruit in School Gardens
Life Lab's Language Acquisition and Science Education in Rural Schools (LASERS) program showed the positive links between language development and hands-on science using the Life Lab Science curriculum. This theme was recently revisited by the National Gardening As [...]
Santa Cruz Sentinel ~ Strawberries are a Blast
"Food,What?!" Strawberry Youth Blast coverage from the Santa Cruz Sentinel -- All things strawberry were the focus at the UCSC Farm and Garden Wednesday, as 300 county high and middle school students joined volunteers from Food, What?! for the 2010 Strawberry [...]
Life Lab’s Oral History
Four key figures in Life Lab's history have been documented as part of UCSC's Cultivating a Movement: An Oral History Series on Sustainable Agriculture and Organic Farming on California's Central Coast. This oral history project conducted by the Regional Oral His [...]
“Food, What?!” Youth Program
Eco Company TV created this video on Life Lab's Spring Afterschool Internship. It aired across the nation on over 100 TV stations. Check out more at Eco Company http://www.eco-company.tv/tvshow/episode-102-organic-growingMore on "Food,What?!" [...]
30th Anniversary Year In Review
Our 30th year of brining learning to life in a garden was celebrated with many special events. Thanks to all who celebrated with us.Our School Garden Video Contest had 18 entries, see the winner here.Birthday Essay Series: The Garden: A Master Teacher was written b [...]
“Food, What?!” Harvest Fest in the Sentinel
The Santa Cruz Sentinel covered our largest youth Harvest Fest to date.The article "A field trip to chew on: teens run organic food festival"quotes this student participant:Lorraine Medina talks fast and waves her arms when you ask her about vegetables."Chard and kale. [...]
