2000 ~ The Garden Classroom: Life Lab's Model Educational Garden

In 2000 construction begins for the latest chapter in Life Lab's history. In collaboration with the UCSC Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) The Garden Classroom annually serves thousands of pre-schoolers through adults in garden-based learning and nutrition education. In 2002 the first full year of programming hosts spring and fall field trips, summer day camps, afterschool and weekend community programs and teacher workshops.


Garden Classroom Creation. Double click for album view.

Life Lab Garden Classroom 2004 from Life LabVimeo. on In 2004 UCSC Undergraduate Intern Yoel Kirschner created this video which documents Life Lab Garden Classroom activities with interviews from interns, educators and students.

Life Lab Garden Classroom Summer Fair 2003Life Lab on Vimeo. News Channel 46 KION covers the 2003 Summer Fair in the Garden Classroom. Sound is a bit funky.

Scheduled Garden Classroom programming began in 2001. From 2001-2009 over 35,000 students have been served in scheduled programming.

During this time over 230 interns have been trained to use the garden and farm to teach environmental science, garden-based nutrition, and effective outdoor education pedagogy.

Annually, approximately 150 educators partake in Garden Classroom Educator Workshops learning topics ranging from garden-based nutrition to inquiry science methods.