Youth Education: 2024 In Review
Our Youth Education Program is sometimes less visible than our other programs, but it’s no less robust! Throughout the year, we find many opportunities to facilitate positive experiences with nature for children of all ages. Here’s what we were up to in 2024.
School Gardens
In 2024, we partnered with eight schools to deliver lessons in their onsite gardens. Students learned about topics like planting seeds, weeding and watering, harvesting, the impact of weather on our crops and the importance of a balanced garden ecosystem. Through our 36 programs, we reached 664 students and 67 teachers, school staff and adult volunteers.
“Put in 12 raised beds last fall and had teachers plant in the spring. Had a lot of success with teacher and student involvement. Got a shed and a fence this summer, as well as approval for 12 more beds. Your monthly garden schedules have been key, and I’m getting ready to plant fall crops with my students...something I’ve never even attempted at home.”
“Thanks for everything over the years. Your work and the CGC in general have been a big chunk of why I love this job so much.”
School Garden Professional Development
Continuing with the Green Schoolyards Action Network and the CPS District’s 2022 plan to install gardens at six schools, the remaining four schools received their gardens in August 2024. We were able to present a New School Garden Training to the whole school staff at three of the four schools by the end of 2024, with the fourth school scheduled for its training in early 2025.
Summer Sprouts
We had another fun summer working with Peaslee Neighborhood Center Summer Camp and 3CDC Ziegler Park Summer Camp. Children ages 6 to 11 from each summer camp walked to our Pendleton Garden once a week to help care for the garden and cook a tasty snack using a garden-grown ingredient. Older campers met us in the shady part of the Ziegler Park Great Lawn for ecology-based activities ranging from a plant nutrient relay to practicing gratitude for nature. All in all, we saw 98 summer campers and 13 adult camp staff for eight weeks.
“We value the amazing opportunity you gave the Peaslee Kids children. This year you all taught the kids so much. We hope to see you all again next year.”
Compost Kids Field Trips
Compost Kids field trips ran in spring, summer and fall of 2024. In total, we held 15 field trips that brought 520 students and 72 adult chaperones to explore on our grounds.
This September, CGC welcomed a new staff member, Luis Aguilar, as our Environmental Education Specialist to co-facilitate Compost Kids with Ellie, our Youth Education Coordinator. Luis didn’t miss a beat and was a fantastic host for our field trip groups during the fall. We’re looking forward to the 2025 season!
“This field trip brought composting alive for my kindergarten students.”
Growing Our Teachers
Our third cohort of 10 educators in Growing Our Teachers wrapped up in June 2024. We had great sessions and fostered new partnerships with Sprouting Minds and The OSU Hamilton County Extension EFNEP. After a few months off, we began our fourth cohort with eight participants in October. Our current cohort has great regional representation, with educators from schools reaching from Centerville, Ohio to Fort Thomas, Kentucky!
“I see the possibilities that await by using the garden in the classroom, and have some resources that I can use to bolster the lessons.”
“Thank you for this opportunity to learn and grow in this program. I am thankful to have had this educational program to further develop my skills as an educator.” ”
Lil’ Sprouts
In 2024, Lil’ Sprouts hosted 23 free nature-based arts and crafts sessions for children ages 3 to 8, giving them the opportunity to explore nature through creativity. Some of our favorite programs included:
Butterfly Coffee Filters, where we celebrated pollinators by making butterflies, going on a scavenger hunt, and collecting seeds
Squirrel, Squirrel, Squirrels, where we crafted squirrel tails from sustainable materials and watched a live acorn milling demonstration using a hand-crank machine
Winter Solstice (pictured below), where we created lanterns from glass jars, candles and pipe cleaners, then hiked the garden and held a sing-along with a lap harp to celebrate the season
These hands-on educational sessions offer families the chance to craft, enjoy story time, walk in nature and engage in live demonstrations, all while connecting with environmental education at the CGC. Your support helps us continue to provide these enriching experiences for everyone!
Green Teens
The Green Teens Challenge is more than a competition—it’s a movement that connects students, educators and communities in the fight against climate change. Through hands-on learning in urban agriculture and environmental sustainability, high school students are empowered to develop creative solutions to real-world environmental challenges.
In 2024, we strengthened our relationships with dedicated educators and schools committed to environmental education. In addition to providing resources and guidance to the 12 participating schools, we actively engage with students in-person, offering additional support to further enrich their experience. Over the course of the year, we provided 58 in-person school visits to support challenge participants.
In the first half of the year (the end of the 2023-24 challenge), we had 102 submissions over our 12 participating schools. For the 2024-25 challenge, we made the decision to prioritize quality over quantity, encouraging students to put more effort into a few challenges instead of trying to cram them all in each month. We still ended up with 93 submissions for the first half of this school year—with better attention to detail, too!
Looking Ahead
At the tail end of the 2024, we developed a new three-part program for fourth grade students called the Queen City Food Quest focusing on the positive environmental impact of eating local food. We plan to pilot this program in the first quarter of 2025 at three schools and scale the program to offer it more broadly during the 2025-2026 school year. We will provide the final New School Garden Training and plan to support all six schools with their gardens for the remainder of the school year.