ACADEMIC Program

Each week, teachers at Mark Twain Middle School bring their students to our on-campus garden to apply their classroom lessons to interactive garden and food activities. For many students, their experience in our half-acre garden at this LAUSD Title I school is their primary connection to nature and healthy food. 

Students aren't afraid to get their hands dirty and understand how their classroom material relates to growing and eating nutritious food. We are proud of the community we have created around our small yet beautiful natural space. It's not rare to see our students wanting to continue working and maintaining the garden during their lunchtime. 

If you are interested in starting your own school garden program, please see our toolkit and lesson plans here.

Lessons include making spring rolls in celebration of the Chinese New Year, constructing canals and dams in the context of ancient civilizations, measuring plant growth for math lessons, making cheese in chemistry class, and more. We love working with our teachers to continually update our lessons to match what they are doing inside the classroom, and create a holistic learning experience.