Garden Programs
“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”
— Kahlil Gibran,
3rd Best Selling Poet in the World
The world is filled with exciting things to see and do.
Be a part of an adventure that will inspire your kids to become excited by the world around us.
"I drive all the way from Tracy to Modesto in the early morning hours with 2 little ones so that my older kids can attend.
That says a lot about how much we love Sarah's (Wild Life of a Gardener) classes. I love the hands-on experience my kids get, and how she's so passionate about sharing a lot of valuable information when it comes to gardening. I love how she brings in natural methods from different places all over the world and environmental practices. My kids want to attend all her classes.
~ Fatima Zainulabideen, Tracy
On-Site Garden Series: 3-12 Weeks
Wild Life of a Gardener (Ages 7-13)
Science in the Garden (Ages 5-11)
STEM-Embryology & Incubation of Chicks (Ages 10-14)
New Mettle Farms provides on-site garden education for school gardens.
Schedule your chance to explore, experience, and learn how wondrous learning in a garden can be.
Custom educational garden exhibit design also available.
The Wild Life of a Gardener
Fall or Spring
Pioneer or Ag Days
$255/ workshop
Discsounts available with combined services
An ecology-based, permeculture approach to growing food in small spaces. Class is open to grades TK-5, 6-8, 9-12.
Using UC Santa Cruz Life Lab's curriculum we integrate math, science, writing, and social studies in this hands-on approach to creating an interdependent garden in our own backyards. Our courses uses a combination of hands-on activities, learning modules, and take home experiments to magnify the real life application of creating a wild, living, garden that grows nutrient dense foods.
Science in the Garden
Cost $150
(HR | 1 STAR)
Supportive to NGS standards for Grades Kindergarten- 4th.
Meeting 6 Thursdays | Feb. 22 - May 10
Classes meet bi-weekly (2x/month)
Kindergarten-1st Grade (ages 5-7)
Thursdays | 9-10 am
Children begin to think like a scientist as they explore science through hands-on activities, stories, art, sensory investigation, and science experiments. Course includes units for exploring a garden and seeds, changes in seasons and weather, 5 sense and exploring the states of matter.
2nd - 3rd Grade (ages 7-9)
Thursdays | 10-11 am
Children in second & third grades will begin to discover and formulate answer to questions through observation, hands-on investigation, and experimentation. Course includes units on energy in the garden, properties of soil and effects of change over time, diversity of life in a garden, plant structures and purpose, weather forecasting and building garden solutions to use for wind and water.
4th Grade (ages 9-10)
Thursdays | Available upon request. 3 student minimum required.
Children in fourth grade take the next step in their journey to becoming ‘scientifically minded’ by learning to interpret data, construct explanations, create models, and argue their findings from collected evidence. Course includes units on part 2 of composting, the Nitrogen Cycle, Photosynthesis in the cells, and factors that create environments and ecosystems.
Course includes: educational worksheets, building supplies, take-home science experiments, and opportunity for a final science project (this optional project will have homework and is the responsibility of parents and student to complete).
STEM-Embryology & Incubation of Chicks
3-5th Grade
$110
(HR | 1 STAR)
6-8th Grade
$200
(HR | 2 STARS)
STEM activity for Grades 5th
3rd-5th Grades: Thursdays, 3:30-4 pm | March 15 -April 19
6th-8th Grades: Mondays, 4-5 pm | April 16 -May 14 OR
Thursdays, 4-5 pm | March 15 -April 19
Be a part of bringing new life out of its shell as we study the life cycle of chickens and the wonders of incubating chicks. Don't miss this exciting opportunity to embrace all that you can learn from creatures we depend on and who depend on us. Class will include age appropriate topics that cover: basic reproduction, embryology, incubation, brooding, breed identification, breeding for traits and tracking, holistic care through life cycle, health concerns, organic treatments, and simple solutions for poultry supplies.
Course Includes: workbook, science experiments & supplies for chick care, home recipes, alternative feed supplies, and community resource handout.
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Fertile eggs will be collected for pure-bred poultry breeds as available.
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Students will have the option of adopting 2-week old chicks at the
end of course.
Class must have a minimum of 3 students registered.
STEM-Rainwater Catchment Classes or Course
Course $200
(HR | 2 STARS)
STEM activity for Grades 6th+
(Mastery of multiplication & division required)
By reservation only for Spring 2018
Fridays, 2:00-3:30 pm OR 3:30-5:00 pm
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Reservation List Available. A Minimum of 3 students must be registered to schedule dates.
Taught by Cody Simar of Central Valley Sustainability, students will utilize math, science, and engineering skills to assemble a water catchment system that will include large area rainwater catchment, rainwater storage barrels, and gravity-fed drip irrigation on our urban farm property. Course will meet once per month and will include instruction and resources for an at-home water catchment design, including a gutter system water diverter.