School Gardening for SC Educators (Summer 2023)

Course Description:

Welcome to School Gardening for South Carolina Educators! In this online course, you will learn basic horticulture skills to help you plan, create, and sustain a garden in collaboration with your school community. This course was developed by Clemson Extension Horticulture and 4-H Youth Development agents with the goal of helping educators, parents, administrators, and other caring adults learn to garden successfully with their students.

Registration for this course includes the following:

• Access to the online classroom,
  
• The Seasonal Planting Guide for South Carolina School and Community Gardens,
  
• The Garden STEM Curriculum for Your Garden Classroom (K-8),
  
• and virtual workshop supplies including grade-level specific lessons and materials.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Develop a school garden plan through techniques like site analysis and seasonal planting.
• Identify necessary conditions to grow healthy, safe, and nutritious vegetables year-round.
• Discuss resources and techniques to integrate gardening in a school curriculum or youth program.

Course Topics:

• Module 1: Small Gardens, Big Ideas
• Module 2: Healthy Soils and Raised Bed Gardening
• Module 3: Vegetable Gardening Basics
• Module 4: Food Safety in the Garden
• Module 5: Developing Community Resources Online
• Module 6: Virtual Workshop: Worm Composting and Resource Roundup

Course Requirements:

This course is intended for anyone who is interested in supporting school or community-based gardening programs for youth. No prior knowledge of gardening is required, and no prerequisites are needed to participate in this course.

This course is fully online and asynchronous, and participants can work through the course at their own pace throughout the summer. Each module includes instructional videos, resources, quizzes, and discussion assignments. Participants must complete the required activities in each module before progressing to the next module.

The course opens on May 30, 2023, and closes on July 31, 2023. Participants must finish all assignments by this date to successfully complete the course and earn credit.

Participating educators can earn twenty (20) renewal credits from the South Carolina Department of Education. Participants also earn an interactive digital badge from Credly.

Technical Requirements:

To Participate fully in this course, you will need:

• An active email address for the individual participating in the course.
• A desktop computer or laptop (recommended): Canvas is available on mobile devices, but some content may appear differently
• Access to a high-speed internet connection.
• A web browser compatible with Canvas: Chrome and Firefox are recommended.
• Headphones or speakers (closed captioning also available)
• Computer skills including Internet browsing, using email, typing, downloading files, and basic troubleshooting.

Need Help?

• If you need help accessing or registering for a course, please contact Clemson Online at onlineplus@clemson.edu/
• Our support email is monitored Monday-Friday from 8:00-4:30. If you contact us in the evening or on the weekend, we will help you during the next business day.
• Please do not contact CCIT regarding CPE courses. Please reach out to Clemson Online so that we can assist you.