Farm to School

The Farm to School team offers the following (free!) to staff and students in our district:

In-Person Programs

• Field trips to Great Kids Farm (GKF): Curriculum-aligned, hands-on learning with plants, animals, and land at the farm (grades k-5)
  • Request form
• Student Summits: A series of energizing workshops bringing together students from many schools: Good Food Summit (grades 5-8, Fall); African American Foodways Summit (grades 9-12, Winter); Spring Garden Club Summit (grades 3-8)
  • Interest Form
• Farm to Classroom Experience:The staff bring the farm to your school (classroom or club) to lead lessons on animals, planting, and/or farm-fresh cooking (all grades)
  • Request Form
• High School Employment Program*
• Service-Learning Opportunities @ GKF*

*Contact farms@bcps.k12.md.us with questions about these experiences.

Virtual Programs

• Facetime the Farmer: Live (virtual) visit to GKF tailored by age group and focus area [REQUEST FORM]
• Virtual Field Trip: Students explore GKF at their own pace with this digital experience designed for the virtual classroom [LINK TO TRIP]
• Video Resources: 
  • Science-curriculum-aligned videos [LINK TO MENU]
  • Introductory farm clips [LINK TO MENU]

Materials-Based Programs

Farm to School Specialists provide technical assistance and materials to school staff interested in school gardening, greening, cafeteria programs, and nutrition programs, in the form of: 

• Ag-tivity Kits: Materials and teacher resource pack to link classroom learning with hands-on experiences, including Aquaponics Kit, Microgreens Kit, Mushroom Kit, Indoor Herb Garden Kit, Worms Are Wonderful Compost Kit [LINK TO REQUEST FORM]
• Seeds and Seedlings: Seeds and seedlings are available for educational use on a seasonal basis (1x/Fall, 1x/Spring) [LINK TO REQUEST FORM]

Resources

• School Garden Toolkit
• Outdoor Learning Toolkit
• Classroom Cooking Toolkit

Other resources for school staff can be found on the City Schools Sustainability homepage, where links allow visitors to view all greening resources and to access Green Newsletters for staff. 

Gathering Space

GKF hosts professional development and other gatherings (e.g., networking) for departments within City Schools and for external organizations with relevant missions. If you are interested in hosting a meeting at GKF, please submit a request here.

Services

Email City Schools Farm to School staff at farms@bcps.k12.md.us if you are a Baltimore City Public Schools staff person interested in:

Consulting & Professional Development

• School gardens and outdoor learning
• Food education
• Connecting F2S topics to curricula

​​Community & Family Engagement

• Participation in school-wide family events
• Connections with local farms, gardens, and food- or nutrition-related organizations