Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series 10: Schoolyard Food Forests

SCHOOLYARD FOREST DESIGN LECTURE SERIES
Lecture 10 — September 5, 2024

The Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series, hosted by Green Schoolyards America, provides technical, design-focused guidance for creating and stewarding high-quality green schoolyards and schoolyard forests. Sessions feature presentations by subject-area experts including Green Schoolyards America staff, along with time for audience Q&A. All webinars are free and recorded.

On September 5, 2024, guest speakers introduced various aspects and the potential of schoolyard edible forests and food-producing trees, as part of living schoolyards. They shared stories and examples of how these spaces not only grow food, but also nutrition and education opportunities, food security, and shade—all while fostering community.

GUEST SPEAKERS
Wanda Stewart, Executive Director, Common Vision (Bay Area, California)
Debi La Belle, Senior Program Manager, Food Forests for Schools, The Education Fund (Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Florida)
Eddie Recinos, Program Director, Food Forests for Schools, The Education Fund (Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Florida)

MEETING HOSTS
Lauren McKenna, MLA, Senior Program Manager, Green Schoolyards America
Allison Torres, Operations Manager
Alejandra Chiesa, MLA MSc, Vice President

WEBINAR TIMING
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Lauren McKenna
4:36 Speaker introduction by Lauren McKenna
7:17 Presentation by Wanda Stewart
23:57 Presentation by Debi La Belle and Eddie Recinos
45:53 Questions and discussion

RESOURCES

Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series: greenschoolyards.org/schoolyard-forest-design-lecture-series

National Schoolyard Forest System℠: greenschoolyards.org/schoolyard-forest-system

Schoolyard Forest Case Studies and Survey: greenschoolyards.org/schoolyard-forest-case-studies

Schoolyard Forest System Resource Library: greenschoolyards.org/forest-resource-library


School garden resources from Green Schoolyard America:
https://www.greenschoolyards.org/scho...


Resources from fellow garden educators:

Life-Lab–Garden-Based Education:
https://www.greenschoolyards.org/life...

School Garden Support Organization Network (SGSO Network):
Resources page:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/187P-...
Webinar on school food forests:
https://sgsonetwork.org/school-food-f...

How to Grow a School Garden (by Arden Bucklin-Sporer and Rachel Pringle, Timber Press, 2010): https://www.greenschoolyards.org/books

Rialto Unified School District, California (Case Study, Recorded Presentation, Student Collected Tree Database: https://www.greenschoolyards.org/scho...

Resources from guest speakers:

Wanda Stewart:
Common Vision:
https://www.commonvision.org/
MamaWanda’s Garden School (YouTube):
   / @mamawandasgardenschool6080  

Debi La Belle and Eddie Recinos:
Food Forests for Schools, The education Fund, Miami-Dade County Public Schools:
https://www.educationfund.org/what-we...
Teacher Modules on Food Forests:
https://www.educationfund.org/what-we...



FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GREENING SCHOOL GROUNDS AND CREATING LIVING SCHOOLYARDS, PLEASE SEE:

Green Schoolyards America
https://www.greenschoolyards.org/

Green Schoolyards America collaborates with school districts and public agencies to create Living Schoolyard Initiatives that transform asphalt-covered school grounds into park-like green spaces that improve children’s well-being, learning, and play while contributing to the ecological health and resilience of our cities. We are working to change the norm for school ground design, use, and management so that all children will have access to the natural world in the places they already visit on a daily basis.

Our programs support the living school ground movement, build relationships that help it succeed, and work to embed this perspective in our existing institutions and policy and regulatory frameworks.