Our Garden Education

Our School Garden Education

Our school garden is home to a variety of vegetables, flowers, and beneficial insects, and we enjoy many fun, creative activities, such as:

Garden Ice Cream Sale made from our harvest
Farmers Market
Learner-led Fundraisers
Monarch Waystation project
Nature Walk at School year-round
Growing seedlings in self-watering pots using water bottles
Giving names to the plants
Painting rocks to make plant labels
Growing microgreens in the classroom
Worm Composting

I serve as a Garden Education Specialist at an elementary school in Texas, where I also own this blog. The learners affectionately call me Ms. Keiko. I manage the school garden and develop garden education programs that benefit learners of all levels, collaborating with teachers throughout the year.

Our school values outdoor education, and our teachers flexibly implement it into the K-5 grades, STEAM, Practical Academics, and Active Learning curricula, with enthusiastic support from our principal.

We hope the garden experience brings happiness and valuable learning opportunities to benefit our learners throughout their lives.

Vision: Unlock Our Life

Life is a journey filled with discoveries, constantly reshaping our identity and perception of the world.

I believe that garden education can unlock our potential to live meaningful lives and make a positive impact on the world.

Garden as a Unique Learning Environment

Children become lively in the garden for various reasons. Breathing the fresh air feels so good, and they discover new things they usually don’t see. For instance, finding a ladybug can spark great excitement among these young explorers.

Gardens have a unique way of helping children unwind and become more curious. They ask numerous questions as they actively engage with nature, using their bodies and senses.

Harvest time in the school garden is like a festival. Children are delighted as they pull carrots from the soil, and the excitement escalates when the whole class gets involved. Garden education becomes a dynamic live show with everyone playing a part.

Benefit of Garden Education

In the garden, learning is infused with wonder and joy. Garden-based education stirs emotions, deepens understanding, and leaves children with lasting memories.

Harvests do not happen overnight. They demand prepared soil, planted seeds, consistent care, and patience until the right time to pick the crops. Watching this cycle unfold helps children develop a resilient mindset for facing new or difficult tasks.

Spending time in nature is essential for grasping how it functions, seeing our place within it, and recognizing the impact we have. These direct experiences give both children and adults insights that go beyond words and inspire them to create positive change in the world.

Ms. Keiko

I love creating garden programs and working with kids, teachers, & families in the school garden.

My involvement started with a volunteer position in the school garden in 2018, which evolved into my current part-time/temporary role of garden education specialist in 2021.

I have three children with my husband, and we moved from Japan to the US in 2005.

Member of Coppell Community Garden, TX 2014 - 2025
Master Composter from Irving, TX 2015
Member of Native Plant Society of Texas since 2021
Native Landscape Certified from Native Plant Society of Texas 2022
Bring Back the Monarchs to Texas Grant recipient 2022
BA (1993) & MA (1996) of Human Sciences from Osaka University, Japan