“I think every teacher should take this class, and classes about this type of content should be more readily available. It was fabulous!”
— Edible Schoolyard NYC Professional Development Participant
See below for our upcoming Professional Development opportunities:
April 4: Balancing Safety with Fun in the Kitchen Classroom
4:30-6:00 pm EST
In-Person at PS 216, 350 Avenue X, Brooklyn, NY. Proof of vaccination required.
Keeping kids safe in the kitchen is always a challenge, and COVID has made this more true than ever before. Join Edible Schoolyard NYC in person at PS 216 as we model some of the techniques we have used to improve hygiene and safety while still having fun in our kitchen classroom. Come cook along with us and bring your suggestions and questions.
April 11: Cooking up Some Content–Authentic Academic Connections in the Kitchen Classroom
4:30-5:30 pm EST
Interactive Zoom Meeting
Edible Schoolyard NYC educator, Paloma Jones, works closely with the teachers of Evergreen Middle School to create kitchen lessons that use cooking to support and enhance core academic content. Join Paloma virtually while she shares some of her favorites. Come with your own ideas and questions!
April 12: Not Your Standard School Garden Produce
4:30-6:00 pm EST
In-Person at PS 216, 350 Avenue X, Brooklyn, NY. Proof of vaccination required.
School garden guru, Mirem Villamil, has spent years learning what plants work best in a school garden. In this session, Mirem will talk about growing food that excites the school community–including kid favorites, vegetables and herbs familiar to our families, and varieties that look cool and taste great. We’ll go over the basics of when and how to care for these plants and, as always, Mirem will take your school garden questions.
April 25: How to Create Engaging Lessons in the School Garden and Kitchen Classroom
4:30-5:30 pm EST
Interactive Zoom Meeting
What are the fundamentals of a good lesson centered around gardening or cooking? Join Edible Schoolyard NYC as we share the strategies we’ve developed over the past 12 years for making our lessons hands-on and engaging for all of our students. Participants are encouraged to come with their own ideas and questions.
May 4: Enhancing Wellness and Sustainability at your School–Ideas for Outside the Classroom
4:30-5:30 pm EST
Interactive Zoom Meeting
How can we see more recycling, less food waste and more student advocacy at our schools? Join us virtually to hear about the successes and challenges we have faced in all three areas. Program manager Dan Feder will talk about some of the initiatives he has led and supported at PS 216 and will facilitate your conversations about what you have done and hope to do in your own schools.
May 9: Pollinators, Pesticides and Social Justice in the School Garden
4:30-5:30 pm EST
Interactive Zoom Meeting
Join Edible Schoolyard NYC as we share our new elementary school social justice curriculum about pollinators and pesticides. School gardens offer students a hands-on way to study bees and other pollinators, which in turn helps them understand the threat that pesticides pose to these pollinators and to the farmworkers who grow our food. Come explore our curriculum which combines hands on exploration in the garden with student advocacy. We encourage participants to bring their own ideas about teaching social justice in the school garden.
May 16: Teaching Middle Schoolers about Social Justice and the Food System
4:30-5:30 pm EST
Interactive Zoom Meeting
How can young people build their understanding of the food system and become advocates for food justice? Join us virtually as we share our new middle school curriculum focusing on the human and environmental impact of the food system. Come with your ideas and questions!
What you’ll do
As a participant in our Professional Development workshops, you’ll learn the tools and curriculum to incorporate gardening and cooking lessons and activities into your own classrooms.
- Learn how to set up a teaching garden and kitchen with the resources available to you
- Dig into our curriculum and learn techniques for managing cooking and gardening with your students
- Learn strategies for increasing parent and community engagement in your gardens and kitchen classrooms
- Network with other educators in NYC to exchange ideas and strategies for kitchen- and garden-based education
- Get P Credit (for NYCDOE teachers and certain courses only)
Who is eligible
Most workshops are open to all types of educators, including public and private school teachers, nonprofit workers, volunteers, community educators — anyone who wants to learn how to bring elements of edible education back to their own sites. We also offer occasional workshops for NYC Department of Education teachers through the After School Professional Development Program (ASPDP).
Ways to learn
Demonstration Site Visits
Observe our classes in action! The Demonstration Schools serve as centers of excellence where we model best practices and methods for a seed-to-table education. To set up a site visit, please contact our Director of Education Liza Engelberg.
Workshops
Workshops can be full-day or just a couple of hours after school. The focus is on specific topics, such as teaching science in the garden or using a seasonal recipe to augment a unit on culture, language, or history. Workshops are a great way to hone your skills or concentrate on making garden and kitchen connections in a particular academic area.