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Youth Gardening Grants & Education
The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum has helped over 200 schools use their landscapes as an outdoor classroom. Their web site, http://schoolgardens.unl.edu, offers teachers, school administrators and parents, create, design, maintain and utilize an outdoor space for educational purposes.
Grants
- Captain Planet- Supports environmental activities for young people and have funded gardening projects at many schools across the country for $200 - $2500.
- EPA Environmental Education Grants
- ING Unsung Heros- Each year 100 educators are selected to receive $2,000 to help fund innovative class projects. Three Unsun Heros receive the top awards of an additional $5,000, $10,000 and $25,000.
- National Gardening Association Youth Grants- Grants for school and youth gardens. Several grant categories are available and winning one grand does not disqualify you from winning another so please apply to all that are approprite for your program.
Youth Activities
- Food Detective- An interactive game for kids about safe food handling practices and eliminating germs.
- KinderGarden-An introduction to the many ways children can interact with plants and the outdoors.
- National Arbor Day Foundation- Inspiring people to plant, nuture and celebrate trees.
- Project Learning Tree and Project WET
- Ranger Rick Magazine- National Wildlife Federation
- Schools Online- University of Illinois Extension
- Youth Gardening Activities- University of Nebraska- Lincoln Extension
- Water Quality & Water Issues- Activities and lesson plans for teaching youth about environmental issues from the Nebraska Alliance for Conservtion and Environmental Education
- Whiz Kid Activities- Looking for new classroom resources for your students? Here they are: Free to download and reproduce.
Classroom Hydroponics
Composting
- Composting In Schools - Cornell University
- Composting For Kids- scripted slide set from Texas A&M University
Resources
- Digging Deeper- What aspect of gardening with kids would you like to know more about? You'll find inspiration in our Classroom Stories, botany basics in our "All About Plants" articles, engaging investigations in our Activities, and answers to many of your questions (even those you haven't asked yet) in our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). You can search any or all of these by keyword, or browse by topic.
- Kids Gardening Resources- Texas A&M University
- National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Resources
- Nebraska Alliance for Conservation and Environmental Education
- The Monarch Butterfly Manual
- The Teachers Resource Room- National Gardening Association
Local Conditions
Dry conditions persist throughout Nebraska. Stay informed on current conditions, and public water utilities restricting water use. Visit UNL Drought Resources.
Your Weather Forecast
- Nebraska's local Soil Temperatures
- US Drought Monitor
"The Sunflower Project"
Interdisciplinary Curriculum for grades 8-12 has 10 projects tied to state standards in science, social science, reading/writing/speaking and environmental studies.
Arts Curriculum for grades K-12 has 22 projects using a wide variety of art forms.

