From the Garden to My Plate™
Helping young children explore gardening, nutrition, science, healthy eating, and the journey of food from seed to table.
This professional development course prepares early childhood educators to create meaningful garden-based learning experiences for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their families. Participants will learn how to connect gardening, nutrition, sensory exploration, family engagement, and developmentally appropriate learning activities.
Growing Healthy Habits Through Hands-On Learning
Gardening gives young children opportunities to investigate nature, develop new skills, explore healthy foods, and understand where food comes from.
Course Description
Participants will explore developmentally appropriate ways to introduce gardening and nutrition concepts in early childhood classrooms. The course includes garden planning, sensory activities, food exploration, health and safety, curriculum integration, family engagement, and practical strategies for creating meaningful learning experiences from planting through harvesting.
Learning Objectives
- Explain the developmental benefits of gardening and food-based learning experiences.
- Plan safe and age-appropriate gardening activities for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
- Connect gardening experiences to science, language, mathematics, physical development, and creative arts.
- Use garden-to-table activities to encourage healthy eating and food exploration.
- Develop strategies for involving families in gardening and nutrition education.
Everything You Need to Complete the Training
Complete each lesson, participate in reflection activities, explore practical garden ideas, and demonstrate your knowledge through quizzes and a final assessment.
Voice-Over Lessons
View professionally designed lessons with clear narration, practical examples, and garden-based teaching strategies.
Garden Activities
Explore age-appropriate planting, sensory, harvesting, and food preparation activities for young children.
Reflection Activities
Plan how you will introduce gardening and healthy food experiences within your own learning environment.
Certificate
Earn a professional certificate after completing all lessons, module quizzes, the reflection, and final exam.
Five Garden-to-Table Learning Modules
Select each module to review the lessons, activities, knowledge checks, and course requirements.
01 Welcome, Orientation, and Course Foundations
- Welcome to the Institute
- Course Purpose and Learning Objectives
- How to Navigate the LearnDash Course
- Course Requirements and Expectations
- Professional Integrity Agreement
- Pre-Course Reflection
- Orientation Knowledge Check
02 Why Gardening Matters in Early Childhood
- The Developmental Benefits of Gardening
- Gardening as Active, Hands-On Learning
- Supporting Curiosity and Scientific Thinking
- Building Responsibility and Patience
- Supporting Sensory Development
- Encouraging Healthy Food Exploration
- Garden Learning Reflection
- Module Quiz
03 Planning a Safe and Successful Children’s Garden
- Choosing a Garden Location
- Raised Beds, Containers, and Indoor Gardens
- Selecting Child-Friendly Plants
- Choosing Safe Garden Tools
- Soil, Water, Sunlight, and Plant Needs
- Garden Safety and Supervision
- Allergy and Food Safety Considerations
- Creating a Garden Plan
- Module Quiz
04 Connecting the Garden to Curriculum and Healthy Eating
- Connecting Garden Activities to Early Learning Standards
- Science: Seeds, Plants, Weather, and Living Things
- Mathematics: Counting, Measuring, Sorting, and Graphing
- Language and Literacy Through Garden Vocabulary
- Creative Arts and Garden-Based Expression
- Physical Development and Outdoor Learning
- Introducing Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs
- Supporting Healthy Eating Without Pressure
- Garden-to-Plate Lesson Planning Activity
- Module Quiz
05 Family Engagement, Application, and Course Completion
- Engaging Families in the Garden
- Sharing Garden Learning at Home
- Family Garden Events and Harvest Celebrations
- Sending Home Seeds, Recipes, and Activity Ideas
- Respecting Cultural Food Traditions
- Creating a Classroom Garden Action Plan
- Final Course Reflection
- 10-Question Final Examination
- Course Evaluation
- Certificate Completion Requirements
Connecting the Garden to Children’s Learning
A garden can become a living classroom that supports development across multiple learning domains.
Science and Discovery
Children observe plant growth, investigate soil, compare seeds, study insects, explore weather, and learn what living things need to survive.
Language and Mathematics
Garden experiences build vocabulary while creating natural opportunities for counting, sorting, measuring, comparing, charting, and problem-solving.
Health and Nutrition
Children become familiar with fruits, vegetables, and herbs while developing positive attitudes toward healthy food exploration and preparation.
Garden Experiences by Age Group
Garden learning should be adapted to each child’s age, development, interests, abilities, and level of supervision required.
Infants
- Observe flowers, leaves, herbs, and garden colors.
- Touch safe natural textures with close supervision.
- Smell fresh herbs and listen to nature sounds.
- Participate in garden walks with responsive educators.
- Explore board books about plants and healthy foods.
Toddlers
- Scoop soil into containers.
- Water plants using child-sized watering cans.
- Sort large seeds, leaves, and safe vegetables.
- Practice simple garden vocabulary.
- Taste familiar and new foods without pressure.
Preschoolers
- Plant seeds and document plant growth.
- Measure plants and create growth charts.
- Investigate insects, roots, stems, and leaves.
- Harvest garden foods and prepare simple recipes.
- Create garden journals, drawings, and predictions.
Meet Your Instructor
Uneeta Dennis, M.Ed. — Founder and President
Uneeta Dennis brings more than three decades of professional experience in early childhood education, curriculum and instruction, workforce development, teacher training, leadership, family engagement, coaching, and continuous quality improvement. Throughout this course, she provides practical strategies educators can use to introduce gardening, nutrition, science, and healthy food exploration in developmentally appropriate ways.
Plant Curiosity. Grow Knowledge. Harvest Healthy Habits.
Complete the course and prepare to create engaging garden-to-table experiences that help young children explore nature, understand healthy foods, and develop a lifelong appreciation for learning.
Begin Module One