A teacher and students looking at seedlings

A New Setting for Learning

When you think back on the sort of learning you did in your school years, you probably envision a traditional classroom, or maybe an auditorium or gymnasium. But increasingly, in Oregon public schools, there is a new venue for learning: the school garden.

At most recent count, there are over 750 school gardens in Oregon. That’s over half the schools in Oregon, including at least one in every county of the state! They include schools at every grade level. And they give students the opportunity for the sort of hands-on learning that just might inspire them for a lifetime.

A honeybee visits a flower blossom

Who’s Gardening in Your District?

Visit the Oregon Department of Education’s interactive map to see which schools near you have taken learning outside to the garden.

Check Out the Map
four chickens stand on straw in a coop

Chickens

Chickens are surprisingly easy to raise and are a great addition to a school garden. So far, 29 schools in Oregon include chickens as a part of their school garden program!

Keeping a small flock can introduce students to coop planning and construction, record keeping to track egg production, safe handling and sanitation — not to mention building empathy by caring for living animals. So many possibilities!

A monarch butterfly on milkweed

Pollinators

Even more schools are proactively keeping bees and other pollinators alongside their gardens. More than 40 Oregon schools have at least one beehive. Others are growing milkweed to help endangered monarch butterflies make a comeback. And all of them are helping students draw important connections between pollinators (and other beneficial insects) and a strong food supply for the planet.

From Gameplay to Gardens

A picnic table and greenhouse in a school garden

Lottery Funds Help

Public school funding in Oregon comes from several sources, including the Oregon Lottery. Although Lottery funds alone do not fully fund school operations, they do help enable our schools to fulfill many classroom needs, empowering them to offer innovative programs — like school gardens — that help light up learning.

LOTTERY DOLLARS DOING GOOD THINGS IN YOUR COMMUNITY