A Hands-on Environmental Education for Every Student

Living Classroom is committed to growing the next generation of environmental stewards through garden-based education.

Every LASD TK-6th grader participates in the Living Classroom program, where they engage in hands-on, standards-based lessons using the native and edible gardens on their school campus. Each fun and experiential lesson, taught by district staff and trained volunteers, has the goal of getting students excited about learning, encouraging healthy eating habits, and fostering a love for nature and environmental stewardship.

Living Classroom by Grade

Transitional Kindergarten students learn about the life of a seed, investigate plant life cycles while tasting 3 varieties of apples, and observe the rainbow of colors in a garden while learning how eating fruits of different colors helps keep them healthy. 
Find out more about TK Living Classroom lessons.

Kindergarteners learn how to plant a garden and explore nature. They learn about the things plants and animals need to survive, the six main parts of a plant, and how fruits and vegetables are part of a plant. They also learn about soil and how to use their senses to explore a garden. Students learn about the 3 R’s…Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle…and the steps that they can take to care for their school and planet.
Find out more about Kindergarten Living Classroom lessons.

1st-Graders are introduced to photosynthesis, the vital part plants play in the food chain, and the six main parts of a plant. They harvest vegetables they planted and make soup, learn about the history of tea around the world, make their own tea bags, and build their own bird nests.
Find out more about 1st-grade Living Classroom lessons.

At the end of a Growing Vegetable Soup lesson, one first grader at Springer exclaimed, "This soup is so good, we should set up a booth and sell it at pick-up time!"

2nd-Graders explore the process from planting a seed to making a pretzel, which will take most of the school year to complete. They also study maps, investigate the physical properties of soil, learn about pollinators, dissect flowers, and explore how bees make honey.
Find out more about 2nd-grade Living Classroom lessons.

3rd-Graders study the life cycle of a tomato, culminating with making salsa. They investigate the anatomy of an earthworm, identify the role of an earthworm as a decomposer, and build a worm habitat to explore the specific needs of a species for survival.
Find out more about 3rd-grade Living Classroom lessons.

4th-Graders' lessons tie in with their social studies topic of California Native Americans. They learn how to process acorns into flour, make cordage bracelets, and visit the school’s native garden to explore plants traditionally used for housing, baskets, medicine, tools, and more. They also study line and rotational symmetry in nature, and the internal and external structures of plants.
Find out more about 4th-grade Living Classroom lessons.

5th-Graders develop a model to demonstrate the flow of energy and nutrients through a community and that living things depend on energy and nutrients for their survival. They learn how water moves among plants, animals, and the environment and how precious fresh water is, and they even build their own mini-ecosystems. They also learn how American Colonists used plants to make clothes and dyes.
Find out more about 5th-grade Living Classroom lessons.

6th-Graders learn about how plants helped shape the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and India, plant an Egyptian garden, and make hummus. They investigate circles in nature, like tree rings and lettuce, and plant a garden to harvest in the spring. 6th-graders learn about plants that shaped Greece, Rome, and China, harvest veggies from their garden to make a multicultural salad, and much more.
Find out more about 6th-grade Living Classroom lessons.

Living Classroom offers a variety of lessons that tie into the science, math, and social studies curriculum of each grade level. TK-6th grade teachers select and schedule Living Classroom lessons for their class.

The Living Classroom program is an integral component of the LASD student experience commitments, which include Rich Learning Experiences, Environments Filled with Safety and Belonging, Development of Skills, Mindsets, Habits, and Positive Developmental Relationships. 

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