The Environmental Center

Fall Garden Educator Network
2018-09-17 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Our local Garden Educator Network will be convening in September to learn, share resources and ideas, and kick off another year of garden based education. These events are open to anyone who works, supports, or wants to help youth connect to food and nature through garden and farm based education inside and outside of the classroom.
Our September event will include a training provided by OSU Extension Nutrition Educators, followed by a networking opportunity outside in our Kansas Avenue Learning Garden.
4:30 – 5:30 – Building Capacity with a School Garden Committee
Setting the stage for a successful school garden committee requires school administrative support, communication and the ability to conduct an effective meeting. The purpose of this workshop is for attendees to learn how to create a meeting agenda, facilitate a meeting and participate in a storyboard visioning activity focusing on defining future committee goals. Participants will be involved in a mock interactive school garden committee meeting that will highlight typical behaviors from committee members. Facilitators will demonstrate strategies to overcome meeting barriers. This workshop will also describe the critical community building steps completed before the first meeting as outlined in Conducting Effective Meetings (The Cispus Institute). At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to describe steps leading to the first school garden committee meeting, create a meeting agenda, facilitate a school garden committee meeting using techniques discussed and practiced in this session, and generate a visioning activity. A cohesive garden committee with a shared vision and mission built from knowledge and skills obtained during this workshop will create sustainability within your school community.
This workshop is appropriate wherever you are on the spectrum of having a garden committee!
5:30 – 6:30 – Networking in the Garden
We’ll adjourn to the garden with snacks and beverages to share ideas to utilize a fall school garden – or garden based activities- in and out of the classroom.

The Environmental Center is recognized as a Regional Education Hub Lead for the Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network for Central Oregon. In this role, we’ll provide region specific resources and ongoing responsive technical assistance, work to address region-specific challenges and networking opportunities including Regional Gatherings.

The Garden Educator Network is for anyone – teachers, parents, volunteers, non-formal educators – in Central Oregon wanting to incorporate garden based learning into their work with youth. This is one of our four strategies to support a Garden For Every School in Central Oregon. Read more about the other 3 strategies: Garden Grants, FoodCorps, and District Support.

Wildflower Show & Pollinator Festival
2019-07-06
Join Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory for their annual celebration of wildflowers in Oregon and the pollinators who love them. This year’s event will feature a wildflower display, botanic garden tours, educational talks and demonstrations, children’s activities, native plants for sale, local vendors, and food trucks.
Tickets will go on sale Monday, June 7 at 9am

Garden Educator Network: Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom Workshop
2019-10-01
We are excited to announce that the Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation will be hosting a FREE Educator workshop “Engaging Students with Agricultural Education” on October 1st at The Environmental Center in Bend!
Come learn how you can bring your classroom to life with agricultural education. You’ll take home a variety of curricula, resources, and optional PDU credits. This is a great opportunity for teachers, school and community garden coordinators, non-formal educators, and others interested in using agriculture, the environment and natural resource topics with your students!
Register here.

Know Underground: Soil Health Presentation at The Environmental Center
2022-03-13
The soil beneath our feet is teeming with life. Join Garden Educator Denise Rowcroft at The Environmental Center’s Learning Garden to get your hands dirty learning about soil. You’ll discuss the four principles of creating and maintaining healthy soil, and you’ll leave with hands-on practical ways to improve your garden or just protect the biodiversity in your yard. Folx will meet outside in the Kansas Avenue Learning Garden. In case of inclement weather, you will head inside The Environmental Center for a slideshow presentation. This presentation is geared towards adults, but the digging bed will be available for children to explore soil on their own, weather permitting.
This is an in-person program. Masks are required at all in-person events.

Know Underground: Soil Health Presentation at The Environmental Center
2022-03-15
The soil beneath our feet is teeming with life. Join Garden Educator Denise Rowcroft at The Environmental Center’s Learning Garden to get your hands dirty learning about soil. You’ll discuss the four principles of creating and maintaining healthy soil, and you’ll leave with hands-on practical ways to improve your garden or just protect the biodiversity in your yard. Folx meet outside in the Kansas Avenue Learning Garden. In case of inclement weather, you will head inside The Environmental Center for a slideshow presentation. This presentation is geared towards adults, but the digging bed will be available for children to explore soil on their own, weather permitting.
This is an in-person program. Masks are required at all in-person library events.

Summer on the Farm
2022-06-28, 2022-07-05, 2022-07-12, 2022-07-19, 2022-07-26, 2022-08-02, 2022-08-09, 2022-08-16
Join Seed to Table every Tuesday from June 28-August 16th for Summer on the Farm!

This is a time for kids and families to hang out at Seed to Table and engage with staff in different gardening and cooking activities.
Free, and open to all ages.
