Child Development Center Garden

Incoming freshman enroll in the Student Transition Empowerment Program to volunteer for a community service project in the Childhood Development Center garden and classroom. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Serivces/George Mason University

The George Mason University Child Development Center Garden and Greenhouse serves as a place for learning and exploration for the university community. College service learners, children, child development staff, and child development center parents are involved in helping the garden become a flourishing success. The garden also provides opportunities for the children to learn many disciplines. The college students will also gain experience in project management, leadership, and working in teams. As the garden grows, we hope that people involved will gain an appreciation for the natural world and also for where their food comes from.

Gardening began at the old location of the CDC in the 1990s. The Garden then got restarted in 2008 with a few tomatoes and a pumpkin patch. In 2010, a more developed garden was created with the support from GreenWorks! and the Office of Diversity Programs and Services.

Goals

  • Apply nutrition concepts to personal lifestyle
  • Appreciate the value of food
  • Describe hunger issues in the United States
  • Gain an appreciation for nature
  • Understand where food comes from and where it is grown
  • Define sustainable agriculture
  • Learn about gardening
  • Learn about responsibility and other character education traits
  • Discover animals that live in gardens
  • Discover soil and composting
  • Describe the importance of safety in the garden
  • Apply the garden to existing curriculum elements
  • Build community for the Child Development Center through the garden
  • Provide service learning opportunities for college students
  • Connect the greater university community- Parents,children, and college students

Child Development Center Garden

Facts about the Child Development Center Garden

  • The Child Development Center Garden includes irrigation using harvested rainwater using technology donated by Water Management, Inc.
  • The garden is a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation
  • The Child Development Center has a greenhouse which assists with growing plants year-round!
  • The garden serves as a host location for service projects and service learners