Learning Gardens Laboratory
Overview
The Learning Garden Laboratory (LGL) is an 11-acre garden education site located in Southeast Portland that provides K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students hands on experience and education in sustainable gardening and healthy nutrition. LGL is also home to a Portland Metro Natural Gardening Site and houses a Portland Parks and Recreation Community Garden for the Brentwood-Darlington Community. Established in 2005 through a partnership between Portland State University, Portland Public Schools, and Portland Parks and Recreation, LGL has served as a shining example of an education site in which knowledge is truly serving the city.
During the 2007-2008 academic school year, LGL was regularly visited by approximately 340 Lane Middle School 6th and 7th grade science students and roughly 50 8th graders visited to work on special projects in the garden. In addition, several local elementary schools visited LGL on field trips, including 180 students from Woodmere Elementary School and 80 students from Lewis Elementary School. LGL also served as a site for a special service project for 50 St. Mary’s students and was visited by 30 students involved in a local Schools United Neighborhoods (SUN) summer program.
Beginning in the summer 2008, Portland State University and Oregon State University’s Extension Services joined in a partnership in an effort to increase the educational capacity of the Learning Gardens Laboratory. With this partnership, Rosalyn McKeown, Portland State associate professor and LGL Director, gained the support and presence of Weston Miller, Oregon State University Extension urban horticulturist, and Beret Halverson, OSU Extension assistant, to help supervise and maintain the site and carry the LGL into a new era. Weston and Beret bring years of gardening and education experience to LGL and have been influential in bringing new programs to the site.
This fall, Weston and Beret, along with several LECL graduate assistants, have worked to continue and build upon the on-site garden education programming for Lane Middle School 6th science students provided by LECL graduate assistants and volunteers, as well as supported PSU senior capstone projects tying learning gardens to civic affairs and the continuation of the multicultural Farmers-in-Residence program for families of Lane Middle School students. Weston and Beret have also brought OSU Master Gardener and Organic Gardening Certification programs to the LGL, each program working to help maintain the site while also providing students and individuals in the community the knowledge and skills necessary for educating others about sustainable gardening and growing food. Additionally, beginning this winter, the Learning Garden Laboratory will produce a portion of vegetables to be served in Portland Public School cafeterias. Portland State University and the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy’s LECL program look forward to even more developments as the partnerships between Oregon State Extension, PSU, Portland Public Schools, Portland Park and Recreation, and Metro, move into the future.
Goals
When the Learning Gardens Laboratory project began in the fall of 2005, its goals were defined as follows:
- To create an educational laboratory resource that will give students and youth in Portland hands-on multicultural, interdisciplinary, intergenerational, and multi-sensory experiences that promote earth-friendly local food production and improve student learning.
- To educate students about permaculture principles and earth-friendly gardening methods, nutrition and healthy eating habits, and medicinal/healing properties of plants.
- To serve as an educational resource for existing learning gardens in Portland Public schools and local farms.
- To support the regional food economy by raising awareness of the importance of local agriculture and working with PPS Nutrition Services to bring LGLab harvests into schools.
- To facilitate the creation of an intergenerational learning community where PSU graduate students, PPS students, and parents from multicultural communities in Southeast Portland can work collaboratively.
- To close the achievement gap and increase academic achievement, develop personal efficacy, stimulate motivation to learn, and help foster a sense of purpose and sense of place.
- To become a national model that extends beyond food production to teaching children and youth and increasing their academic achievement.
Location
The LGLab is located in SE Portland on 60th Ave across from Brentwood Park between Duke and Flavel.
6801 SE 60th Ave.
Portland, OR 97206 USA
Events
Fall Harvest Festival, Friday November 21, 2008 from 3:00-5:00 p.m
- The festival will include tours of the site, a celebration ceremony for the new Portland State University/Oregon State University partnership, and family friendly garden activities.
Additional Resources
Click here for more information on Garden-Based Education
