The World Becomes What We Teach

The World Becomes What We Teach

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About DIGS

Since 2006, West County DIGS has supported school gardens in West Contra Costa by providing resources, curriculum, advocacy, and partnerships. A group of dedicated garden educators brought together a network of teachers, community members, students, school administrators and funders to support the school garden movement.

DIGS is no longer a project of Earth Island Institute which served as a fiscal sponsor but continues to promote school garden education through online resources. We are available to provide workshops and coaching for garden educators and classroom teachers with an emphasis on facilitating universal access and an inclusive environment for all students.

We believe that all children should have the opportunity to connect with nature routinely in a positive way. We transform the hearts, minds, and eating habits of students through garden and nutrition activities. We build our community's resilience by cultivating wellness, academic achievement, and sustainable practices. 

About

Professional Development Workshops

We have presented a variety of workshops on a range of topics Garden-Building Skills, Nutrition Awareness, Lesson Planning, and Garden Art and Movement. Our major focus, at this time, is Promoting Universal Access. and Inclusion in the Garden. Learn More.

Greenhouse Program

This former program cultivated high-quality seedlings for West Contra Costa school gardens. Learn More.

Mira Vista School Garden and Education Center

This program now supported by Growing Together and the City Of Richmond, offers all teachers, students, and their families garden and nutrition activities and resources. It serves as a model garden program providing a resource library and training opportunities for other schools. Learn More.

Mentor Program

DIGS works with garden educators, principals and teachers to build school gardens programs. Learn More.

Plant to Plate

This program prepares Richmond youth for work through organic gardening and training in the culinary arts. Learn More.

Our Impact

Since our inception, DIGS has supported over 35 school gardens. In previous years, we have coached and trained over 300 teachers, and given away over 5000 plant-starts annually from the DIGS greenhouse. We have reached thousands of students through an innovative nature-based curriculum that incorporates math, art, science, language arts, and social-emotional learning. We are committed to providing resources and networking opportunities for school garden programs.

Our Response To the COVID-19 Pandemic

Thanks to the Master Gardeners, DIGS gave away 600 plant starts during the pandemic to 60 Mira Vista School families. This has been a way to stay connected and promote home gardening during challenging times. We created over 150 social media posts that teach engaging and simple gardening and nutrition lessons. We also teach weekly distance learning garden lessons at Mira Vista School. Learn More.

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Watch Our Covid-19 Plant Giveaway Videos!

Thank You

DIGS would not be possible without the help of many individuals who generously devote their time and resources. You don’t need to have a green thumb to get involved, just a warm heart and a passion for making a difference in the lives of our youth.

Whether you are an educator, parent, or community member, we have a variety of ways for you to get involved in our various programs. We are here to help you with your school garden goals!

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Click here to view our garden and nutrition lesson plans.

Are you feeling stir crazy, stressed or overwhelmed? Apply a few drops of lavender essential oil to a cotton ball and add it to your car vent or inside your pillowcase. Mix lavender oil with jojoba or almond oil and massage into your neck, shoulders
These days we find many ways to entertain ourselves around the house or in our gardens. Message us your creative, silly garden pictures so we can share them to our community, lighten the mood and make each other laugh! For us, it has been the simple,
We’ve discovered in our school gardens that contrary to popular belief kids love broccoli, especially when they grew it themselves! Sauté small broccoli florets in olive oil, add salt, pepper and lemon and the kids will eat the whole pan
Looking for a fun activity to do with your kids for Valentine's Day?! Have them collect different objects from the yard or neighborhood like leaves, bits of string, bark, and cut or shape them into hearts. Next, have them glue them on a piece of pape
Are you a nerd? Do you want to wow your Valentine with some chocolate facts!? We have them here for you: • Chocolate is made from seeds of a fruit that grows on trees in tropical forests. • The tree is called Theobroma Cacao and it means
The lower Mira Vista school garden is turning into a wild meadow of calendulas. So beautiful!
Are you curious what plants are easy for kids to plant in the Bay Area in the wintertime? We’ve noticed that root crops such as carrots, beets and onions work well. Another kid favorite to plant is broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, and spinach or co
Are you looking for an easy, non-toxic DIY cleaning spray? This antibacterial counter spray kills about 99% of germs. Spray on surfaces and let it sit for 4 minutes before wiping clean with a cloth. Wipe in one direction to not inadvertently reconta
Esther, our garden educator, is teaching kindergarteners to third-graders how to plant Wheatheads on Zoom! The kids loved this educational gardening lesson!
There's nothing like a hearty vegetable winter soup. It's a great way to get children to eat their colors with vegetables from your garden or local grocery store. This recipe is from DIGS Bakespace Cookbook which is a compilation of recipes from Mira
West County DIGS taught Mira Vista students how to grow wheat heads at their homes! The activity is suitable for children ages 5 and up and takes about 25 mins. It is an easy activity that teaches kids about gardening in a fun and engaging way. Child
Here are the steps to creating homemade fermented salsa with garden vegetables. The first step is to gather onions, carrots, apples, peppers, garlic, and fresh herbs. The second step is grate the vegetables and add salt and chopped herbs. The third s
The "three sisters" are corn, beans, and squash (like zucchini). Native American cultures planted them together because they help each other grow in the garden. They also compliment each other in meals. Corn provides carbohydrates; beans