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Community Engagement

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The Gardens

The Gardens encourages exploration, problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration as students learn how to grow and eat healthy foods.

Research shows that students who are familiar with growing their own food tend to eat more fruits and vegetables and are inclined to continue healthy eating habits into adulthood. Healthy students are better learners too. Research from the CDC shows that nutrition is linked to higher academic achievement, increased memory function and reduced absences.

We have distinct garden areas: certified monarch waystation, National Wildlife Federation Certified Sonoran Desert Tortoise Habitat, Ancient Cultures Garden, Succulent Hanging Garden, Native and Heirloom Agriculture, Organic Gardening and Composting. Plans are in the works to create a garden area to grow and highlight native low-water-use plants to serve as a springboard to learn about water conservation and the need to care for this precious desert resource. Additionally, 6th graders learn about the science of composting (and the byproduct of organic fertilizer) while delving into the subject of sustainability. 3rd graders learn about plant propagation of indoor house plants and some outdoor plants through hands-on science practices in the classroom. 4th graders will focus on pollinators and learning about water conservation through delving into the Sonoran native plant varieties and animals.

Our garden's academic value includes real-world science and engineering practices, cross-cutting concepts and core ideas about science through using natural phenomenon to pique student curiosity. Social learning in the gardens fosters responsibility, connections, teamwork and cooperation, problem solving skills, respect and aesthetic appreciation. Emotional learning in the gardens helps us to understand failure is a part of learning, persistence, patience, mindfulness, stress management and emotional regulation. 

Chef in the Garden

Chef in the Garden is a signature program of ECS that teaches our students practical, ethical and organic farm to table practices.

Students have a better awareness of where the food comes from with the hands-on experience of seeing their seedlings grow and become a part of culinary masterpieces. Chef in the Garden also allows students to highlight their cross-curricular, experiential learning. We have several Chef in the Garden activities throughout the year through a partnership with the Blue Watermelon Project.  This is a time when local chefs visit Echo Canyon and cook a special recipe with a class or two. Ann and Lou Rodarte are responsible for our “CITG” program and will be working with Administration to organize the chef activities.  

Because we are at the mercy of the Chefs who give freely of their time, CITG events for your class may only be announced a few days in advance and may not appear on the website calendar. 

Critter Farm

Echo Canyon has been the home of the SUSD Critter Farm since January 2020. We house and take care of all of the “critters” for the SUSD K-5 Life Science program.

Critters include isopods, milkweed bugs, fish, land and aquatic snails, mealworms and more. We encourage classes to help support our efforts and maintain animal habitats in their classrooms. If you are interested in assisting with the critter farm, please see one of our Critter Farm Managers. The 5th grade classes are now engaged in worm farming for this effort. They are learning the biology and associated care necessary for the worms to reproduce for distribution to the district’s schools for their educational science needs. Beyond the care of the worms, the students the byproduct of worm farming is vermicomposting which provides organic fertilizer for our school’s gardens through the vermicomposting process.  They partner with Arizona Worm Farm to learn best practice.

Hebert's Habitat

We have a National Wildlife Federation Certified Natural Sonoran Desert Tortoise Habitat in front of our school. 

This habitat houses our Sonoran Desert tortoise, Hebert. The habitat includes low water use, native plants found in the Sonoran Desert that feed and shelter the tortoise as it would in its natural environment. Classes are welcome to visit the habitat with their teacher.   

Monarch Butterfly Way Station

To the south of the preschool playground in an area known as the “Secret Garden”, we have a certified Monarch Butterfly Way Station.

This area has the necessary food, water and resources for now endangered Monarch butterflies to stop during their migratory patterns. This area also attracts many other necessary pollinators that are necessary for our gardens. Additionally, within the area is a microclimate caused by the shade and confined environment. It can be as much as 5 to 10 degrees cooler in this area. This is one of many examples of hands-on learning opportunities in our garden. 

Offerings

  • The Gardens
  • Chef in the Garden
  • Critter Farm
  • Hebert's Habitat
  • Monarch Butterfly Waystation