Safety is important for students, staff, and volunteers! This component supports schools with implementation of best practices for safety within their garden programs and classroom food preparation activities.
This important resource was developed by the Hawai‘i Farm to School Hui in 2016 to provide school garden staff, volunteers, and students with the skills and confidence needed to safely grow food on campus and use produce in the classroom setting.
This 8.5”x11” poster is a great safety resource that can be printed, laminated, and posted right in the garden.
These checklists are portable and efficient tools for conducting on-site safety checks in the garden or classroom. Click the links to create your own editable copy of each google form, which can be customized to meet your school’s specific needs and for record keeping. Development of the checklists was based on this document from UH CTAHR: Student and Food Safety: Best Practices for Hawai’i School Gardens – A Supplementary GAPs Checklist.
Checklist: Garden Safety
Use this checklist to ensure safety in the garden with students and adults. This checklist can be referred to daily, weekly, or whenever you need a reminder of safety protocols.
Checklist: Build a Safe Garden
Use this checklist to plan for development of a new garden at your proposed site. This checklist is intended to be used in conjunction with the School Garden Safety Manual.
Checklist: Safe Harvesting and Tasting
Use this checklist of protocols for safe harvesting and tasting of your school garden produce!
Student and Food Safety: Best Practices for Hawai’i School Gardens – A Supplementary GAPs Checklist
This is the original hard copy that was used to build the Airtable Checklists. In cases where internet is not available or where people prefer to have a more thorough paper copy, use this one.
Garden Safety
Farm to School Toolkit Slides – School Garden & Food Safety
Presentation slides for educators that can be used or modified for use with students.
Garden Safety Video (Grades K-8)
Mindful Garden Safety as shown by Waikiki School Food Farm.
School Garden Contact List (for School Garden Leaders)
This document will help connect all of the various people on the School Garden Committee.
“Can You Spot the Dangers?” Poster (Grades K-12)
This illustrations shows several unsafe situations in a garden. It could be used to “test” the students’ knowledge of best safety practices.
Integrated Pest Management for Home Gardens (Grades 8 – 12)
This article from CTAHR aids in the identification and management of several different orders of insect “pests” in the garden. It could be used for IPM, but also in conjunction with biology classes.
Management Practices to Prevent and Control Plant Diseases (Grades 9 -12, Teachers)
This CTAHR publication provides general gardening information.
UH Master Gardener Program (Grades 6 -12,School Garden Manager)
The UH Master Garden Program has a directory of common plant pest and disease issues that can help with identifying and solving your challenge.
Farm to School Resources – Hawai’i Public Health Institute (for Instructors and High School Students)
These are valuable resources that might help you feel more confident when using best practices in harvesting and tasting in the classroom
School Garden Program • Slow Food USA (for Instructors and High School Students)
These are valuable resources that might help you feel more confident when using best practices in harvesting and tasting in the classroom
Food Safety
Safe Produce: Keep it Clean (Video for K-12)
This is a great instructional video on how to thoroughly wash produce.
Rat Lungworm Disease – Activity Book UH Hilo (Grades K – 6)
Activity booklet to help inform young children about Rat Lungworm
Rat Lungworm Disease Poster (Grades K – 12)
This is a 2 page poster that can be used as a reminder of how to prevent Rat Lungworm Disease (RLW), how people get RLW and the symptoms.