Tend, Gather & Grow
A Teaching Toolkit on Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants

Help us cultivate our next generation of scientists, storytellers, herbalists, artists, and outdoor enthusiasts! The Tend, Gather & Grow project brings students into dynamic relationship with the natural world, where plants can be teachers, and humans can play a time-tested, positive role in creating healthy ecosystems.

Support the launch of Tend, Gather and Grow by donating toward our goal of $6,000 by June 30th!
Or come to our curriculum launch celebration and fundraiser on June 22nd at GRuB. Register here. 
 

Our Work is Having Positive Impacts:

“After the experience on the landscape digging camas, my nine-year-old son told me, ‘Mom, I pretty much figured out the secret to life. Basically, camas taught me that everything has a gift, and the secret to life is to give that gift to the world.’”                                                    
                                                                                                                                                           –Cinnamon Bear Enos, Tend Teacher Internship Participant

Tend, Gather and Grow is a teaching toolkit that connects Native American and other regional students with plants, local landscapes, and the rich cultural traditions that surround them! The Toolkit Includes:                                                     

• A K–12 curriculum covering over 25 regional plants. Lessons explore wild food traditions, herbal medicine, plant technologies, cultural ecosystems, tree communities, and the art of noticing. 60+ lessons that align with STEAM education principles and Next Generation Science Standards. Indigenous plant knowledge is woven throughout the curriculum. This grounds students in who they are, and connects them to where they live.

• Short teaching videos featuring Salish storytellers, plant experts, and youth.

• Educational materials including games, posters, plant identification cards, and recipes.
   

2018 was an Abundant Year for Tend, Gather & Grow:

• Our team piloted over 40 lessons on local plants that are used for food, medicine, and traditional technologies.

• We led our first “train the teacher” workshops and brought the lessons to 12 tribal communities, six Thurston County schools, and dozens of community programs.

• 16 tribal community educators participated in our internship program, and are now implementing Tend classes in their own communities.

• 68 teachers attended trainings and we reached over 700+ students through piloted lessons!

If you support this vital and inspiring work of connecting youth with the natural world, make your gift today!

We are in the final phase of finishing the curriculum, and are seeking funds to complete graphic design, printing costs, and educational standards alignment.

Donate here or mail a check to GRuB at 2016 Elliott Ave. N.W. Olympia WA. 98502 attn: Tend.  Thank you!