Whether you are building a bulb bed or transforming your entire schoolyard, you'll need material donations or money to bring your vision to life . . . and to sustain it. Some school gardeners find the prospect of raising funds daunting, but others relish the challenge and see it as an opportunity for learning. The good news is that there are many different ways to acquire the materials and funds you will need.

Imagine the potential for learning when students create their own fundraising event or business. For instance, youngsters who create flyers or write articles for a plant sale hone language skills. Economic and math concepts have meaning as students price products and track expenses and profits. And they need understand science concepts to grow a healthy product!

If you engage students in reaching out to the community, you'll cultivate all kinds of support. Local businesses are often willing to donate cash, products, or labor to inspiring education projects, for instance. These kinds of partnerships can be equally rewarding in nonmaterial ways. They help schools build bridges to the community and help local people better understand educational goals.

Then there's grant writing. School gardeners have discovered scads of local, regional, and national grants and other funding sources that emphasize environmental initiatives, habitats, gardens, and/or or science education.

We've pulled together classroom stories, articles, Web resources, and grant listings that we hope will help you launch effective fundraising events, build community support, and write successful grants. Read on.

Page 2 Growing a School Garden Business - Raise funds and enrich the learning process by engaging students in creating and running green business ventures.This feature in our Thematic Explorations Library features inspirational stories of green ventures, how-to advice, and Web resources.

Page 3 Plant Sale Grows Kids - Special-needs students whipped up enthusiasm and successfully marketed scads of Mother's Day gifts to peers.