Learning Objective: Consider the value of garden-based learning.

Time: 15 to 30 minutes

A lifeline exercise helps you to see and interpret patterns in your life by building a comprehensive overview of your experiences. In this lifeline exercise focus on your experiences related to gardens and gardening.

You will be asked to share things from your timeline during our first class.

• Find a large blank sheet of paper on which you can sketch your timeline. 

• To  develop your timeline, go back as early as you can remember and work towards the future.

• Identify activities and experiences related to gardens and gardening.  Try to identify 20-30 items.

• For example, you:
• planted a seed in a cup in first grade
• helped your grandmother can vegetables from her garden
• took a gardening class
• re-landscaped the front of you house

The following questions might help guide your reflection:

• How did you spend your time when you were a child? What did you like and not like?

• What garden related classes have you taken?  What did you do in those classes?

• How has food, plants, soil, insects, wildlife, etc. been a part of your life?

• What guided you in making choices about what to study, where to work and what to do in your free time?  Where did you find the most success and least?

• What was the impact of each of these relationships, achievements, and events in shaping your perspective and how you are in the world?

• What patterns or evolution do you see?  Where do you think you are headed with your gardening experiences?

• What does this tell you about your garden interest and what you care most about?

This activity was adapted from “Your Garden Lifeline” written by Lori Brewer and published in 2019 by Cornell Cooperative Extension and Cornell Garden-Based Learning.