Why Roots and Wings?
Roots & Wings™ brings agriculture, science, literacy, and stewardship to life through hands-on learning experiences that connect students to food, nature, and community. Students don’t just learn about ecosystems—they build them. They don’t just study stewardship—they practice it.
🌱 Hands-On Learning
Students learn by planting, building, exploring, and discovering.
📚 Standards-Aligned Curriculum
Supports NGSS, ELA, SEL, Agricultural Literacy, and Environmental Education standards.
🦋 Growing Future Stewards
Students develop responsibility, curiosity, leadership, and a connection to the natural world.
REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE • POLLINATOR HABITAT • SCHOOL GARDENS • FARM TO SCHOOL • STEWARDSHIP • CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT •
Why Schools Choose Roots and Wings
🌱 Hands-On Learning
Students actively engage in gardening, investigations, storytelling, and real-world problem solving that bring learning to life.
📚 Standards-Aligned Curriculum
Lessons support NGSS, ELA, SEL, Agricultural Literacy, Environmental Principles & Concepts, and cross-curricular learning goals.
🦋 Growing Future Stewards
Students develop responsibility, curiosity, leadership, and a deeper understanding of their connection to food, nature, and community.
🤝 Teacher-Friendly Implementation
Ready-to-use lessons, classroom materials, school garden support, and ongoing guidance make implementation simple and sustainable.
What Students Gain
🌻 Confidence Through Discovery 🔍 Critical Thinking & Problem Solving 🌎 Environmental Stewardship ❤️ Empathy & Community Connection 🌱 Agricultural Literacy 👐 Hands-On Experience
Featured Programs
Discover Our Signature Learning Experiences
Roots & Wings™ offers immersive, story-driven programs that connect students to agriculture, science, environmental stewardship, and community through hands-on learning. Each program includes engaging curriculum, student materials, educator resources, and meaningful real-world experiences designed to inspire curiosity and lasting impact.
🌽 The Three Sisters: A Story of Growing Together
Grades TK–5
Inspired by Indigenous agricultural wisdom, students discover how corn, beans, and squash work together to create a thriving ecosystem. Through storytelling, gardening, and hands-on activities, students explore cooperation, interdependence, soil health, and stewardship.
Students Explore:
- Companion planting and ecosystem relationships
- Indigenous agricultural traditions
- Soil health and plant growth
- Teamwork and community connections
Includes: Curriculum, storybook, Wonder Books, school garden experience, and celebration event.
🐝 The Hidden Garden: A Pollinator Parade
Grades TK–5
Students enter the fascinating world of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators while discovering their critical role in food systems and healthy ecosystems. This engaging program combines science, literacy, social-emotional learning, and environmental stewardship.
Students Explore:
- Pollinators and biodiversity
- Plant-pollinator relationships
- Habitat creation and conservation
- The connection between healthy ecosystems and healthy communities
Includes: Curriculum, storybook, Wonder Books, pollinator habitat project, and celebration event.
🌱 The Regeneration Quest: The Land That Remembers
Grades 5–8
This project-based learning adventure challenges students to investigate how healthy soil, thriving ecosystems, and resilient communities work together. Through inquiry, experimentation, and real-world problem solving, students discover the principles of regenerative agriculture.
Students Explore:
- Soil health and ecosystem functions
- Systems thinking and scientific inquiry
- Environmental challenges and solutions
- Leadership, stewardship, and community impact
Includes: Chapter book, curriculum, Wonder Books, digital presentations, hands-on investigations, and student science showcase.
Every Roots & Wings program helps students discover where food comes from, how nature works, and how their actions can help build a healthier future for people and the planet.
How Roots & Wings Works
Bringing Learning to Life in Three Simple Steps
Our programs are designed to create lasting learning experiences before, during, and after each hands-on agricultural adventure.
📚 1. Learn & Explore
Students begin with engaging classroom lessons, original stories, and interactive activities that build curiosity and introduce key concepts about food, farming, ecosystems, and stewardship.
Students Build:
- Background knowledge
- Vocabulary and concepts
- Curiosity and excitement
🌱 2. Experience & Grow
A Roots & Wings educator brings learning to life through hands-on activities, garden experiences, demonstrations, and immersive agricultural learning opportunities.
Students Experience:
- School gardens and pollinator habitats
- Interactive lessons and investigations
- Real-world agricultural connections
- Collaborative learning
🦋 3. Reflect & Thrive
Students continue their learning through observation, reflection, projects, and ongoing garden experiences that reinforce classroom concepts and deepen understanding.
Students Develop:
- Stewardship skills
- Critical thinking
- Leadership and responsibility
- Lasting connections to nature and community
From curiosity to stewardship, Roots & Wings helps students discover that even small actions can make a meaningful difference in the world around them.
Standards-Aligned Learning
Meeting Educational Goals While Inspiring Real-World Learning
Roots & Wings™ is designed to support the academic standards schools already teach while providing meaningful, hands-on learning experiences that students remember.
Our programs integrate science, literacy, social-emotional learning, environmental education, and agricultural literacy through engaging lessons, storytelling, school gardens, and real-world exploration.
Aligned With:
🔬 Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
- Ecosystems
- Biodiversity
- Life Cycles
- Engineering & Design
📖 Common Core ELA
- Reading & Comprehension
- Informational Text
- Vocabulary Development
- Writing & Communication
❤️ Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
- Empathy
- Responsibility
- Collaboration
- Leadership
🌎 Environmental Literacy
- Stewardship
- Sustainability
- Ecological Awareness
- Systems Thinking
🌽 Agricultural Literacy
- Food Systems
- Soil Health
- Pollinators
- Farming & Community Connections
Why Schools Love Roots & Wings
Students meet academic standards while developing curiosity, critical thinking, environmental responsibility, and a deeper understanding of the world around them.
🔬 Science (NGSS)
📖 Literacy (ELA)
❤️ SEL
🌎 Environmental Education
🌽 Agricultural Literacy
Where standards-based learning meets hands-on discovery.
Meet Sandra Yager
Farmer • Educator • Author • Steward
Roots & Wings™ was created by Sandra Yager, a California farmer and educator with more than 20 years of experience helping students learn, grow, and succeed.
After years as a classroom teacher, reading intervention specialist, school librarian, homeschool educator, and agricultural instructor, Sandra recognized a growing disconnect between children and the natural systems that sustain them. Many students had little understanding of where their food comes from, how healthy soil supports life, or why caring for the land matters.
That realization inspired the creation of Roots & Wings™—a program that combines story-driven learning, hands-on experiences, and real-world agricultural education to help students develop curiosity, stewardship, and a deeper connection to the world around them.
Today, Sandra works alongside her husband and sons on their family farm in California’s Central Valley while developing curriculum, writing children’s books, and helping schools bring meaningful farm-to-school experiences to their students. Her work is grounded in the belief that when students understand how nature works, they are empowered to become thoughtful caretakers of their communities and the environment.
Qualifications & Experience
✔ 20+ Years in Education
✔ Reading Intervention Specialist
✔ Homeschool Educator
✔ Children’s Author
Sandra’s Belief
“Every child deserves the opportunity to experience the wonder of growing something, caring for the land, and discovering their connection to the natural world. When learning becomes personal and hands-on, it takes root for a lifetime.”
✔ California Farmer
✔ School Librarian
✔ Agricultural Instructor
✔ Curriculum Developer
Ready to Bring Roots & Wings to Your School?
Let’s Grow Something Meaningful Together
Give your students the opportunity to connect with food, nature, science, and community through engaging, hands-on learning experiences they’ll remember for years to come.
Whether you’re looking to enrich classroom instruction, launch a school garden, support environmental literacy goals, or bring a unique Farm-to-School experience to your campus, Roots & Wings™ provides the curriculum, resources, and support to help your students thrive.
What You’ll Receive
Perfect For
- 🌱 Standards-aligned curriculum and lesson materials
- 📚 Original storybooks and student learning resources
- 🦋 Hands-on garden and pollinator experiences
- 🚜 Interactive Farm-to-School learning opportunities
- 🤝 Ongoing educator support and guidance
- 🌎 Meaningful connections to agriculture, stewardship, and community
- ✔ Elementary Schools
- ✔ Middle Schools
- ✔ Homeschool Programs
- ✔ After-School Programs
- ✔ Community Organizations
- ✔ School Garden Initiatives
Start the Conversation
Every school is unique. We’ll work with you to create a program that aligns with your students, goals, schedule, and budget.
Let’s explore how Roots & Wings™ can help cultivate curiosity, stewardship, and a lifelong love of learning in your students.
Growing Curious Minds. Cultivating Caring Hearts. Inspiring Future Stewards. 🌱🦋