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    Pennsylvania Game Commission

    Seedlings for Schools Program

    The Seedlings for Schools program provide students the experience as caretaker of the environment while having fun in the outdoor classroom.

    Explore Howard Nursery

    Overview

    Seedlings for Schools orders will be accepted beginning Monday, February 3, 2025

    Seedlings for Schools is a partnership program of the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Howard Nursery and the Wildlife for Everyone Foundation. Since the Seedlings for Schools initiative began in 2008, 1.8 million seedlings were dispersed statewide to all counties of the Commonwealth. Seedlings are grown and shipped from the Game Commission’s Howard Nursery located in Centre County, Pennsylvania. The Seedlings for Schools program allows students to experience their role as caretaker of their environment while having fun in the outdoor classroom.

    • The program is available to all Pennsylvania schools with children enrolled from kindergarten through 12th grade. Pre-K programs do not qualify.
    • Individual Homeschool orders are not valid, they must be placed through a Homeschool group, co-op or other association.

    Seedlings for Your Class:

    Pennsylvania Game Commission provides enough seedlings for each student to take a seedling home to plant. This year's seedling choices are Norway spruce, white spruce, red oak, ninebark, greystem dogwood or silky dogwood. If more than one classroom in a school is interested that is great!  

    • Individual orders from one school building must be combined.​
    Visit Wildlife For Everyone

    Educational Material

    Teacher's Guide (PDF)
    Student Pages (PDF)
    Planting Directions and Safety Notice
    Planting Directions and Safety Notice (Spanish language version)

    Ordering Information

    Seedling Arrival: Depending on weather conditions and numbers of orders, bare-root seedlings will be shipped in April. Once seedlings arrive, keep them moist. Hand out seedlings with roots in half gallon baggies with moist shredded newspaper or plant in juice/milk cartons to transport home. Planting Directions and a Safety Notice are found in the teacher’s guide. We cannot guarantee shipment on a specific date. Species substitutions may occur if supply runs low.

    Questions?

    Call Howard Nursery

    M-F 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

    814-355-4434

    Email Howard Nursery

    M-F 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

    RA-SchoolSeedlings@pa.gov