Good Food For All Kids: A Garden at Every School

[Staff]

Good Food For All Kids: A Garden at Every School
Ethan Genauer (School Gardening Teacher, Sustainability Activist)
Jan 25 @ 11:20PM PST

Good Food For All Kids: A Garden at Every School | Ideas for Change in America | Change.org
excerpt from above:

The diet of America's youth needs to improve. Hunger, bad nutrition and obesity among children is a leading cause of health risks and often contributes to poor classroom performance...

[Staff]

Youth Elevate Seeds!
YES! Youth Elevate Seeds
Growing the Power of a Youth-led Movement for Sustainable Agriculture in New Mexico
Ethan Genauer

http://nmyoungfarmers.wikidot.com/youthelevateseeds
excerpt from above:

- Initiate sustainable agriculture programs at every school, with hands-on gardening, farming, cooking and food preservation projects that teach food sovereignty skills and enhance local food security, while creating & using grade-appropriate curriculum materials based on state educational standards.

[biigblueyes]

Gardening can be integrated into the classroom in a mind-boggling amount of ways. Math discussions can go from addition to ratios, to calculating things like profit, yield, amount of servings. Science can cover plant parts, reproduction, pollination, good vs bad insects. You could cover local historically important crops, medicinal uses and health benefits.

And then there's always the mother's day gift of a plant the child planted him/herself.

[TheLorax]

It is unfortunate more schools aren't integrating agricultural programming into their curriculum. Our children are too far removed from their food.

[MrILoveTheAnts]

Originally Posted by TheLorax

It is unfortunate more schools aren't integrating agricultural programming into their curriculum. Our children are too far removed from their food.

A big problem is the school year and growing season happen at different times.

[TheLorax]

True. Very true for many schools located in northern reaches.

[Staff]

Good Food For All Kids: A Garden at Every School
Ethan Genauer
Jan 25 @ 11:20PM PST

Good Food For All Kids: A Garden at Every School | Ideas for Change in America | Change.org
excerpt from above:

By planting a garden at every school in America, we will ensure that every child has the opportunity to benefit from eating more fresh healthy foods. A well-planned edible schoolyard can supply a significant portion of a school's daily food needs. By cultivating a garden together, children learn vital skills in team work, problem solving, creative planning, and sustainable living. Garden-based classes are a great way to complement classroom education in many subjects including biology, botany, ecology, mathematics, nutrition, art, and writing. Most importantly, gardening is fun for kids! School gardens can dramatically enliven the learning process by giving students the ability to connect in a very experiential and hands-on way with the incredible living world unfolding all around them. The diet of America's youth needs to improve. Hunger, bad nutrition and obesity among children are leading causes of health risks and often contribute to poor classroom performance. For all of these reasons and many more, let's support the vision for a garden growing at every school in America!