Grow Your Garden Programs

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Jacob Arnold Cunningham
7 years ago
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1 Grow Your Garden Programs Are you a Slow Food chapter, school, or community partner looking for new ways to engage with school gardens? Here we showcase different activities (both low and high touch) from the Slow Food USA network. If you are interested in any of these projects, please contact us for more info. Just Getting Started (Low Touch Activities) Share Slow Food USA school garden resources (e.g. Good, Clean and Fair Curriculum and School Garden Guide) with your network Encourage schools to register with the Slow Food USA School Garden Map and on the Edible Schoolyard Project website Host a gathering or speed dating session of schools and school garden-related organizations in your community to build partnerships Hire a local gardening, cooking or education expert to conduct a workshop for garden leaders and teachers Survey teachers or garden leaders for their needs Host simple workshops like hoop house construction Bring in Slow Food USA staff to conduct Professional Development with teachers and garden leaders Fundraise and offer garden grants to schools Donate garden supplies, seeds and plants to schools Share Chipotle resources (In-store fundraisers, food donations, gift cards, and educational Grow Books & Kits) Our Mission Slow Food USA s National School Garden Program aims to reconnect youth with their food by teaching them how to grow, cook and enjoy real food. Through increased confidence, knowledge gain and skill building, we want to empower children to become active participants in their food choices. By becoming informed eaters, today s children will help make a positive impact in the larger world of food and farming well into the future.

2 Dig Deeper (High Touch Activities) Run a Youth Farmers Market YFMs involve the onsite sale of school garden produce to the larger community. They provide real-world learning opportunities in math, science, entrepreneurship, marketing, conflict resolution, and customer service. YFMs also provide fresh healthy produce to the surrounding neighborhood and can raise money for the school garden program. We have developed a Youth Farmers Market Handbook to help you get started. Teach Taste Education & Cooking Classes Use our Good, Clean and Fair Curriculum to help students discover their own palates. Teach them basic skills in preparing fresh food. Our lessons are designed to be led by teachers or volunteers using simple cooking techniques, basic equipment, and fresh produce from the garden. These classes work well before, during, or after school! Do Garden to Cafeteria If they grow it, they ll eat it! The Garden to Cafeteria (GTC) program teaches students how to grow and harvest food safely for the school cafeteria salad bar and in some cases, in scratch-cooking recipes. Using proper food safety protocols, students sell fresh produce to the school kitchen with proceeds benefiting the garden program. Help start the conversation with the school district and health department! We can provide technical assistance and protocol templates to launch GTC in your schools. 2

3 Promote the Ark of Taste & Biodiversity Introduce school gardens to the concept of biodiversity and Slow Food s Ark of Taste, a living catalog of delicious and distinctive foods facing extinction. Plant Ark of Taste seeds in the garden, share AoT recipes, connect with local AoT farmers and seed companies, teach classes on food culture and history, educate about seed saving and seed libraries. Slow Food USA s Ark of Taste Curriculum COMING SOON. Donate Produce to Pantries School gardens can be a source of fresh food for food-insecure community members. Teach students about issues of hunger locally by connecting their gardens to local food pantries that are happy to accept donations. Connect with Local Farmers Farmers represent a valuable pool of knowledge for school gardens. Slow Food chapters fundraise and give stipends to local farmers to provide technical advice to schools. These master farmers offer guidance in building gardens, crop planning, and harvesting techniques. They also serve as role models for students. Whether it s farm field trips or farmer visits, your chapter can help find ways to connect local farmers and school gardens! Chefs Move to Schools Chefs represent a powerful community partner. Create a program for multiple schools to engage local chefs. Invite chefs into the classroom for fun and tasty demonstrations using school garden produce. Students are impressed by the white coat and eager to try the recipes at home! 3

4 Professional Development for Teachers Help teachers become more comfortable in the garden space. Empower them to teach classes outside and help connect the garden to academic standards. Slow Food USA staff can deliver Professional Development workshops to school districts in your community or you could lead your own! We can even explore the option of offering Continuing Education (CE) credits to teachers. Connect with Your Local Master Gardener A Master Gardener becomes certified through a university program that includes extensive volunteering. MGs are dedicated to community outreach and have a broad knowledge of their region s ecosystems. They can act as advisors, answering questions and troubleshooting or as educators, leading workshops and demonstrations for school gardens. We have a one pager explaining how to engage your local MG! Create a School Garden Alliance An alliance can connect parents, teachers, partner organizations and the school district. Work with multiple schools by helping to design gardens, distribute resources like seeds and soil, train volunteers to provide programming/teach garden and cooking classes. Slow Food USA can provide technical assistance and training to establish a garden alliance in your community. School Garden Publications Create a short booklet or a longer magazine for kids and families about gardening, cooking, and healthy living. Edible San Diego for Kids and the Delicious Nutritious Food Book are two beautiful and comprehensive documents that feature interviews with local farmers and chefs, kid-friendly recipes, and tips for healthy eating at home. We have partnerships and examples to help you create your own publication! 4

5 Construct Hoop Houses to Extend the Growing Season Slow Food chapters are building hoop houses to protect plants during the late fall and early spring. Hoop houses are minigreenhouses that are inexpensively designed and easy to install. Chapters grant out building material and host workshops for local schools. Slow Food USA can provide building instructions and guidance in setting up your own hoop houses. Start a School Garden CSA A Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program or custom produce order form are great ways to use school garden produce and generate revenue. Teachers like the convenience of ordering school garden veggies and a sliding scale CSA program could even help promote access in food deserts! Needs Assessment of School Gardens Are you unsure of how to engage school gardens in your community? Use one of our survey templates or site visit checklists to assess the current needs of individual school gardens and their leaders. Then you can more effectively provide resources and support for these schools. School Garden and Farm to School Program Evaluation It is important to understand the impact that school garden programs have on the students, teachers and other community groups. We have simple tools, such as surveys, which can allow teachers, administrators and food service directors to assess the impact of their programs to share with funders, community members, and other stakeholders. Contact us: (718) Andrew Nowak, Director andrew@slowfoodusa.org (ext. 128) Lauren Howe, Manager lauren@slowfoodusa.org (ext. 129) 5

Supporting Schools Inspiring Families NourishinG Kids MORE NUTRITION IN EVERY BITE

Supporting Schools Inspiring Families NourishinG Kids MORE NUTRITION IN EVERY BITE Our mission is to improve children s nutrition by supporting schools and inspiring families. Given the right opportunities,