Growing a School Garden the Golden Hill Learning Center Experience

Transcription

1 Growing a School Garden the Golden Hill Learning Center Experience Jo Anne Judge-Dietz, Olmsted County Public Health Gordy Ziebart, Golden Hill Principal Caleb Langworthy, Garden Manager Golden Hill Students

2 Agenda Background on school gardens Cross-curricular garden program at Golden Hill Student views

3 Learning Objectives At the end of the session the learner will be able to describe: Rationale for a school garden program Cross curricular uses for a school garden Helpful partnerships for successful school garden Impact on youth

4 Background Funding PartnerSHIP Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) Funding for local public health to partner with schools, community, worksites and health care providers to implement strategies to prevent chronic disease Long Term Goals Reduce health care costs by reducing overweight and obesity through better nutrition and increased physical activity Short Term Goals Implement Farm to School Programs Improve nutritional content of snacks, ala cart and vending at schools Establish school gardens Build partnerships for local food sourcing

5 Partnerships School District Support Leadership Student Nutrition Services Site-based school support Principal, Wellness committees, Parent Teacher Organizations, Science, Ag, FACS, Business, Art teachers, cafeteria staff, PE teacher Community support Parents, neighbors, farmers, local growers, Master Gardeners, horticulture and garden businesses, health professionals

6 Why school gardens? The benefits of school gardens Health and wellness Environmental impact Art and beauty Educational opportunities Youth development

7 Rationale for Gardens One-third of US children are obese or overweight 1 Fewer than 10% of children (age 4 to 13 years) meet MyPyramid recommendations for daily servings of fruits and vegetables. 2 In adolescents nationwide, 13.8% of students surveyed had eaten vegetables three or more times per day 3 Eating more fruits and vegetables, can be an important part of a weight management strategy. 4 Up to 10 exposures to new foods are often required to increase acceptance. 5 Several studies have demonstrated that children participating in gardenbased nutrition education programs increase fruit and vegetable intake, willingness to taste and preference for fruits and vegetables Hedley AA Prevalence of overweight and obesity among US children, adolescents and adults JAMA : Guenther PM, Dodd KW, Reedy J, Krebs-Smith SM. Most Americans eat much less than recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables. Am Diet Assoc. 2006;106: Youth Risk Behavior Survellience Survey, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 4. CDC Can eating fruits and vegetables help people to manage their weight? 5. Birch LL, et al. What kind of exposure reduces children s food neophobia? Looking vs. tasting. Appetite.1987;9: Lautenschlager L, et al. Understanding gardening and dietaryhabits among youth garden program participants using the theory of planned behavior. Appetite. 2007;49: McAleese JD, et al. Garden-based nutrition education affects fruit and vegetable consumption in sixth-grade adolescents. J AmDiet Assoc. 2007;107: Hermann JR, et al. After-school gardening improves children s reported vegetablei ntake and physical activity. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2006;38: Morris JL, et al. First-grade gardeners more likely to taste vegetables. Cal Ag. 2001;55: Lautenschlager, et al, knowledge, and values heldby inner-city youth about gardening, nutrition, and cooking. AgrHuman Values. 2007;4:

8 Additional Research School Gardens as a Strategy for Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Oxenham, and King, Journal of Child Nutrition & Management : School Nutrition Association Spring, v. 34, issue 1 Using Nature and Outdoor Activity to Improve Children's Health McCurdy, et al, Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care Jul;40(6):152 Growing Environmental Stewards: The Overall Effect of a School Gardening Program Aguilar, Waliczek and Zajicek, Texas A&M University Study 2008 Nutrition to Grow On: A garden-enhanced nutrition education curriculum for upper-elementary school children Morris et al, J of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2002 First-grade Gardeners More Likely to Taste Vegetables Morris, et al, California Agriculture, January-February Garden-enhanced Nutrition Curriculum Improves Fourth-grade School Children s Knowledge of Nutrition and Preferences for Some Vegetables Morris et al, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2002

9 Local Youth Risk Behavior Survey Percentage of students who ate fruits and vegetables five or more times per day (recommended daily intake) during the past seven days Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted 2007 and 2009 Rochester Public School District. Results compiled by Centers for Disease Control. Data used with permission.

10 Grow Health and Wellness Prepare Taste Learn Access

11 Youth development and engagement Opportunities for mentoring Opportunities for success

12 Access to healthy food

13 Garden Produce from school gardens in 2011 Beets Broccoli Cabbage Cantaloupe Carrots Cauliflower Cucumbers Fresh herbs Kale Kohlrabi Lettuce and salad greens Onions Peas Peppers Potatoes Pumpkins Radishes Strawberries String beans Squash Sweet corn Swiss chard Tomatoes Cherry tomatoes Watermelon Zucchini Coming soon: apples, pears, grapes, blueberries, raspberries

14 Cross curricular learning activities Family and Consumer Science: Food preparation Cooking Preserving Health Nutrition Active living Science Biology Plant life, water cycle Reproduction Math Plot calculations Costs, sales, profits Agri-Business Planning Buying selling Promoting product English Composition Poetry Journaling Art Site beautification Photography Creations from the garden Industrial Arts Building structures for the garden

15 Art from the Garden

16 Inspiration from the garden

17 Multi impact = greater support Nature s mental health center Physical activity station Curiosity courtyard

18 Determine a focus for the garden What is the goal of your school garden Health and wellness Food access vs. new food experiences Education, science and environment Art and beauty Youth Development

19 Who s at the table

20 Partnerships Build in sustainability with a strong committee Build on collaborative relationships Regularly review who is at the table, missing from the table Recognize the motivation for each member to be involved Involve kids early and often

21 What will make the garden experience have a lasting impact? For students: Learning from teachable moments Fun Results from meaningful work, WIIFM Pride Building relationships For the school: Connections, relationships Incorporating policy, system and environmental change

22 Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there. Thomas Fuller, 1732

23 Jo Anne Judge-Dietz Olmsted County Public Health