Growing a Healthy Garden: SNAP-Ed Support for School Gardening

1. Growing a Healthy Garden: SNAP-Ed Support forSchool Gardening Erin Nurss, MPH Program Coordinator UA Arizona Nutrition Network August 25-26, 2010

2. Presentation Outline • Goals of school garden projects • Coordinating and Supporting the process • Teachers • Master Gardeners • Community Food Bank • Building and maintaining the gardens • Successes • Challenges • Future Goals

3. Goals of School Garden Projects • Make the farm to table connection • Increase exposure and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables • Develop partnerships that support effective gardening and nutrition education in schools

4. Our Partners • UA Cooperative Extension • Pima County Master Gardeners • SNAP-Ed schools • Community Food Bank

5. Role of the Teachers • Secure materials for gardening • Plan for sustainability and maintenance • Coordinate garden activities • Participating classes • Interested parent volunteers • Incorporate nutrition education before, during and after the gardening activities

6. Role of the Master Gardeners • Provide gardening expertise • Incorporate nutrition education • Reiterate the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption. • Consultations • Teachers • Administrators • Parents

7. Role of the Community Food Bank • Provide seeds, soil, compost • Provide ongoing technical assistance • Mentor parents • Nutrition education

8. Role of UA Nutrition Network • Provide resources and support for schools • Lessons and ideas • Links to garden grants • Support for sampling the foods grown • Allowable purchases • Connect community partners with the schools

9. Providing Resources • Suggested lessons/ideas for the classroom • Grow It! Try It! Like It! (USDA Team Nutrition) • Fruit and vegetable counting cards • Farm to Fork Activity Book (Produce for Better Health) • Garden and nutrition education books (Neat Solutions) • From the Garden by Michael Dahl • Vegetable Soup and the Fruit Bowl by Dianne Warren and Susan Smith Jones (K-1) • Health and Nutrition from the Garden (Junior Master Gardeners curriculum) (3-5) • Incredible Edible Science cook book (Learning Zone Express)

10. Nutrition Integration Ideas • Research and report the nutrient contents of the foods • Responsibility and care of the foods • Journal about tastings • Write recipes and ingredient lists • Research historical uses and geographical harvests

11. Moving Beyond the Traditional Classroom • Special Education • Students try the foods they are growing when they are available in the cafeteria. • Gardening used as physical activity and therapy

12. Garden Education Grants • Garden supplies • America the Beautiful • Home improvement stores • Suggest sites for materials and grants • http://www.kidsgardening.com/grants.asp • http://www.wga.com • KidsGardening.com newsletter • Updates on the latest open grant cycles • Opportunities for funding for gardening materials and supplies • Captain Planet Foundation • www.captainplanetfoundation.org

13. Support for Sampling Foods Grown • Food demonstrations • Fresh fruit with a low fat yogurt dip • Carrot dip (made from low fat yogurt) • Strawberry-Kiwi Eye Opener • Encourage food safety lessons as part of the demonstrations.

14. Allowable Purchases • Books • Nutritional benefits of gardening • Farm to table connections • Importance of eating more fruits and vegetables. • Materials and supplies • Nutrition education related to gardening, fresh fruit and vegetable consumption, or food safety.

15. Developing Community Partnerships • Meet with the directors • Attend a program meeting • Meet with interested volunteers • Ask teachers/schools with gardens for requests • Pair Master Gardeners and the Food Bank with requests from schools

16. Building the Gardens • Local donations/sponsors/grants • Make a Difference Day • Family support and volunteerism

17. Maintaining the Gardens • Master Gardeners and Community Food Bank staff met with: • Sponsoring teachers at partner schools • Classrooms of students • Students learned: • Importance of good soil • Proper sunlight • Proper watering techniques and amounts • Water harvesting • Food harvesting, washing and preparation

18. Success Stories • Drexel Elementary School (K-3 gardens) • Parent volunteers helped build planters for vegetable gardens • Students cared for their gardens and planted and harvested carrots, strawberries, pumpkins, peppers, and corn. • Students learned about composting • Teacher integrated discussions about: • MyPyramid • The importance of healthy eating • The link between gardening and nutrition • Food safety and preparation

19. Success Stories • Borton Elementary School • Each class has a plot of land for which they care • The classrooms harvest their crops and have a school farmers markets. • Students learn: • Gardening • Integrated math and business (price, sell and inventory crops)

20. Success Stories • Lauffer Middle School (2008) • Seed to table connection • Created 9 raised beds • Grow tomatoes, eggplant, hot and sweet peppers, okra, cucumbers, squash, basil, and lavender.

21. Lauffer Middle School (cont.) • Gained knowledge • Desert ecosystems • Sustainable agriculture • Building practices • Mathematics • Nutrition and physical activity • Community partners: • UA Nutrition Network, • Mesquite Valley Growers, Lowe’s, The Home Depot, • Sunnyside Foundation • Community Food Bank

22. Green Valley Cooperative Extension • Successful collaboration in rural areas • Master Gardeners • Gardening support • Nutrition education • Sustainable crops • Community Food Bank • Receives crops from Master Gardeners • Food preparation workshops • School gardens

23. Challenges in SupportingSchool Gardens • Volunteers • Master Gardeners • Parents • Teachers • Culture (Master Gardeners) • Priorities • Organizational goals • Generations • Location • Time restraints

24. Future Goals • Community gardens/Outdoor classrooms • Sustainability • Nutrition education through Master Gardeners • Junior Master Gardener program • Greater incorporation into presentations

25. Questions?