Urban School GardensMichigan Family Farms Conference

January 15th, 2011

Urban School Gardens Overview of urban school gardening Lessons learned

Early Roots: Post-Industrial Revolution: School

Gardening Movement Relief from urban condition Instill a love of the natural world Social outlet to direct proper behavior Encourage study of natural science Government supported

-City Bountiful: A Century of Community Gardening in AmericaLawson, L. University of California Press, 2005

Garden Impacts:Learning Shown to impact science achievement

of upper elementary students Valuable augmentation of science

curriculum Environmental attitude changes Increased interest and knowledge in

agriculture Improved attitude, motivation and

enthusiasm about school Klemmer, Waliczek, and Zalicek (2005); Smith and Mostenbocker (2005); Dirks and Orvis (2005);

Skelly and Zajicek (1999); Mabie and Baker (1996); Brunotts (1998); Faddegan (2005)

Garden Impacts: Nutrition Nutrition lessons combined with

gardening produced significant differences in preferences for and willingness to try vegetables over controls

Increase in consumption of cafeteria servings of fruits and vegetables

Increased motivation and enthusiasm for learning about nutrition

Lineberger and Zajicek (2000); Morris, Neustadter, Zindenberg-Cher (2001); McAleese and Rankin (2007); Faddegan (2005)

Garden Impacts:Social Gardens shown to increase parental

support, enthusiasm and involvement Students exhibit gains in working with

groups & teamwork skills Impacts to school culture and student

feelings of well-being

Alexander, North and Hendren (1995); Robinson and Zajicek (2005); Brunotts (1998); Thorp and Townsend (2001); Faddegan (2005)

IntegratingCurriculum Gardens as learning labs to meet Grade

Level Content Expectations Health and Nutrition Science Math Language Arts

www.gardenwizard.org

Urban School Gardens: Special Considerations

Soil contamination Resource constraints Summer vacation Land access/innovating space Intercurricular or extracurricular Fundraising “Safe” outdoor space

Lessons Learned Involve as many people as often as you can

Encourage and share leadership with students

Look outside of school for partners

Plan for summer

Evaluate and document your progress

Start small and close to home

Find ways to connect with curriculum

Be flexible and accept imperfections

Have Fun

Opportunities for Farmer Involvement

Inspire new generation of growers and local food supporters! Horticultural expertise Farm-to-School Agriculture Education

Resources and Support National Gardening Association – Kids

Gardening http://www.kidsgardening.com California School Garden Network

www.csgn.org School Garden Wizard

www.schoolgardenwizard.org CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems

Youth Community Food Intiative www.miyouthandfood.msu.edu

Thank You!Anne C. ScottYouth Community Food Outreach SpecialistCS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at MSU (517) 353 0751scottann@msu.edu