PULSE on HEALTH Garden Curriculum: Exploring Pulses through Math, Science and Nutrition Activities

Fresh shell beans Green beans Peas Dry beans Dry peas Lentils Chickpea (Garbanzo) Fabaceae Pulses Fresh Oil seed Legumes Categorized By Use Legumes Soy beans Peanuts

Pulse Dietary Guidelines Pulses in the diet reduce risk of heart disease and diabetes* Excellent source of fiber Phytonutrients (iron, zinc, folate, B 12 ) High protein Low in fat MyPlate Guidelines  National Dietary guidelines for Americans - 1 ½ C pulses per week (used to be 3 C per week) School Cafeteria Dietary Guidelines  USDA National School Lunch Program - 1/2 C pulse per week *Abeysekara et al., 2012; Higdon and Drake, 2009; McCrory et al., 2010

Diet Related Health Issues in the U.S.  Unhealthy eating habits of children: Less than 10% of children (6-11 yr) eat USDA recommended daily amount of fruit (1 ½ - 2 C) and vegetables (2-3 C)  Unhealthy diet and lack of exercise cause: Heart disease – primary cause of death in U.S. today Obesity – Doubled in children (6-11 yr) and quadroupled in adolescents (12-19 yr) in past 30 years Type-2 diabetes – affects 151,000 young adults (<20 years old) Source: CDC, 2013.

Dry Beans in School Lunches  530,000 students are enrolled in the National School Lunch Program in 5 Western Washington Counties ½ cup beans per student per week = 51,000 kg beans per week = 2 million kg beans per school year  In , USDA reserved $175,000 for Washington schools to purchase locally sourced food Photo credit: National Farm to School Program

School Garden-based Education  ‘Planting seeds, caring for plants, and harvesting … provide students with a meaningful and tangible connection with food’ (Shelly and Bradley, 2000)  Knowledge of and preference for healthy foods leads to increased consumption of these foods (Koch et al., 2006)  Outcomes of several studies* suggest… knowledge and skills learned in a school garden support an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables  There is limited school garden-based curricula and none focus on pulse crops *Heim, et al., 2009; Lineberger and Zajicek, 2000; Ozer, 2007; Poston et al., 2005; Somerset and Markwell, 2008; Wright, and Rowell, 2010

School Gardens  Nationwide 31% of school districts = 2,401 school gardens  Washington state 26% of school districts = 71 school gardens USDA-FNS, 2014

Pulse Crop for School Gardens: Dry Beans  Dry beans grows well in Western Washington  Nutritious and inexpensive food for school cafeterias  Ideal crop for school gardens Students plant in spring and harvest in fall

Dry Bean Varieties Lariat Rockwell Orca Eclipse Decker Navy  Large seeds that are easy to handle and store  Many varieties available and several have beautiful colored patterns on them

Curriculum Development  3 lessons for 4 th grade 3 weeks each season Spring (planting) and fall (harvesting)  Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) OSPI Washington State Health Standards National Next Generation Science Standards  Includes school garden & classroom lessons Nutrition, biology, math

School Garden-based Curriculum vegetables.wsu.edu/schoolgarden/

Planting Bean Seeds  Germination experiment in the classroom  Rulers in the school garden to measure spacing

Math Lessons  Calculators in the school garden are used to solve: % germination rate Average plant height Average bean size at harvest

Biology Lesson in the School Garden  Identified plant parts  Harvested and threshed beans  Nitrogen fixation and root nodules Photo credit: Brook Brouwer (root nodule photo); all others by Kelly Ann Atterberry

Nutrition Lesson in the Classroom Source: Youtube, Kelly Ann’s Pulse Cooking Demonstration  Understanding the vegetable subgroup  Developed a dry bean cooking demonstration

Student Engagement  Planting bean seeds with fourth grade students  Preparing garden bed and planting bean seeds with high school students

Benefits of a School Garden  When students became more familiar with dry beans, their preference increased  Increased preference leads to increased consumption*  These findings are important for: Health organizations Dry bean industry School food services K-12 teachers to justify using the school garden as a classroom *Heim et al., 2009

Local Dry Bean Supply Willowood Farm, Coupeville, WA Hedlin Farm, La Conner, WAFrog Song Farm, Fir Island, WA  Local dry bean growers provide school cafeterias with access to a local staple food crop  49% of WA school districts are promoting locally purchased food at school