Urban School Gardens Michigan Family Farms Conference January 15 th, 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 America Lawson, 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)

Integrating Curriculum  Gardens as learning labs to meet Grade Level Content Expectations  Health and Nutrition  Science  Math  Language Arts 

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  California School Garden Network  School Garden Wizard  CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems Youth Community Food Intiative

Thank You! Anne C. Scott Youth Community Food Outreach Specialist CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at MSU (517)