+ Sands School Garden Program

+ History Formed in 2011 by Sands mothers Modeled on Granny’s Garden School in Loveland, Ohio Garden Committee founders attended the GGS Schoolyard Nature Network, a 5 part workshop that trains organizations to establish and sustain School Garden Programs.

+ Mission Create teaching gardens with lessons that are integrated into the curriculum - especially science. Foster a lifelong connection to nature through hands-on learning experiences Create a connection with our community through a (future) Tribute Garden and, possibly, a Mt. Washington Community Garden.

+ Benefits Significantly increase science achievement scores. 1 Improve social skills and behavior. 2 Improve environmental attitudes 3 Instill appreciation & respect for nature that lasts into adulthood 4 Improve nutrition knowledge & vegetable preferences Klemmer, C. D., T. M. Waliczek, and J. M. Zajicek Growing minds: The effect of a school gardening program on the science achievement of elementary students. HortTechnology15(3): DeMarco, L., P. D. Relf, and A. McDaniel Integrating gardening into the elementary school curriculum. HortTechnology 9(2): Skelly, S. M., and J. M. Zajicek The effect of an interdisciplinary garden program on the environmental attitudes of elementary school students. HortTechnology 8(4): Lohr, V.I. and C.H. Pearson-Mims Children’s active and passive interactions with plants influence their attitudes and actions toward trees and gardening as adults. HortTechnology. 15(3): Morris, JL and Zidenberg-Cherr, S Garden-based nutrition curriculum improves fourth-grade school children's knowledge of nutrition and preferences for some vegetables. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 102(1):

+ Granny’s Garden School Founded in 2002, by a Loveland Elementary grandmother The largest and most comprehensive school garden program in the Midwest Each week, nearly 1,700 students have an “outdoor classroom experience” through the standards based lessons guides. 100 vegetable garden beds provide hands-on learning opportunities in science, language arts, math, art, wellness, environmentalism

+ Teaching in the garden

+ One garden bed for each class

+ Hands on learning experience

+ Science, Math, Writing, Art, Environmentalism

+ Accomplishments to Date Creation and maintenance of large ornamental and herb garden beds at each entrance, around the peace pole and in the triangular planters. Design and Construction of two “green” sheds. 7 classroom garden beds were built in Spring 2015 Participating teachers used the new garden beds for outdoor classroom experiences The Wilary Terrace Nature Preserve is now available for field trips and “living classroom”.

+ Participating Teachers 3-6 Mitza Costantini, Pam Schall, Kathy Yunker, Laura Morgan and Maura O'Keefe 6-9 Kelli Jasper 9-12 Cindy Stevens, Tiffany Rebich If more garden beds are needed, we will build them

+ Immediate Next Steps Get more volunteers in order to grow the program Continue to care for flower beds (planting, weeding, etc) Grant writing Building and installing a garden trellis Building shelves inside the sheds

+ Longer term goals Hire a Garden Coordinator Yearly Harvest Celebration Master Landscape Plan for entire school grounds

+ School Garden Coordinator Jackie Roberto