Erin Nurss, MPH Program Coordinator UA Arizona Nutrition Network August 25-26, 2010

 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

 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

 UA Cooperative Extension ◦ Pima County Master Gardeners  SNAP-Ed schools  Community Food Bank

 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

 Provide gardening expertise  Incorporate nutrition education ◦ Reiterate the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption.  Consultations ◦ Teachers ◦ Administrators ◦ Parents

 Provide seeds, soil, compost  Provide ongoing technical assistance  Mentor parents  Nutrition education

 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

 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)

 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

 Special Education  Students try the foods they are growing when they are available in the cafeteria.  Gardening used as physical activity and therapy

 Garden supplies ◦ America the Beautiful ◦ Home improvement stores  Suggest sites for materials and grants ◦ ◦  KidsGardening.com newsletter ◦ Updates on the latest open grant cycles ◦ Opportunities for funding for gardening materials and supplies  Captain Planet Foundation ◦

 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.

 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.

 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

 Local donations/sponsors/grants  Make a Difference Day  Family support and volunteerism

 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

 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

 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)

 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.

 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

 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

 Volunteers ◦ Master Gardeners ◦ Parents ◦ Teachers  Culture (Master Gardeners) ◦ Priorities ◦ Organizational goals ◦ Generations  Location  Time restraints

 Community gardens/Outdoor classrooms  Sustainability  Nutrition education through Master Gardeners ◦ Junior Master Gardener program ◦ Greater incorporation into presentations