Gardening in schools and young adults is widely accepted as an educational tool that can enhance academic achievement and improve the quality of life for students engaged in garden-based learning activities.
Research conducted by Texas A&M University in 1999 found that elementary school students who participated in school gardening activities scored significantly higher on educational achievement tests than students who did not experience any gardening-based learning activities.
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This research also found that teachers view the school garden as an effective tool for promoting academic performance, physical activity, and healthy eating habits. In 2009, researchers at Cornell University found that school gardening activities positively affected the quantity and variety of vegetables consumed by middle school students.
Because of these and other positive outcomes associated with school and youth gardening, many schools in Greater Columbus are developing and expanding school gardening programs. Columbus City Schools developed a successful school gardening program with garden beds now located in 64 school buildings in the area, with plans to add garden beds in 20 additional schools this fall, according to Katie Young, CCS Farm-to-School and Nutrition Coordinator.
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A school garden conference is scheduled
To help teachers, principals, parents, and other community members develop and support youth gardening projects in schools and communities, Ohio State University’s 4-H Youth Development Program sponsors the Common Ground Planting Conference, the 8th School Gardening Conference from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. : 30 m. On October 28, at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center on the Ohio State University campus, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive.
The conference will identify strategies that teachers and others can use to develop school gardening projects and integrate school gardening into their curricula and classroom activities to enhance content standards and improve student success.
Keynote by the national leader
The main conference presentation will be given by Whitney Cohen of Life Lab, a school garden training and support organization based in Santa Cruz, California. Cohen is the Director of Education for the Life Lab, and a nationally recognized leader of garden-based education. In addition to her commitment to school gardens, she has experience in inquiry and place-based education; Strategies for engaging diverse learners; Environmental education in public schools.
Cohen provides workshops for teachers and leads the School Gardens Support Organization’s National Leadership Institute. She is the author of The Children’s Gardening Projects Book, the Food Corps Scouting Handbook and the American Heart Association’s Educational Gardening Guide. Cohen is a former middle school science teacher and holds a bachelor’s degree in sustainable community development from Vassar College and a master’s degree. in education from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Conference Topics
Conference participants will have the opportunity to learn from teachers and practitioners working with school gardens and youth on a wide range of topics including:
- Succulent Propagation in a Co-Teaching Classroom with Co-teaching Tips and Tricks: Ashley Dolin Smith and Justin Rodriguez; Dublin City Schools
- Youth Gardening in Columbus City Schools: Katie Young, Columbus City Schools
- Cooking in the Classroom: Bianca Blakely, OSU Supplement
- Bringing animals to the school garden: Jim Reding, Granville Village Exempt School District
- The Art of Gardening: Marsha Armstrong, volunteer master gardener
- Early Childhood Gardening: Lynne Steinhaus, Child Care Academy
- Early Primary Pollinator Gardens: Molly Gasway, Community Food Initiatives
- Garden Pests: Pam Bennett, Ohio State University Extension
- Using the Junior Master Gardener Curriculum in an After School Program: Sabine Kuhn, Deb Rinto and Karen Middendorf, Master Gardener Volunteers
- Useful plants in a school garden: Mary Griffith, USDA
- Aligning writing with the school garden: Susan Mueller, volunteer master gardener
- After School Gardening: Beth Urban, Impact Community Action
- #RealSchoolFood – How teachers can integrate school gardens and cafeterias: Julialynne Walker, Bronzeville Grower’s Market, and Agricademy
- Gardening with Young People at Franklin Park Institute: Sean McKay and Jenny Wisinski, Franklin Park Musical and Botanical Gardens
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As an exciting addition to the day, School Gardens of Ohio, a school and youth garden support organization, will work with conference participants to organize regional school garden support networks across the state.
Conference registration
The School Garden Conference costs $65 to register, which includes continental breakfast, lunch, and all program materials. Register at go.osu.edu/4hsgc22 before October 21. For more information, contact Sue Hogan at hogan.239@osu.edu.
School gardens bring communities together through shared experiences of planting, harvesting, cooking and more. Learn about the diversity a garden has to offer, including garden animals and insects, different ways to cook nutritious meals from the harvest, educational methods for pre-K-12 students, and more at the 8th School Garden Conference.
Mike Hogan is Associate Professor at Ohio State University and Extension Instructor at OSU Extension.
hogan.1@osu.edu
Originally published at San Jose News Bulletin
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