AFTER SCHOOL FOOD ENVIRONMENT
ENACT STRATEGY: Gardens
Establish after school gardens to expose students to fresh produce while teaching them about how food is grown
Gardens in an after-school program provide an experiential learning experience regarding the food system (the entire process food goes through from farm to plate),where children participate in growing fresh produce and are exposed to new, healthy foods. Exposing students to fresh produce presents a unique opportunity to meet children’s immediate nutritional needs, while cultivating lifelong healthy habits. Moreover, after school gardens also engage youth participants in subjects such as nature, science, math, reading, writing, and team work.
Food from the Hood, Los Angeles, CA
Food from the Hood is a youth-based gardening and entrepreneurial initiative in which students plant, maintain and harvest their own garden and then develop, create, and market food products. Profits go towards funding college scholarships for program participants.
Barry Elementary School Garden
The Barry Elementary School Garden was such a success as a school-based program, that they expanded the program for an after school program. This model has integrated children, school, family, and community collaboration for their success.
The Edible Schoolyard is a cooking and gardening program in Berkeley, California. Since 1997, students participate in classes in the school’s organic garden and the kitchen classroom where students prepare seasonal dishes from produce they have grown.
Garden Mosaics is a youth and community education program that combines science learning with intergenerational mentoring, multicultural understanding, and community action. This program connects both youth and elders to gardening and emphasizes place-based learning, which uses neighborhoods as the focus for learning.
This San Diego, CA based garden program works with children in an afterschool club that is facilitated by the International Rescue Committee (IRC).The Garden site is on Crawford High School campus, and they use the garden community to make growing produce and food justice an integral part of learning. Watch the video about this program on YouTube here: Crawford Garden Groundbreaking.
This site has been created for America's K-12 school community through a partnership between the United States Botanic Garden and Chicago Botanic Garden. The School Garden Wizard includes a range of resources for planning school gardens, creating and maintaining gardens, and using gardens as an instructional tool for students.
Kids Gardening School Gardening Registry
If you are interested in connecting with other schools and programs in your area, or you would like to get a sense of school gardens across the nation the Kids Gardening School Gardening Registry is a great place to get started!
This 9-step guide provides important tips for creating and maintaining a school garden.
Since 1991, The Food Project has built a national model of engaging young people in personal and social change through sustainable agriculture. The Food Project utilizes a youth empowerment and entrepreneurial approach, working with youth to farm on 31 acres in rural Lincoln, MA and on several lots in urban Boston. The Food Project also serves as a resource center for organizations and individuals worldwide.
National Gardening Association
NGA’s is a national non-profit agency with programs and initiatives designed to highlight the opportunities for plant-based education in schools, communities, and backyards across the country. NGA provides a range of resources specific to youth gardening.
After-School Gardening Improves Children’s Reported Vegetable Intake and Physical Activity**
This study evaluates an after-school education and gardening program on reported vegetable intake and physical activity among children in 3rd through 8th grade. The results of the study showed an increase in the proportion of children who reported eating vegetables every day.
Hermann J, Parker S, Brown B, Siewe Y, Denney B, Walker S. After-School Gardening Improves Children's Reported Vegetable Intake and Physical Activity Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2006 May-June; 38 (3): 201-202
Garden Based Learning: Research that Supports Our Work
This resource from Cornell University shares the benefits of garden based learning, referencing existing evidence based research.
** We can only provide links to the article abstracts and not the full text.