MAC Newsletter: Winter 2011
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2010 brought a lot of changes for Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom, and I am pleased to report that this year of growth and long-range planning has served us well. Our programs are better than ever, reaching ever increasing numbers of educators, while our finances are gaining strength. We thank all the teacher participants, workshop presenters, farm hosts, volunteers and donors who have made this year a success. It is the teachers who attend our programs and the farmers whom we champion with our education programs who have always been our biggest supporters.
We are especially grateful this year to several organization and foundations that sponsored our educational efforts during the year. 2010 began with a $1,000 grant from Farm Credit East AgEnhancement Program to support printing our winter newsletter. This foundation also awarded us a $2,800 grant in 2011 to initiate a new Scholarship program. The Whole Foods Markets in the North Atlantic Region sponsored our Fall Greening the School Conference for Educators and Big Y Foods, Inc. donated $1,000 to sponsor our 2011 Winter Conference.
Last spring, MAC was awarded a Marketing Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. We developed fun agricultural activities for children that were previewed at agricultural fairs last fall and then posted on our website. The addition of these new activities led us to an update for our whole website, which should be in effect by mid-February. We hope you visit soon to see the new look!Building on this fairs initiative MAC applied for and received a grant from The Western Massachusetts Trustees of the Eastern States Exposition to support our efforts at the Big E. Then this fall, MAC was awarded a $9,000 grant from the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture to help us develop tools and training for a new volunteer program that will expand our outreach to even more fairs and public events. Thank you to each of you for this impressive support of our educational programs.
Marjorie Cooper, President
Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom
2010 Mini-Grant Awards
The MAC Mini-Grant program awarded $3,142 in 2010 to support these seven worthy agricultural education projects. Grants of up to $1,500 are awarded three times a year. The deadlines for proposal submission are the first of April, September and November. We encourage any Massachusetts educators to submit a proposals to enhance their educational program. More information and mini-grant guidelines are available on-line at www.aginclassroom.org or e-mail us to request a brochure at massaginclassroom@earthlink.net. Click here for Mini- Grant guidelines. You can also review descriptions of all mini-grant winners from 2010 and past years.
April Funding Total
"From Garden to Plate”
$365
Marblehead High School“Egg to Chicken”
$300
Barry School, Chicopee“Science, the Visual arts and Vermicomposting Collide”
$280
Hubbardston Elementary School“NES Courtyard Garden”
$145
Northbridge Elementary School“Hatching Chicks at West Elementary School”
$300
West Elementary School, Southbridge
September Mini-Grants
“Vermicomposting in the Classroom for a Three Sisters Garden in the Schoolyard”
$752
Kenny Elementary School, Dorchester
“YouthSeed: Seed Starting & Nursery Care”
$1,000
Youth Build Lowell
Much more than plants grow from gardening with a child, no matter how young the child. The garden provides a terrific opportunity to bond while also having fun. There are endless opportunities to awaken a sense of wonder through exploration and discovery. These experiences expand the child’s world to include the earth, soil and sky while also providing memories that last a lifetime.
Much formal research regarding the benefits of gardening for children has been conducted in the past 25 years. These studies show that interaction with the garden and the natural world provides numerous developmental benefits: educationally, emotionally, socially and physically. In addition the garden helps connect children to the world around them, including the natural environment and the food that sustains them. Because the early years are crucial for development, these experiences are even more rewarding for even the youngest children.
Educational Benefits
The garden is rich in meaningful learning opportunities and provides practical lessons that allow children to learn by doing. They can experience first-hand the food web cycle and the interactions between different organisms in the natural community.
Studies have shown that garden experiences offer improved cognitive benefits including: enhanced ability to focus; increased information recall; observational skills, creativity and the ability to reason. For teachers, gardening provides a full curriculum incorporating language, science, math, nutrition, social sciences and the arts. It provides different forms of engagement for children, such as: designing; planting; maintaining; recording; creating art and story telling. Tests have found children who garden score significantly higher on science achievement tests.
Social and Emotional Benefits
Regular contact with the natural world is essential to the emotional health of children. These experiences bring a sense of belonging and form connections to nature and the larger human community.
Several studies have also found that gardening reduces stress and increases self esteem in children. It provides opportunities to learn patience while waiting for things to grow. Concrete gardening tasks also focus children who might not normally concentrate for more than a few minutes.
Growing living things gives children a sense of accomplishment and self reliance. They learn about nurturing and develop responsibility as they see how necessary their care is to plants. They develop pride and ownership in creating something aesthetically pleasing. Their self confidence increases as they reap the rewards of their work and are praised by others.
The garden also provides opportunity for modeling as children observe and imitate older children and adults. Children have also been found to demonstrate better interpersonal skills and behavior. They benefit from spending time with you and also gain social interaction with young friends when they share their garden. In groups, gardening provides different forms of engagement for children to work cooperatively. They develop skills in negotiating and sharing responsibilities. Each also contributes in individual ways developing a greater self-understanding. Gardening can also facilitate opportunities for children to share their cultural heritage.
Physical Benefits
Gardening provided healthy outdoor activity and an opportunity for both structured and unstructured play. As children work in the garden they develop physical skills such as eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills. While learning to use tools and carry out tasks, they develop strength and improved physical health.
Environmental Benefits
Plants are as critical to our existence as air and water. In the garden the wonders of plant life are everywhere and there are many creatures to explore. The garden provides a unique environment for children to experience the workings of the natural world. As they follow their inborn curiosity, they observe, first-hand, the cycles of life and see them change over time. A greater appreciation and respect is formed as they learn the value of plants, animals and eco-systems. This leads to an understanding of the role we each play on the earth.
Good stewardship of natural resources is also a part of the lessons in gardening, and the child will see the principles in action. Going green become an innate part of their life. There’s no better way to avoid the carbon cost of shipping food vast distances than by growing it yourself. This translates to “food inches” from the garden to their plate.
Nutritional Benefits
When children garden, there are so many opportunities to learn that the food they eat comes from the land and is directly connected to the natural world. They can witness the food web cycle, from healthy soil to healthy edible crops. They can harvest, prepare food, eat the fruits of their labor and then recycle the wastes back to the garden through composting. There are so many chances to learn about nutrition, healthy eating and making good food choices.
These healthy eating habits, once formed, can last a lifetime, creating a sustainable life-style. Numerous studies have found that children who grow their own food are more likely to eat fresh fruits and vegetables and express a preference for these foods. They become more adventurous in eating fresh produce. They notice similarities and differences from their garden grown vegetables and those from the grocery store.
More Rewards
Gardening with the children is also safe and inexpensive. In many cases you don’t have to buy anything special. And growing and eating your own fruits and vegetables, saves money from the food budget.
The experience of participating with children in gardening activities is invaluable. Whether you have access to a large garden plot, small yard or are confined to a windowbox, together you’ll find the joy of watching plants and the animals that live among them grow and flourish. You will find projects that awaken the sense of wonder and nourish the self confidence. The experience of planting a seed with a child and then watching it grow, while nurturing the plant and waiting for it to bear fruit, will expand their world. Plan to garden with the children in your life and appreciate the joy and amazement of discovering something new as you watch the garden and children mature.
- Getting Started: Begin by talking with the child about the garden. Go some place where there is a garden to view. Encourage them to start a journal and write or draw their garden adventures and explorations.
- Make It Their Own: Give them their own garden space. Scale their garden to their age and abilities, so that they can manage the garden without feeling overwhelmed. For a toddler, one row or a few container pots is sufficient. A space of 3’ by 3’ is ideal for a preschooler
- Design the Garden: Let the child help plan the garden. Give them a part in deciding where to put their own garden space and in its design. Talk about what plants need and healthy soil. Is there enough sun and is water readily available. Make sure the child can easily reach all the plants and properly care for the garden.
- The Plants: Engage the child to help in choosing the plants they will grow. Be sure to include some of the plants they really like to eat. You can choose some plants that are already started in pots. Let them dig the holes and gently tamp the soil down around the plant.
- Also include plant that are seeded directly into the ground to show the whole life cycle from seed to harvest. Choose some seeds that mature quickly, like radish and lettuces, for quick success. For very young children, be sure to plant larger seeds, such as beans that are easily handled. Soak the seeds for a few hours to ensure germination.
- Water, Water, Water: Provide a watering can or gentle shower or mist sprayer hose attachment so the child can water their own plants. With a very young child, you may want to water first and then have them follow after you.
- Garden Chores: Enlist the child in garden chores as much as their capabilities and attention span allow. In addition to planting and watering, they can mulch soil, remove insects and even do some weeding. Relax your standards a bit and do some behind the scenes maintenance, if necessary.
- Give them their own garden tools, that are age appropriate. Kids size tools are easy to find and old kitchen utensils also serve well. Find a little bucket to store their tools next to yours. This will encourage ownership in caring for their own garden. Make plant markers.
- Finish the Cycle: Be sure to include the child in the harvest and preparation of their food for the table.
Tips for Gardening with Young Children
One of the best things that you can grow is a gardener. These tips will help you to engage their interest and create lasting memories.
Make It Fun: Be curious and open to whimsy and surprise. Let the child take the lead in discovery, then provide the background information.
Relax Your Standards: Gardening priorities are different for young children than adults. The “doing” is more important than the end result. Let go of the need for perfection. Work as much as you can in small patches of time. Plan to get dirty, gardens require hands-on interactions with soil, plants and water.
Give Them a Good Experience: Young children have short attention spans. Start off small and grow. Provide lots of simple activities and be prepared to change them as interest wanes. Spend as much or as little time as feels right to the child, you can always come back to the project later. But don’t expect them to work for long without your direct interaction. Grow something that appeals to them and use their other interests or hobbies to keep things interesting. Read a garden story or add an art easel to the garden or a sandbox for digging holes. Make sure you both wear comfortable clothes that can get wet and dirty. Keep tools and supplies size-appropriate to the task.
Be an Example in the Garden: Be a good model. Show them how much you love gardening and respect the natural world. Demonstrate how to handle living things with care and respect. Be a facilitator, never tell them something you can show them. Teach with encouragement and enthusiasm. In a group, enlist older children to partner with the younger ones.
Give Them a Say: Enlist them in the garden chores as much as their capabilities and attention span will allow. Offer guidance but let the child make the choices. Engage them through the entire process, from seed to table. Make sure that they have their own garden space, and let them help plan that garden.
Provide Opportunities for Success: Aim for rapid results. Try to steer them towards fairly quick cropping and easy to grow plants. Grow the plants they like to eat or that have a special interest. Do behind-the-scenes maintenance such as watering to ensure that plants live and produce. Intervene where necessary to assure success. Show off their garden.
Tie in All the Senses: Surround them with great gardens with a riot of sensory experiences. Help make the connection with what they see, feel, hear and smell and the feelings they have when they are in a garden. Encourage use of all the senses, but teach what is okay to touch or taste and when to check with an adult.
Grow Something to Eat: Growing food is a great way to stimulate a child’s interest in gardening and teach that food comes from the land, whether directly or indirectly. Let them complete the cycle from seed to harvest to the table. There are so many natural lessons about nutrition and healthy eating.
Make the Environmental Connection: Teach respect for the natural world and the cycles of life. Explore the soil; learn how plants are critical to all life and what plants need; discover beneficial insects; encourage wildlife in the garden and so much more.
Keep the Garden Safe: Avoid pesticides, even organic ones, and keep fertilizers and sharp or motorized tools out of reach. Stay away from plants that are poisonous or have sharp thorns. Teach them what they can touch and to eat only those plants that you tell them are edible. Test the soil; children are very sensitive to lead poisoning.
There are endless opportunities to explore wildlife in the garden. Entire communities of insects, birds and animals live hidden away from view. What role does each organism play in the rhythm of the garden?
Dig a hole in the soil or pick up a rock or branch to find a host of insects, worms and other organisms busy working to recycle waste and leaf litter. Butterflies, moths, bees, wasps and other insects stop by to collect pollen and nectar, pollinating the flowers as they go. Sit quietly and watch a flower to see who visits.
Discover the magic of a spirally designed cobweb sparkling with morning dew. Look for an unsuspecting fly trapped in the web by the waiting spider. These spiders and other insects, such as the lady beetle are important garden predators, holding down the populations of destructive insects. Even the industrious ant can be helpful in establishing new colonies of plants by moving seed around the garden.
Add a small pond and you’ll provide drinking water and breeding sites for birds, bats and mammals as well as refuges for frogs, toads, turtles, newts and even snakes. Dragonflies, damselflies, water beetles, pond skaters, midges and other water insects soon appear.
Birds will visit the garden to feast on insects as well as the seed heads of flowering plants such as coreopsis and sunflowers. Dig in the soil and robins are sure to follow looking for tasty worms in the disturbed earth. Add water, bird food and a bit of shelter and birds are sure to find nesting spots in the garden.
You may even find signs of mammals in the garden. Look for evidence of chipmunks, squirrels, moles, voles, mice, groundhogs and even foxes.
Favorite Plants for Young Children
- Annual Flowers: amaranth, cosmos, lemon gem marigold, nasturtium, spider flower, sunflower and zinnia
- Perennial Flowers: butterfly weed, catmint, coneflowers, coreopsis, daylilies, lady’s mantle, malva, sage, sedum, sundrops and yarrow
- Herbs: alpine strawberries, anise hyssop, basil, chamomile, chives, dill, johnny jump up, lamb’s ear, lavender, lemon balm, mint, oregano, parsley thyme and yarrow
- Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, cherry tomatoes, corn, bush beans, lettuces, mesclun greens, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, snap peas, snow peas, spinach, watermelon and zucchini
- Tropicals: banana, bay, citrus, ginger, lemon verbena, peanuts, pineapple mint, pineapple sage, rosemary and scented geraniums
- Vines: bottle gourds, cardinal climber, grapes, New Zealand spinach, purple hyacinth beans and scarlet runner beans
Pizza Garden: Plant a pizza garden by making a circle and dividing it in triangular pizza pie-slice beds containing different vegetables and herbs, lined with narrow pathways. Plant tomatoes, peppers, arugula, garlic, onions, basil, oregano, thyme and other herbs and vegetables. Harvest and make a pizza.
Sunflower House: Plant sunflower seeds 8-12” apart around the outside of a circle 5-6 feet in diameter, leaving a space for the door. Then plant cardinal creeper seeds or the seeds of other small gourds next to the sunflower seeds. As the vines grow they will twine around the sunflowers.
Tepee Shelter: Push bamboo poles into the ground at an angle, so they lean towards each other to make a tepee. Tie the poles together. Plant seeds of vines such as peas, beans, gourds, purple hyacinth beans or scarlet runner beans between the poles. Watch them climb and cover the teepee.
- Keep a nature journal of the plants, insects and animals in your garden. How do they change over time. Sit quietly and observe the garden, then draw or write what you see. Take photos of the plants at different stages.
- Investigate the insects in your garden. Find out which ones are beneficial.
- Plant a garden to attract wildlife. Learn which plants will support desirable birds, butterflies and insects.
- Where space is limited, start small with a container vegetable garden or lettuce in a window box. Plant a strawberry patch.
- Plant spring bulbs outdoors in October; force paperwhite bulbs indoors at the same time.
- Raise herbs on the windowsill. Plant grocery store plants, such as carrot tops, avocado pits or sweet potato eyes.
- Plant a Three Sisters Garden using the native American companion planting involving a trio of corn, beans and squash. Learn the native customs.
- Sprout seeds such as alfalfa, black- eyed peas, Mung beans, snow peas or wheatgrass, that will be ready in a few days and can be added to salads and sandwiches.
- Harvest seeds from favorite plants, dry them and store them to plant again next year. Start a seed business.
- In the winter, cut branches of flowering trees and put them in water to force them into bloom.
- Harvest vegetables, greens and herbs from the garden and plan a menu around these foods. Invite friends to join you and share the harvest from your garden.
Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association
www.mnla.com
Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
http://arboretum.harvard.eduBerkshire Botanic Garden
www.berkshirebotanical.orgMassachusetts Audubon Society
www.massaudubon.orgMassachusetts Horticultural Society
www.masshort.orgNew England Wild Flower Society
www.newfs.orgWorcester County Horticultural Society
www.towerhillbg.orgCurriculum & Resources Websites
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden www.bbg.org
California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom www.cfaitc.org
Colorado State University www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4dmg/ Children/ingarden.htm
The Great Plant Escape http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gpe/index.html
Kids Gardening
The Kids Garden www.thekidsgarden.co.uk
My First Garden http://urbanext.illinois.edu/firstgarden
National Gardening Association
Renees Garden www.reneesgarden.com/articles/ child.html
Sustainable Living html://eartheasy.com/grow_ gardening_children.htm
UMass Extension
USDA Food & Nutrition Service www.fns.usda.gov
Search for Grow it Books
Gardening Books For Children
Big Yellow Sunflower
by Frances Barry, Candlewick, 2008. (picture book)
Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!
by Bob Barner, Chronicle Books, 1999. (picture book)
The Carrot Seed
by Ruth Kraus, Harper Collins, 1945. (picture book - a classic)
A Child’s Garden: 60 Ideas to Make Any Garden Come Alive for Children
by Molly Dannenmaier, Timber Press, 2008.
A Child’s Garden: Enchanted Outdoor Spaces for Children and Parents
by Molly Dannenmaier, Simon and Schuster, 1998.
Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z
by Lois Ehlert, Red Wagon Books, 1996. (picture book)
Eddie’s Garden and How to Make Things Grow
by Sarah Garland, Frances Lincoln Publisher, LTD, 2006.
The Gardener
by Sarah Stewart, David Small illustrator, Caldecott Honor Book, 1997. (historical fiction)
A Gardener’s Alphabet
by Mary Azarian Houghton Mifflin Co., 2000. (picture book) .
Gardening with Children
by Monika Hannemann et al., Brooklyn Botanic Garden: All-Region Guides, 2007.
Gardening with Children
by Beth Richardson, Taunton Press, 1998.
Gardening with Young Children
(Early Years Series) by Beatrys Lockie, Hawthorn Press, 2007.
Gardening Wizardry for Kids
by L. Patricia Kite, 1995.
George and Flora’s Secret Garden
by Joanna Elizabeth Elworthy, Random House, 2010.
Growing Vegetable Soup
by Lois Ehlert, Harcourt Brace, 1990.
Hollyhocks and Honeybees: Garden Projects for Young Children
by Sara Starbuck et al., Red Leaf Press, 2002.
In My Garden
by Ward Schumaker, Chronicle Books, 2000. (picture book)
Jack’s Garden
by Henry Cole, Mulberry Press, 1997. (Picture Book)
Kids in the Garden Growing Plants for Food and Fun
by Elizabeth McCorquodale, Black Dog Publishing, 2010.
Planting a Rainbow
by Lois Ehlert, Harcourt Brace, 1988.
Pumpkin Circle: The Story of A Garden
by George Levenson, 1997. (picture book)
RHS: Grow It, Eat It
by the Royal Horticultural Society, Dorling Kindersley, 2008.
RHS: Wildlife Garden
by Martyn Cox, Dorling Kindersley, 2009.
Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children
by Sharon Lovejoy, Workman Publishers, 1999.
Sunflower Houses
by Eve Bunting, Voyager Books, 1999.
The Surprise Garden
by Zoe Hall, illustrated by Barbara Lambase, Harcourt-Brace, 1996.
- My American Farm an on-line agricultural game from the American Farm Bureau can be found at www.myamericanfarm.org.
- Hands to Earth: an educational website for the composting program at Quabbin Regional HS in Barre at www.handstoearth.com.
- Urban Environmental Program Website, a useful tool from EPA at www.epa.gov/region1/eco/uep.
- Maple Sugaring information, local farms and curriculum from the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association at www.massmaple.org.
- Bread Comes to Life classroom activities and resources on-line at www.pumpkincircle.com.
- Pollinator Partnership offers pollinator counts, planting guides, curriculum, teacher resources and more at www.pollinator.org.
- AgroWorld Science, Technology & Society e-zine can be found at www.agclassroom.org/teen/agro/agro.htm.
- Grants for School and Youth Gardening: links and deadlines at www.kidsgardening.org/grants.asp.
