Essay on Community Action Plan: Urban Garden at School

The two boys showed they were confidant and knowledgeable about gardening, for example they knew how to use a rake to mulch the garden and how to care for the plants (Elliott, 2014). As a future educator this example can be facilitated into a lesson by developing children’s knowledge on the environment, weather, and season pattern changes that cause the leaves to die and fall off trees (ACARA, 2015). Additionally, children also learn about composting and how these leaves provide essential nutrients to the soil for plants to grow and provide shelter and cover for animals and living things (ACARA, 2015). Children can also develop their science inquiry skills by questioning and predicting various trees and leaves and identify and analyse similarities and differences in the leaves by also using their senses to explore. Most importantly, by engaging children in the process of gardening, they begin to show respect for the environment and understand the importance of maintaining

In this essay, I will be taking on the role of the head administrator, of the Northumberland Community Garden. I will be writing a proposal letter to the American Community Gardens Association, to try and receive funding for the Northumberland Community Gardens. In this letter, I will give a basic outline of the program development stages, evaluation process, and financial aspects of my organization. I will also include other information that would be considered relevant to understanding my purpose for creating this program.

According to National Heart Lung and Blood institute, in America, 1 in 6 kids are obese. Although obesity might not seem that much of a big deal, it is. Childhood obesity can lead to much worse health problems later in adulthood, such as higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, and even cancer, among many chronic health issues all caused by obesity. Many kids get about half of their daily calories at school, and for some, school is where they get all of their daily calories. Since school plays such a big part in affecting the lives of many kids across America, special attention should be shown to nutrition. This can help kids with obesity, as well as kids that don’t have much food at home to eat and only rely on school food. For many poor kids, they don’t have a lot of healthy foods at home, because they can’t afford it. So, they rely on cheap school food for their vitamins and nutrients. Because cafeteria foods, like hamburgers or beef and cheese nachos, are highly processed and filled with unnecessary fat ,those kids that rely on school for food won’t get the nutrients and vitamins they need and will go home hungry. Since kids are growing up, it is especially important for them to get the right food they need to grow up healthy and strong, and in a place full of kids that are growing up, it is only right to provide them with good and healthy food that will allow the kids to grow up into healthy adults without obesity, malnourishment, or any kind of health

Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation is creating an urban garden that would use the joy of gardening to provide intergenerational and cross-cultural connections within a food desert with access to fresh fruits and vegetables and weekly physical activities using the joy of gardening. The program will promote positive behavioral changes that include better nutrition and increase physical activity among participants while teach entrepreneurship skills to the youth through the farmers’ market. In addition, the garden and market would be used to teach youth and low-income families gardening and entrepreneurial skills while also providing the low-income community to be served with regular access to fresh fruit and vegetables. TWEF will also provide

The implementation of school gardens would not only foster several learning opportunities such as the teaching of biology, nutrition, economics of production, and sustainability, but it would allow schools to adopt a cost-effective method of providing nutritious, satiating lunches. The National School Lunch Program provides reimbursements to schools to ensure the continuous supply of lunches, but to make a complete meal with an average of $2.93 along with the expenses of labor, equipment, electricity, and maintenance is not unsustainable. Despite the low cost of maintenance and the fact that nothing is ever free, school gardens can produce an abundance of low-cost fruits and vegetables that can serve as the basis of every school breakfast and lunch, considerably reducing the costs of lunches and encouraging the betterment the overall nutrition and physical health of students. In addition, school compost systems could also be cost-beneficial as they cut spending on waste management fees; for instance, in a New York pilot program, one school saved over $6000 annually in fees. These savings could be reinvested in the school lunch program or into the advocating of health. Also, because up to eighty percent of typical school garbage is compostable material, the compost can be used to fertilize and maintain the school gardens, furthering the reduction of costs. The stated policies would not only lessen the gap between poverty and improved health, but would foster a new and innovative way to promote financial and physical health in

Making sure students get all the resources to succeed is important for Maple Woods. I talked with an academic adviser at Maple Woods about the benefits of building a farm on campus. Mrs. Denise Westrem is a veteran when it comes to the advising board here at Maple Woods. She agrees that adding horticulture to maple woods will help students on campus, but has some complications. Westrem said, ‘’ It 's a really cool and exciting topic, I can see it happening. Students will love being outside working hands on while learning.’’ All those ideas are both correct. A lot of students at Maple Woods always complain about class not being outside. When Western bought up how students get to learn hands on, that topic bought up two good points. One being that hands on work may make learning fun.

Tell people who don't like gardening but want a garden how to plant a low maintenance one.To where they dont have to take care of it at all.

Gardens offer science and mathematics lessons in enjoyable, hands-on situations that permit children to “think with their hands”. Gardens help teach communities and endorse sustainable, local foods while also providing critical science and mathematics lessons to elementary students. Gardens also teach children life lessons such as patience and accountability as they nurture plants. Research done by the University of Alabama demonstrates that children’s participation in gardens leads to healthier food choices, more compliance to try or eat vegetables, improved plant knowledge, greater interest in learning, and increased reading and math standardized test scores. Students who participated in gardening had a six percent lower body mass index, an average of eleven percent higher standardized test scores, and twenty-seven percent more vegetable consumption (Grider). For many students, school can be a uninteresting but required exercise where paying attention and retaining information becomes a tedious endeavor. When an active teacher decides to teach science through gardening and hands-on experience, they will discover that students are more engaged with a higher voluntary participation rate. NWFSC should start a garden because of the possible learning opportunities that can be available to local elementary

Project Learning Tree provides professional development for teachers on how to engage children in indoor/outdoor environmental experiences. The parents had the opportunity to speak to a representative of Project Learning Tree and learn more about the curriculum and teacher training opportunities. Sodexo is a food service company that provides breakfast and lunch for Van Ness and the majority of DC Public Schools. Sodexo provided information pertaining to the breakfast and lunch menu, and offered tasty healthy recipes. I thought the healthy recipes was very important information because Van Ness prides its self on being a healthy school and only providing healthy

All students K-12 will be required to take at least one nutrition course per year in order to graduate. The class will entail lecture-style learning and hands-on activities by means of community gardens. WASD, in conjunction with the Future Farmers of America and the Wellsboro Master Gardening Club will start community gardens at each of the four schools. Students will gain first-hand experience growing fruits and vegetables while learning about their nutrient content. Throughout the duration of the policy, registered dietitians and nutritionists from Susquehanna Health, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital, and other local agencies will be invited to give special presentations.

Tree groves have been planted, rain gardens have been created, and gardens are tended on a regular basis. These are just a few of the many conservation innovations conducted at Chesapeake Ecology Center. The massive amount of participation is done completely on a volunteer basis. Multiple groups of people give their time then disperse their knowledge into their own communities in order to increase neighborhood expertise that can help protect environments across the state. CEC has been recognized as a top notch garden facility oven the last ten years (CEC. 2017).

National school lunch programs in California are poor in quality when it comes to the nourishment of our bodies,leaving behind the vitamins and nutrients children and adolescents need in a meal.The investment in school lunches is crudely frail,instead of feeding our children healthier choices we resemble a fast food portion of food. It is comparatively as if one was eating any type of food served in a fast food place, equivalencing the same amount of calories.This happens in most public schools in California not primarily just in Granite Hills High school, although private schools seem to have healthier and a variety meal choices rather than public schools.For this purpose,we should strive to improve better lunch programs quality and not quantity.We

At Sprouting Hope community garden is located in Hungry Mother State Park Marion, Virginia. During the Emory and Henry’s “Service Plunge” Dr. Davis’ transitions I class spent their time volunteering to weed the garden. The garden is ran by Jason Von Kundra, an enthusiastic leader for this non-profit organization. The garden allows low income families from the surrounding areas to have healthier eating options. The opportunity to learn the importance of nature and the process of growing ones food. Sprouting Hope is an organization that exemplifies the traditions we as a country has lost. The importance of healthy food has diminished over time due to factors such as work, convenience and the overall fast pace of the twenty first century.

Since the farming community has diminished significantly, it is paramount for the participants to learn these lessons. The garden project provides classes on eating healthy, teamwork and proper agricultural skills. The United States is flooded with fast, over processed food. Having this food so readily available has caused people to forget about putting the time and effort into gardening. It is essential that the future adults of the United States learn the importance of being healthy. Although Sprouting Hope may be a small organization, it has managed to expand its garden twice and now has dozens of produce

Gardening is a beneficial aspect of anyone’s day to day life. It’s something that is enjoyable for the elderly, young children, single people, and married couples. Gardening is also a way to bring the family together. Whether the garden is for aesthetic or utilitarian purposes, the hard work put into the garden is worthwhile. Gardens can provide financial relief, a healthier diet, and a healthier lifestyle. Gardening could also be a great life lesson that is carried and passed on through generations.