Kids Garden News

This Month's Feature: Farm to Table
Your young gardeners know that soil-grown plants produce fruits, vegetables, and grains, but what happens between the farm and the grocery store? Teaching students about our complex food system is the next step in their journey to understanding how and what we eat. Much of our food is processed and packaged and then travels hundreds, sometimes thousands, of miles before arriving in our homes. Is this system efficient? Is it sustainable? Let your young gardeners decide!

This month's Teachers' Room features food-system topics to explore through your gardening program. We also highlight Farm to Table & Beyond, the second book in the Linking Food and the Environment (LiFE) curriculum series from Teachers College Columbia University.

NEW! Bayer Advanced "Grow Together with Roses" School Garden Award ~ Deadline: January 23, 2009
Believing in the power of roses, the Bayer Advanced "Grow Together with Roses" School Garden Award, will help 25 schools establish rose gardens designed to nurture peaceful relations and instill a strong sense of community. Garden programs will be selected based on plans to integrate these goals and involve members of their community. Learn more here

Seeking Applicants for the Kidsgardening.com Advisory Board ~ December 1
Would you like to have a hand in guiding NGA’s educational media activities? NGA is looking for youth garden educators to serve on a volunteer advisory board for the Kidsgardening.com Web site. Ideally the board will include a representation of educators across grades pre-K–12. The role of the advisors will be to review the contents of the Web site and provide suggestions for improvement and expansion. They will communicate with NGA staff via e-mail, meet by phone conference twice a year, and write one article per year for the Web site addressing youth gardening news from their region. We request that advisors sign on for a two-year term.

We're planning our next teleconference for January or February 2009. If you’re interested, please contact Sarah Pounders for more information and an application. Applications are due December 1, 2008. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Proposals for the 17th Annual Youth Garden Symposium ~ December 15
The American Horticultural Society is now accepting proposals for sessions at the 2009
National Children & Youth Garden Symposium. The conference focus is Common Ground: Gardens for a Greener Tomorrow and will be hosted by the Cleveland Botanical Garden in Ohio, July 23-25, 2009. Download proposal forms at: www.ahs.org/youth_gardening/national_youth_garden_symposium.htm

The White House Organic Farm Project - TheWhoFarm
TheWhoFarm (aka The White House Organic Farm Project) is a nonpartisan, petition-based initiative to respectfully request that our 44th President oversee the planting of an organic farm on the grounds of The White House, our nation’s First Home, at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, D.C. To promote the project, TheWhoFarmMobile — two school buses fused together with an organic edible garden on the roof — is traveling across the country, visiting schools, food pantries, farmers’ markets, and festivals. Visit www.thewhofarm.org/ for details.

Help Grow Your Soup
The National Future Farmers of America (FFA) organization is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing students’ potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education. Campbell Soup Company has committed $250,000 to the National FFA and that mission. Visit www.helpgrowyoursoup.com — click on the red barn and Campbell’s will donate $1 on your behalf (limit of one click per day).

Support and Networking for Grant Seekers
Our friends at Grant Wrangler, a free grants listing service, invite you to join My Grant Wrangler, a social networking Web site for grant seekers, grant writers, and grant givers. As a K–12 grant seeker, you can share your experiences from all stages of the process: start a discussion on a particular grant or request feedback on what makes an application stand out. You can even ask about how to find grants or how they are selected. If you have already received a grant, tell others about your success. Learn more here

Farm to School
Farm to School programs connect schools with local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing health and nutrition education opportunities that will last a lifetime, and supporting local small farmers. Click here to link to your state's program.

Harvest of the Month
Harvest of the Month is an online educational program from California providing materials and resources to support healthy food choices through increased access and consumption of fruits and vegetables as well as encourage daily physical activity. It presents a strategic opportunity to bring together the classroom, cafeteria, home and community to promote a common goal and healthier habits for students, especially those in low resource schools. Visit harvestofthemonth.com/ to view the full curriculum.

Garden-Based Learning Video Blog
If you’re wondering what garden-based teaching and learning “look like,” or need a visual for promoting the benefits of school gardens, check out LifeLab’s video series.

In the News

Teaching Photosynthesis
According to a recent study conducted at Stanford University, students who learned the basic concepts of photosynthesis in "everyday English" before learning the scientific terms for the phenomenon fared much better on tests than students taught the traditional way. Click here for details.

Save the Date!
The American Horticultural Society's 2009 National Children & Youth Garden Symposium, Common Ground: Gardens for a Greener Tomorrow, will be hosted by the Cleveland Botanical Garden in Ohio, July 23-25, 2009.

___________________________

Funding Opportunities (Listed chronologically by deadline date)

Teaching Tolerance Grants ~ Deadline: Rolling
Teaching Tolerance offers grants of $500 to $2,500 to preK–12 classroom teachers for projects designed to reduce prejudice among youth, improve intergroup relations in schools, and/or support educator professional development in these areas. Proposals from other community organizations and houses of worship will be considered on the basis of direct student impact. Learn more here

Seaworld/Busch Gardens Environmental Excellence Awards ~ Deadline: November 28
Since 1993, the Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks have recognized the outstanding efforts of K–12 students and teachers across the country who are working at the grassroots level to protect and preserve the environment. The "SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Environmental Excellence Awards" provides school and community groups with a monetary award, national recognition, and a trip to one of the sponsor's parks. Learn more here

Butterfly Garden Grants ~ December 1
Project Learning Tree, an award-winning national environmental education program for educators and their students in grades pre-K–12, is offering grants to teachers who have registered for MonarchLIVE! through its GreenWorks! Program. The grants are for schools and youth groups to engage in environmental neighborhood improvement projects by creating butterfly gardens. Learn more and apply

Captain Planet Foundation ~ Deadline: December 31
Committed to supporting hands-on environmental projects for young people, the foundation provides grants from $250 to $2,500 to school and community groups. There are four quarterly proposal deadlines per year. Visit the foundation's Web site for guidelines and a proposal form.

Project Orange Thumb ~ Deadeline:February 17, 2009
The Project Orange Thumb grant provides school and community gardening groups with tools and materials to help them achieve their goals for neighborhood beautification and horticultural education. Projects geared towards community involvement, neighborhood beautification, sustainable agriculture, and horticultural education are encouraged to apply. 20 grants are available providing up to $1,500 in Fiskars garden tools and $800.00 in gardening-related materials. Visit www.projectorangethumb.com for application details.

Mantis Awards ~ Deadline: March 1, 2009
Mantis sponsors this award program in support of charitable and educational garden programs that enhance the quality of life in their host communities. NGA will select 25 gardens to receive a Mantis Tiller/Cultivator. We welcome applications from all nonprofits; past winners include community gardens, schools, ministries, colleges, master gardening groups, and hospices. Learn more here.

Outdoor Classroom Grant Program ~ Deadline: Rolling
Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, International Paper, and National Geographic Explorer! classroom magazine have partnered to create an outdoor classroom grant. The goal is to provide schools with additional resources to improve their science curriculum by engaging students in hands-on experiences outside the traditional classroom. All K–12 public schools in the United States are welcome to apply. Visit the Lowe's Web site for more information.

Return to Teachers' Room