Through the Sip to Support a Garden program, sponsored by Jamba Juice, schools and community gardens can earn credits that can be applied toward the purchase of essential gardening equipment suitable for any age from the National Gardening Association’s Gardening with Kids catalog. Participation is easy: Sign up your school or garden organization online. Your organization will receive a Jamba-Kit that includes program details—and start swiping. Each time a supporter uses the swipe card for purchases, Jamba will donate 10% of the purchase to NGA for your purchasing account. Sign up your school and Sip to Support online.
July 2013 Issue
Our monthly e-mail newsletter with thematic and standards-based articles, activities, and resources for educators implementing school gardens and family gardening. Keep up to date with our web site, sign up for Kids Garden News.
NEW THIS ISSUE
MONTHLY FEATURES | ANNOUNCEMENTS | RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS | CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS | FUNDING AND OPPORTUNITIES
MONTHLY FEATURES
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Announcements
The Subaru Healthy Sprouts Award recognizes and supports youth gardening programs focused on teaching about our environment, nutrition and hunger issues in the United States. Through winning programs, youth will learn the skills necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle compatible with environmental stewardship and gain an understanding of how their actions can positively impact the well-being of their community. Apply online!
Mantis presents the Mantis Awards to charitable and educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life in their host communities. NGA selects 25 outstanding applicants to receive Mantis tiller/cultivators. Any nonprofit garden program may apply. Apply today online!
Course space is limited, and sections have been filling quickly! The National Teacher Institute (NTI) for Garden-Based Learning is a collaborative partnership between Longwood Gardens and the National Gardening Association. The partnership was formed to offer professional development to educators and volunteers from one of the great gardens of the world and the leader in K-12 plant-based educational resources, materials, and grants. This online course is designed to introduce teachers to the benefits of a school garden program; help them identify ways to build support for developing a garden; create a vision, theme, and design; and distinguish the best curriculum for incorporation into their classroom. Participants will gain practical knowledge for laying the groundwork of a successful program. Course participants will receive valuable feedback from their instructor and other teachers while learning new avenues for student instruction. Their first online course, School Gardening 101 is now open for two winter sections. For more information and to register for the course visit the NTI website.
Greetings gardeners! The National Gardening Association is a proud sponsor of the Grow it Forward Heirloom Seed Contest on YourGardenShow.com. Gardeners from across the U.S. and Canada are coming together to grow over 1,400 heirloom plant varieties as part of a movement to preserve the legacy and diversity of these time-honored plants. "Grow It Forward" for the benefit of future generations, meet some new friends, and have the chance to win some great prizes - like a GrowlightPro from our online store, GardeningWithKids.org. Since March 1, over 1,400 heirloom seed varieties have been sent out and nearly 400 U.S. and Canadian gardens have joined Grow it Forward, and that number is increasing daily - now that's some Grow it Forward power! There's still plenty of time to join in. The contest tally starts over each phase - Seed, Plant, Tend and Harvest - providing multiple chances to win. So head over to YourGardenShow.com and join the movement. You may just meet some new friends and win some great prizes too. To learn more, visit Grow it Forward.
These resources are available for free to anyone working to support others in creating and sustaining school gardens. At the CSYSG Trainer Page you will find the following:
· A download of all CSYSG Workshop Handouts, Trainer Outlines (TO), and Supplementary Trainer Materials. (A zipped file of multiple documents)
· PDF file of all CSYSG Workshop Handouts (One download of all the handouts)
· Workshop PowerPoints
o School Garden Design
o Why School Gardens - Introduction to CSYSG
· Gardens for Learning Guide Book
· CSYSG Online Training Resources
· Selected CSYSG Materials in Spanish
· Freebies, fliers, and handouts to promote school gardens
Download the CSYSG training materials from the website.
Food Day is a celebration of real food and a campaign to help solve food-related problems in our homes, on our farms, in our schools, and in our communities. Join in with the thousands of other food-concious organizations on October 24, 2012 as we bring attention to important issues. Check our FoodDay.org for great ideas of integrating this event into the classroom. Stay tuned for KidsGardening.org's reveal of the Food Day curriculum next month.
Funding Opportunities
The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (FTPF) is an award-winning international nonprofit charity dedicated to planting fruitful trees and plants to alleviate world hunger, combat global warming, strengthen communities, and improve the surrounding air, soil, and water. FTPF and Dreyer's Fruit Bars are planting orchards across the country in a collaborative program called Communities Take Root (CTR). Through this exciting program, communities compete in a nation-wide vote to win a complete community orchard. Applications are now open for 2012. The first 100 qualified applicants will be in the running to win a free orchard, including orchard design, arborist expertise, and a fun community planting event. Orchard recipients also receive a free community workshop on planting, pruning and caring for fruit trees. Learn more about this grant opportunity online.
KaBOOM! is a company based in Washington D.C. Thanks to the generous support from the Dr. Pepper Snapple group, KaBOOM! is currently offering a variety of grants to individuals and communities wishing to create or improve a playspace within their neighborhood. The mission of KaBOOM! is to create great playspaces through the participation and leadership of communities with the goal of providing a place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Spruce grants of $750 are being awarded to communities this year who are planning to make their existing playgrounds cleaner, safer, and more inviting. The Let’s Play Spruce grants are designed to reward communities that have recently maintained and “spruced” up their playspaces. Keeping a playspace clean and well-maintained is essential for a child’s safety and enjoyment. Find out more information about KaBOOM! grant opportunities.
Conferences and Workshops
The American Community Gardening Association’s 33rd annual conference, Community Gardening on the Cutting Edge, will be held in San Francisco, California. Check out the ACGA website to find out more about this opportunity.
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In Life Lab’s amazing Garden Classroom on the UC Santa Cruz campus, professional trainers bring inspiration and information to educators interested in science, nutrition, and garden-based learning.
Some of the course offerings include: The Growing Classroom; Sowing the Seeds of Wonder; Plant It, Grow It, Eat It; Science Inquiry in the Garden; and Supporting English Learners in Science. For more details and registration information, visit the Life Lab website.
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