Growing Your Instructional School Garden

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Growing Your Instructional School Garden
Presented by Tonya Mandl, Teacher Advisor and
School Garden Coordinator LAUSD Nutrition
Network tonya.mandl_at_lausd.net [phone]
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"School gardens can be a vehicle for teaching
standards-based science, mathematics, social
science, and English-language arts courses, as
well as garden-enhanced nutrition,
health, agricultural, and visual art education.
School gardens reinforce healthy food choices and
lifestyles in an experiential learning
environment. Instructional school gardens can
nourish students' bodies and minds and also help
students develop a better appreciation for
sustaining the environment, maintaining our food
supply, and prompting stewardship of our
earth. -California Superintendent of Schools,
Jack OConnell
School Gardens have been proven to increase
interest in eating fruits and vegetables and
improve attitude toward vegetables and toward
fruit and vegetable snacks -Gardens for Learning
If they grow it, they eat it! -Nonnie Korten
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Gardens CAN grow within Nutrition Network Schools

• Allowable Garden-based Nutrition Education
  Support
• Where to Look for Supplemental Garden Support

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The Nutrition Network can provide

• Garden-based Nutrition Education Professional
  Development workshops for Teachers
• Garden-based Nutrition Education workshops for
  Parents
• Garden-based Nutrition Education Instructional
  Materials(books/newsletters)
• Site visits to provide Garden-based Nutrition
  Education support

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Scope of Work

• Each year hold at least one to three Saturday in
  the Nutrition Garden workshops to provide
  garden-enhanced NE strategies at demonstration
  gardens for approximately 150 teachers, parents,
  students, partners and community members.
• Each year support at least 100 schools through
  garden based NE to provide target population with
  opportunities to use fruits, vegetables, herbs
  and edible flowers in school gardens and use them
  for sampling and tasting and cooking in the
  classroom activities.
• Make site visits throughout the year to help
  facilitate the integration of NE and gardening
  activities.
• Produce and make available an educational
  newsletter to program participants to help
  facilitate the integration of NE and gardening
  activities.

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LAUSD Examples

• Garden-based Nutrition Education Professional
  Development workshops at school sites (Nibbles)
• - Ready, Set, Grow Garden-based Nutrition
  Education strategies with easy-to-grow,
  easy-to-eat vegetables
• - Nutrition in a Three Sisters Garden
  Integrating Nutrition, Horticulture and
  Environmental Stewardship with traditional Native
  American planting.
• - From Seeds to Soil to Salads Garden-based
  Nutrition Education make-and-take activities for
  the classroom

• Saturday in the Nutrition Garden workshops for
  teachers and parents at the demonstration garden
• - Nutrition and classroom cooking with Nutrition
  Specialists
• - Garden-based Nutrition Education with Teacher
  Advisors
• - Growing with children strategies with
  volunteer Master Gardeners
• - Parent involvement strategies with Parent
  Outreach Consultant

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Some Recommended Garden-based Nutrition Education
Resources

• CDE Garden in Every School publications
• -A Childs Garden of Standards Free
• - Nutrition to Grow On
• - Kids Cook Farm Fresh Food
• - School Garden Resource Packet Free
• National Gardening Association
• -10 Terrific Vegetables and Everything you Need
  to Grow and Know them
• California School Garden Network
• -Gardens for Learning Free

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PARTNERSHIPS

• The BACKBONE of a successful garden program

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Scope of Work

• Each year assist with the distribution of
  approximately 1,000 flats of donated fruit,
  vegetable and herb seedlings through partnerships
  with at least 100 participating schools.
• Establish and continue to maintain and develop
  partnerships with garden-based organizations,
  such as the NGA, the CSGN, the UCCE CG, the
  LASGC, Urban Farming, and others to assist with
  NE strategies at eligible schools.
• Each year collaborate with the California
  Instructional School Gardens Program to provide
  PD and support for garden-based NE in eligible
  schools.

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National Support Groups

• The National Gardening Association
• www.kidsgardening.org
• The American Community Gardening Association
• www.communitygarden.org
• Junior Master Gardener Program
• www.jmgkids.us
• Universities
• -Cornell University Garden Mosaics
  www.gardenmosaics.cornell.edu and Garden-based
  learning www.hort.cornell.edu/gbl
• -Texas AM Nutrition in the Garden
  http//aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/nutrition/index
  
• -UC Santa Cruz Life Lab Program
  www.lifelab.org

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State-wide Support Groups

• The California School Garden Network
• www.CSGN.org
• California Foundation for Agriculture in the
  Classroom
• www.cfaitc.org
• CREEC Network
• www.creec.org
• California Integrated Waste Management Board
• www.ciwmb.ca.gov

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The California Instructional School Garden Program

• The Instructional School Garden Program (Assembly
  Bill 1535) allocates, this school year, 15
  million for the promotion, creation and support
  of California instructional school gardens.
• Two types of grants are available 1) school
  garden equipment and supplies grants and/or 2)
  school garden professional development grants.
  Each grant is for up to 2,500 per school site
  for school sites of less than 1,000 students
  enrolled. Schools with an enrollment of 1000 or
  more students will be eligible for funding up to
  5,000. School districts, State Board charter
  schools or county offices of education may apply
  for grants on behalf of school sites.
• The California Department of Education (CDE) is
  administering the California Instructional School
  Garden Program's grants. Grants are available
  this school year, and funds may be used by school
  sites for the duration of the grant period
  through spring semester 2009. School districts,
  State Board charter schools and county offices of
  education will apply, on behalf of school sites,
  through an electronic application to the CDE.

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The LAUSD Instructional School Garden Program

• A partnership with the LAUSD Nutrition Network

• 524 Participating Schools
• 100 of LAUSD Nutrition Network Schools
• are participating!

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Local Support Groups

• University of California Cooperative Extension,
  Common Ground Master Gardener Program
  http//celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/Common_Ground_Gard
  en_Program/
• Los Angeles Conservation Corps
• www.lacorps.org
• City of Los Angles Environmental Affairs
  Department, Gardens for Kids, LA Program
• www.lacity.org/ead/
• Los Angeles Department of Public Works Bureau of
  Sanitation (Mulch)
• 818-834-5128
• Los Angeles Urban Systemic Program (LAUSP)
• 213-241-5300
• Descanso Gardens Harvest Garden
• www.descansogardens.org
• The Huntington Library and Gardens
• www.huntington.org

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The Los Angeles School Garden Collaborative

• LASGC

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The Los Angeles School Garden Collaborative
(LASGC) Mission

• To educate children by building and sustaining
  school gardens throughout the greater Los Angeles
  area.
• To this aim, we will
• Form a collaborative that will enhance what the
  various support programs and people in the Los
  Angeles area have to offer.
• Establish a collective of schools with gardens in
  the Los Angeles area including charter schools,
  early education centers and special education
  centers.
• Establish a relationship with school districts to
  build support for garden maintenance,
  landscaping, irrigation and tools, and to educate
  site administrators in the benefits of school
  instructional gardens.
• Encourage financial support from the State of
  California for school garden staff, after school
  programs, and garden curriculum with direct
  connection to the state standards.
• Recruit corporate and foundation involvement for
  school gardens in the form of grants and
  donations.
• Increase the availability of garden-based
  workshops offered to teachers and volunteers.
• Support educational gardening programs at schools
  that provide job training for students such as
  ROP and FFA programs.
• Recruit people and organizations of diverse
  backgrounds and experiences to enhance variety
  and interest in school gardens.

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Come to the next LASGC meeting!

• Wednesday, May 23rd
• 330 - 530
• Venice HS Learning Garden
• 13000 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles

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Tonya MandlTeacher Advisor School Garden
CoordinatorLAUSD Nutrition Network(818)
609-2552Tonya.Mandl_at_lausd.net