Junior Master Gardener

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Junior Master Gardener
Dee McKenna Texas JMG Coordinator
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Our Strengths

• I enjoyed JMG very much. It is the best science
  class I have ever had. I did things I enjoy
  instead of school work. Instead we taught little
  kids, gardened, composted, and did
  activities. Lauren, JMG youth

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Our Strengths

• Parents are excited that their kids are in the
  program. Their children have stopped going to
  the candy aisle (of the grocery store) first and
  are going to the fruits and vegetables.
• Sandy Farber, Extension Agent, District of
  Columbia

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Current JMG Stats

• 723 Registered JMG groups including
• Over 21,453 youth registered in the program
• Over 950,000 youths impacted in 2001-2002
• JMG groups represented in 40 States
• 28 State Partners

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Who can participate in JMG?

• Public/Private/Home schools
• 4-H Clubs, scouts, YMCA
• After-school programs
• Public/Botanical gardens

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JMG Program

• Integrated into all aspects of students school
  experience
• Math, science, social studies language arts
• Correlated to TEKS
• Flexible

Physical
Academic
JMG
Emotional
Social Development
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What about the TEKS?
Play with Your Food, J. Elffers,1997
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Junior Master Gardener Program

• Levels of Instruction
• Level 1 - Grades 3-5
• Core Curriculum Teacher/Leader Guide and
  Youth Handbook
• Health and Nutrition from the Garden
• Level 2 - Grades 6-8
• Operation Thistle Seeds of Despair (Plant
  Growth and Development)
• Level 3 - Grades 9-12

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JMG Level 2

• Operation Thistle
• Seeds of Despair
• Plant Growth and Development

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• For youth grades 6-8

• Released in modules

Plant Growth and Development Teaching Concepts

Importance and Uses of Plants Plant
Classification Plant Parts Plant Needs
Plant Growth Plant Process Seed
Propagation Vegetative Propagation Life Skills
and Career Exploration

• Mission Briefs and Mission Options

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Operation Thistle Seeds of Despair Beyond
the buckling cement of a long-forgotten
industrial park, in the deep shadows of a
polluted swamp, a weed grew.
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A mutating, prickly, twisted little thistle with
a twisted plan... Almost no light
penetrated this place and everything grew
black,
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cold and slimy except the thistle. He
grew more intelligent, more cunning.
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No longer content to go unnoticed, the time
had come for Dr. Thistle's plan to grow...
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JMG Mascots
Queen Flora
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JMG Mascots
Dr. Thistle
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JMG Mascots
Agent Ginkgo
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JMG Mascots
Agent Jasmine
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JMG Mascots
Colonel Maranta
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Level One Curriculum

• Individual activities
• Plant Growth Development
• Soil Water
• Ecology Environmental Horticulture
• Insects Diseases
• Landscape Horticulture
• Fruits Nuts
• Vegetables Herbs
• Life Skills Career Exploration

Also available in Spanish
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Level One Curriculum

• Health and Nutrition from the Garden
• Coming Soon
• Wildlife Gardeners joint project with the
  National Wildlife Federation
• Literature from the Garden

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Our Strengths
JMG is a hands-on program aligned to academic
standards and includes many outdoor large muscle
gardening activities. It is so refreshing for
our students to be able to cover the TEKS in
other than a test format. The children enjoy the
activities. Kathleen Coburn, Ph.D. Director of
Math, Science, Gifted Education Temple ISD
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Certification

• Checklist for earning certification
• Complete and mail in registration packet
• Complete ONE group activity per Teaching Concepts
• Read the Mission Brief
• Complete ONE mission option per Teaching Concepts
• Complete one activity as a group from Life Skills
  and Career Exploration section
• Group completes one service learning or
  leadership project

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Certification

• To Obtain Recognition
• Teacher/Leader sends in
• the completion form
• Each youth receives certificate

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The JMG Group

• An adult leader
• Could be a teacher, scout leader, Master
  Gardener, or other volunteer
• Minimum of 5 youth
• Utilize JMG materials
• Register the group

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How to start a JMG group.

• Contact Youth
• Establish Site for youth to meet
• Order JMG Material
• Complete Registration Packet

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Cost of starting JMG programs ?

• Curriculum costs
• quantity discount
• not every member needs a youth handbook to be in
  a registered JMG group
• Cost of activity supplies
• Cost of garden supplies

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Registering Your Group...

• Registration Agreement Form
• Group Enrollment Form
• Leader/Teacher Registration Form
• Completion Form

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Why Should Programs Register?

• Updates and support from state office
• Get a cool registration certificate
• Have your group posted on the JMG website
• Its free, doesnt obligate youth to complete the
  entire program
• Allows youth in your group to become
  certified Junior Master Gardeners

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Program Evaluation

• National On-line Survey for Leaders
• Conducted by Texas AM University Department of
  Agricultural Education, Texas 4-H Office, and
  National JMG Program Office
• Preliminary Data Shows
• Over 75 of respondents stated that JMG has
  increased youth interest in science
• Over 70 of respondents stated JMG has enhanced
  classroom/educational program and contributed to
  higher academic standards

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Program Evaluation Continued...

• Over 70 of respondents said youth were more
  enthusiastic about learning
• Over 50 said youth tried new fruits and
  vegetables
• Over 80 of respondents rated the overall
  effectiveness of the JMG program as effective or
  very effective

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Program Evaluation

• Texas AM University Growing Minds Research
  Program
• Dr. Jayne Zajicek
• Significant improvement in eating behavior was
  noted with children eating more fruit and
  vegetable snacks by the end of the study (Koch,
  2001)
• Significant increases in leadership development
  and attitudes toward volunteerism (Robinson,
  2001)
• Other research projects pending publication

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Junior Master Gardener
Dee McKenna Texas JMG Coordinator Email
d-mckenna_at_tamu.edu Web www.jmgkids.org