from: http://www.berkeleyside.com/2010/01/12/berkeleys-edible-schoolyard-under-attack/In many schools edible gardens are being integrated into the curriculum to teach students about plants, nature, science, and growing their own food. Alice Waters, founded the Edible Schoolyard program at the Martin Luther King Middle School in Berkley, California. Gardens provide a great hands on learning opportunity for children to learn about protecting natural resources, taking care of the environment, and how we nourish ourselves. Tending to a garden improves student's knowledge about vegetables and it increases their consumption of veggies!
Last year my school built a garden right outside the school playground. The garden is a way for families and community members from the school and parish to connect. I would love to help turn this garden into an edible food garden. Right now my third grade students are in charge of caring for the worm bins. Twice a week, during lunch, students take our classroom food scraps to the garden and feed the worms. This has been an excellent educational experience as students have witnessed the worms eating the scraps and turning the food into fertilizer. The fertilizer is then used to nourish the garden, plants and vegetables.
Great post! Love the concept of the school yard producing some of the food consumed by students. Great learning opportunity and encourages youngsters to perhaps try foods that they wouldn't have otherwise because they were involved with the production.
ReplyDelete