skools and urban farming

[Guest guest]

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"LESSONS FLOURISH IN SCHOOL GARDENS: SACRAMENTO, California (AP) -- Here

the little plot is more than a garden. It's also an outdoor classroom,

where teacher Heather Best illustrates science, nutrition, history and math

lessons. In addition to reading books about biology and the life of

plants, students can put their hands in the dirt, plant a seed, track its

growth and eat the result. It's the hands-on experience that keeps

students' interest, Best said.

 

The state Department of Education is encouraging schools to use gardens

with a series of books that show teachers how to link them to lesson plans.

Younger students start by tracking the life of a vegetable from seed to

dinner table. More advanced grades use the garden to discuss the history of

agriculture and its effect on where and how civilizations settled. "Kids

are naturally curious," Evans said. "They get their hands in the dirt and

they want to know what's going on in there. It's magical to water a seed

and watch it grow. Or find out why it didn't grow." There have long been

gardens in schools linked with 4-H programs or agriculture studies, but

using the garden as a classroom is the new emphasis, she said."

 

[excerpted from:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/02/19/school.gardens.ap/index.html

 

[related resources:

http://www.earthgardens.org/

http://www.backyardgardener.com/zone/index.html#sowhat

http://www.backyardgardener.com/organic/jan00.htm

http://www.gardeners.com/gardening/BGB_Seedstartingc.asp