Creating Groovy Gardens Healthy Eating and Physical Activity

Barb Hickling,

DECD

Project Officer, eat well be active - Primary schools project

Why gardens as part of a healthy food

strategy?

Research shows a clear connection between food choices

and cognitive function

…research supports the broader implementation and investment in

effective school nutrition programs that have the potential to improve

student access to healthy food choices, diet quality, academic

performance, and over the long term health

Florence,Asbridge,Veuglers,2008,p.213

Healthy Eating & Learning

Children fed a diet characterised by high

consumption of fruit, vegetables and home

prepared foods had higher IQ, verbal IQ

and better memory performance at age 4

years International Fruit and Vegetable alliance Scientific

Newsletter. No 44, April 2010

What Research says…..

Garden-based nutrition education programs may offer a strategy for increasing fruit and vegetable intake in children.

…….Children reported high levels of enjoyment in the intervention activities. Most children (97.8%) enjoyed taste-testing fruits and vegetables. Children also liked preparing fruit and vegetable snacks (93.4%), working in their garden (95.6%), and learning about fruits and vegetables (91.3%). Impact data suggest that the intervention led to an increase in the number of fruits and vegetables ever eaten (P<0.001), vegetable preferences (P<0.001), and fruit and vegetable asking behaviour at home

A Garden Pilot Project Enhances Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among

Children

Stephanie Heim, MPH, RD; Jamie Stang, PhD, MPH, RD ; Marjorie Ireland, PhD June 2009.

More Research

• Improve attitude toward vegetables and toward fruit and vegetable snacks - Lineberger, S. E., and J. M. Zajicek. 1999. School gardens: Can a hands-on teaching tool affect students’ attitudes and behaviors regarding fruits and vegetables? HortTechnology 10(3):593-597.

• Improve nutrition knowledge and vegetable preferences. - Morris, JL and Zidenberg-Cherr, S. 2002. Garden-based nutrition curriculum improves fourth-grade school children's knowledge of nutrition and preferences for some vegetables. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 102(1): 91-93.

• Increase children’s knowledge about the benefits of eating fruit and vegetables and participants reported eating healthier snacks. - Koch, S., T. M. Waliczek, and J.M. Zajicek. 2006. The Effect of Summer Garden Program on the Nutritional Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors of Children. HortTechnology 16 (4): 620-625.

• Increase fruit and vegetable consumption in adolescents. - McAleese, J.D., and L.L. Rankin. 2007. Garden-Based Nutrition Education Affects Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Sixth-Grade Adolescents. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 107 (4): 662-665.

• Contribute to communication of knowledge and emotions, while developing skills that will help them be more successful in school. - Miller, D. L. The Seeds of Learning: Young Children Develop Important Skills Through Their Gardening Activities at a Midwestern Early Education Program. Applied Environmental Education & Communication 6(1):49-66.

• Have a positive impact on student achievement and behaviour. - Blair, D. (2009). The child in the garden: an evaluative review of the benefits of school gardening. Journal of Environmental Education 40(2), 15-38.

Research…

• Significantly increase science achievement scores. - Klemmer, C. D., T. M. Waliczek, and J. M. Zajicek. 2005. Growing minds: The effect of a school gardening program on the science achievement of

elementary students. HortTechnology 15(3):448-452.

- Smith, L. L., and C. E. Motsenbocker. 2005. Impact of hands-on science through school gardening in Louisiana public elementary schools. HortTechnology 15(3):439-443.

• Improve social skills and behavior. - DeMarco, L., P. D. Relf, and A. McDaniel. 1999. Integrating gardening into the elementary school curriculum. HortTechnology 9(2):276-281

.

• Improve environmental attitudes, especially in younger students. - Skelly, S. M., and J. M. Zajicek. 1998. The effect of an interdisciplinary garden program on the environmental attitudes of elementary school students.

HortTechnology 8(4):579- 583.

• Instill appreciation and respect for nature that lasts into adulthood. - Lohr, V.I. and C.H. Pearson-Mims. 2005. Children’s active and passive interactions with plants influence their attitudes and actions toward trees and gardening as adults. HortTechnology. 15(3): 472-476.

• Improve life skills, including working with groups and self-understanding. - Robinson, C.W., and J. M. Zajicek. 2005. Growing minds: the effects of a one-year school garden program on six constructs of life skills of elementary school children. HortTechnology 15(3):453-457.

• Increase interest in eating fruits and vegetables and improve attitude toward fruits and vegetables. - Pothukuchi, K. 2004. Hortaliza: A Youth “Nutrition Garden” in Southwest Detroit. Children, Youth and Environments 14(2):124-155.

Stephanie Alexander says

'Our evaluation confirms that participant

students are much more likely

to try new foods, develop real skills,

work together cooperatively,

and that the project itself engages the

school communities to a degree

that surprises some of the principals.'

Creating Coorara’s Community

Garden

Planning the garden

Landscape gardener drew up plan after

• student forum visit to Black Forest

• consultation with staff

• consultation with students

Planning for staged development

Small steps • Clearing our land

• Laying the pavers

• Putting in garden beds

• Planting

• Next year- irrigation

Next year - Fruit Trees

Student forum met

with NRM

Education Jeremy

Grant to

investigate citrus

and select fruit

trees suitable for

our site.

Creating Coorara’s Kaurna

Trail

Visioning for Bush Tucker garden

• Beginning small with $1000 “Grow a Great School” grant

• Help to select shrubs, trees, groundcovers from

• http://www.milliontrees.com.au/

• Catherine Mossop, Project Officer T: 08 8278 0605 F: 08 8278 0619 E: info@urbanforest.on.net or catherine.mossop@sa.gov.au

National Tree Day

• Catherine Mossop assisted with location of

plants and training

the children

• All students went

out to help plant

Stage 2 • Winning an NRM Achiever Grant

• Setting up resources for teachers, students and community

• Signage

• Employing an hourly paid instructor to support with resource development

Local resources/ Warraparinga

Local AEC’s

Learning from experience

Resources for Teachers & Children

Folder for teachers

• Dreaming stories

• Activities

Folder with photos for children

• Name

• Photo

• Kaurna medicinal and food uses

Resources

Folder for teachers

• with dreaming stories

• Activities

Folder for children

• Names of plants

• Photos

• Kaurna uses- food and medicinal

Links with Healthy Eating

Coorara Community can’t wait to

• Learn about the plants

• Taste the foods from the Kaurna Trail

• Use them in our shared fruit and vege platters

• Use them in the cooking sessions done with the Healthy Lifestyle parents.

Cross curriculum links -Science

• Science skills – •Investigating

– • Observing

– • Recording

– • Measuring

– • Predicting

– • Testing

– • Comparing

– • Concluding

• Earth and its Surroundings – • Weather

– • Water cycle

– • Soils and geology

• Living Things – • Plant identification

– • Plant growth

– • Plant biology

– • Needs of living things

Life cycles

KidsGrow Garden Links to Learning

Cross curriculum links - Numeracy

• Basic number operations » Estimating and measuring

– • Length and area

– • Volume and capacity

– • Weight and mass

» Gathering and

» organizing data

– • Tallying

– • Graphing

– • Databases

• Time and space – • Area

– • Volume

– • Scale

– • Position

– • 2-dimensional plans

– • 3-dimensional models

– • Timelines

• Working mathematically – • Applying strategies

• • Reasoning

Cross curriculum links - Literacy

– Reading

– • Research

– • Seed packet directions

– • Related fiction

– • Work of classmates

– Writing

– • Information texts

– • Research reports

– • Journal entries

– • Recording observations

– • Creative works

– • Letters of thanks

– • Requests, invitations

– Handwriting

– • First and final drafts

– Speaking

– • Interviewing

– • Expressing opinions

– • Questioning

– • Restating

– • Summarising

– Listening

– • Following directions

– • Understanding sequences

– • Stories

– KidsGrow Garden Links to Learning

Cross curriculum links - Society

and Environment

• Geographical knowledge

– • Natural and built components

– • School and local environment

• Geospatial space

– • Relationships with places

– • Mapping school grounds

• Historical perspectives

– • History of gardening

– • Timeline of school site

• Reasoning and interpretation

– • Hobbies and leisure activities

– • Past and present data

Cross curriculum links - Arts and

crafts

• Visual

– • Painting and sketching

– • Graphic symbols

– • Illustrating

– • Gift cards

• Performance

– • Singing

– • Rhythms of gardening

– • Instruments from vegetables

– • Drama - role plays

– • Celebration dance

• Craft

– • Vegetable dyes

– • Vegetable printing

– • Scarecrow construction – Mosaic pavers

•

KidsGrow Garden Links to Learning

Cross curriculum links - Personal

and Social

• Health

– • Personal health choices

– • Nutrition education

– • Cooking with plant foods

• Active Lifestyle

– • Exercise

– • Outdoor activity

• Safe Living

– • Lifting, carrying, digging

– • Safety with tools

• Personal Development

– • Self esteem through success

• Interpersonal Development

– • Teamwork

– • Co-operative learning

– • Visiting garden businesses

• Civics and Citizenship

– • Developing a sense of

– community

– • Roles, rights, responsibilities

– • Stewardship

– • Community service learning

– - Sharing produce

– - Flowers for seniors

– - Harvest celebration • -

KidsGrow Garden Links to Learning

Resources-online

NRM Education

http://www.nrmeducation.net.au/

• General food garden videos

• Starting and nurturing community gardens

• From Garden to Kitchen

• Food and our Carbon Footprint

School Garden Project

• Black Forest Primary School resource DVD for parents and teachers for $10.

• A short clip from the DVD can be viewed on http://vimeo.com/39532208

South Australia Kitchen Garden Newsletter & Website

• jo.staniforth@sa.gov.au or 8222 9460

SA Botanical Gardens (& trails)

• Michael Yeo (08) 8222-9344

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation Website

• http://www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au/

Kidsgrow- Munch and Crunch Garden -Nursery and garden Industry Australia

• http://www.ngia.com.au/MainMenu

Resources – printed

Tools for Teachers - Kitchen Garden

Foundation

Resources - printed

Growing Community Starting and Nurturing Community Gardens Ph: (08) 8371 4622

Freecall: 1800 633 616 (non-metro callers only)

Fax: (08) 8371 4722

Email: info@communitycentressa.asn.au

One Magic Square

by Lolo Houbein

Resources

Your community – families

The students

Local businesses

Foodies

Bunnings

Grants

• Council

• Grow a Great School

• Coles

Key messages • Research supports the growing and preparation of fruit

and vegetables

• Can reduce sedentary behaviours & eat fresh

• Have a vision but start small

• Utilise all your resources

• Link across the curriculum opportunities

• Use a whole school approach

• Have Fun!!!!!!