March
2005 News
Youth
Garden Grant Notification Delayed
Response
to the Youth Garden Grants program has been outstanding this
year -- we received more than 800 applications! Though we
are evaluating them as quickly as we can, we don't want to
shortchange any deserving program by rushing through the
process. We will notify applicants of their status the
week of April 1. We
sincerely apologize
for the
delay, and are very grateful for your patience.
The
Planning for Sustainability Series Continues!
In the February issue,
we introduced the first part of this series by guest editor Rory
Klick. In this second installment, she offers sage advice based
on her years of experience guiding school
gardeners
through
the
process
of
defining
and manifesting their vision
of a
learning
landscape. Read "The
Next Phase: Place"
Celebrate
National Garden Month with a FREE "Grow and Give a Garden" Poster
In celebration
of National Garden Month 2005, DOLE Fruit Bowls™, Weekly Reader®,
and the National Gardening Association offer a FREE Grow and
Give a Garden poster and curriculum activities to help educators
engage kids in hands-on lessons about gardening and nutrition.
The full-color
poster features a teacher's guide, with fun worksheets
and detailed classroom activities on the back.
Posters are free
while supplies last. Visit
here to order a copy.
NGA
Awards: Still Time to Apply!
There's
still time to apply for these three gardening grants:
Healthy
Sprouts Awards
Twenty-five schools and community groups teaching plant-based programs
on nutrition and hunger issues receive funding, tools, seeds, and
garden products to support their curriculum. This program, sponsored
by Gardener's Supply Company, reaches over 1,000 students
nationwide. Applications must be postmarked by March 31. Click
here to view application
criteria.
Mantis
Awards
This community-focused award recognizes ten outstanding community
garden programs annually, and presents each with a Mantis tiller/cultivator
for use in their gardens thus helping to connect people to plants.
Applications must be postmarked by March 31, 2005. Click
here to view application
criteria.
Kids
Growing with Dutch Bulbs Awards
Five hundred schools each year receive a complete bulb-planting
package of 200 premium Dutch flowering bulbs. Sponsored by the
Mail order Gardening Association in collaboration with the International
Flower Bulb Center of Holland and the Dutch Bulb Exporters Association,
this program provides more than 200,000 children nationwide with
a hands-on opportunity to plant and grow bulbs in an enriched educational
setting. Applications must be postmarked by April 1. Click
here to download
an application form.
New
Report from the Green Schools Initiative
The
San Francisco-based Green Schools Initiative has just released
a new report:The Little Green Schoolhouse: Thinking Big
About Ecological Sustainability, Children's Environmental Health
and
K-12 Education in the USA.
The
report establishes a framework that brings together
a variety of school-related environmental health and sustainability
issues under one conceptual and strategic roof. Drawing from
a diversity of inspiring
efforts going on around the country, the report presents a
broad vision of what green and healthy schools could
look like (the vision embraces school gardens and composting, of course!),
and articulates a series of pragmatic policy recommendations.
You
can read the report online and/or download it via a The
Little Green Schoolhouse Web site
Second
National Farm to Cafeteria Conference: June 16-18, 2005
Farm
to School programs are popping up all over the U.S. These programs
connect schools with local farms with the objectives of serving healthy
meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing
health and nutrition education opportunities that will last a lifetime,
and supporting local small farmers. Join
others at Kenyon College in Gambier, OH to network, learn from
others, help develop practical strategies, and celebrate successes
in the Farm to School
movement.
To learn more
and to register, visit the
Community Food Coalition Web site.
___________________________________________________
Newsletter
Index
Background
Information
Teaching
Unit: Give a Garden -- Follow the Four P's!
Resources
