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November News
Announcements
Resources for Educators
Funding Opportunities

NAAEE Conference Raffle Winner
For those of you who entered our curriculum raffle at the recent NAAEE conference in Albuquerque, NM, we have chosen the winner: Kristin Jarman of Four Corners School of Outdoor Education. We congratulate Kristin, who will receive a collection of our curricula and books valued at $100. Thank you to all who visited our booth.

Another Chance to Win: Take Our Web Site Survey
The National Gardening Association wants to make sure that the resources available on the Kidsgardening.com Web site meet your needs, so we’re looking for your feedback and suggestions via a short survey.

As our way of saying "Thank You" for participating, everyone who completes the survey can opt into a drawing to win a $100 gift certificate to the Gardening with Kids store. Thank you in advance for your input! Take the survey.

Greenhouse/Coldframe Giveaway Winners
Congratulations to the schools and educational programs that received the 9 pop-up structures donated by Flowerhouse!

Len Lastinger Primary, Tifton, GA                 Friends School in Detroit, Detroit, MI
South Meadow School, Peterborough, NH     Maryville Intermediate School, Maryville, TN
Milton Outdoor Classroom, Milton, MA          Hermosa Valley School, Hermosa Beach, CA
Dept. of Juvenile Justice, Griffin, GA              Lincoln Elementary, Minot, ND
Sterling Montessori Charter School, Morrisville, NC

For full details of this offer, visit here.

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Resources for Educators

Beyond the Bean Seed: Gardening Activities for Grades K-6
This teacher's guide contains 55 activities for integrating gardening, children’s literature, and language arts. Each lesson suggests a book to share, with a related gardening activity and language arts link. 194 pages. Available through NGA's Gardening with Kids Store. NGA supporters save 10%!

JMG Literature in the Garden
A new Junior Master Gardener Golden Ray Series curriculum is available: Literature in the Garden. The book is designed to cultivate the connection between children’s gardening experiences and great books to inspire learning through outdoor activities, creative expression, and open exploration. Click here for more details.

Free Nutrition Tool Kit for Teachers
The Harvest of the Month Program provides teachers with an educational tool kit of materials designed to motivate and empower students to increase consumption and enjoyment of a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables and to engage in physical activity every day. It was developed through the collaboration of the California Department of Education (CDE), California Foundation For Agriculture in the Classroom, Farm Bureau Federation, Life Lab Science Program, Produce for Better Health Foundation, Sports Play and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK), and Western Growers Association.

The program spotlights a different California-grown fruit or vegetable each month and introduces students to the cycle of the growing season. The kit includes educator newsletters with background information, lesson and activity ideas, family newsletters to send home with the students, menu slicks, and press release templates. Visit the Harvest of the Month Web site for more information or to download toolkit components.

High School Environmental Ethics Curriculum
Environmental Ethics: Examining Your Connection to the Environment and Your Community is now available. The curriculum has been endorsed by 24 of the nation's top educational and environmental organizations including Earth Day Network, the National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, World Wildlife Fund, and the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation, as well as individual teachers across the United States. It includes teacher and student guides aligned to national education standards and is organized by major topics: environmental ethics, air, water, forests, wildlife and minerals. Click here for more information.

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Funding Opportunities

2006 Youth Garden Grants ~ There's Still Time to Apply!
NGA and The Home Depot will award 150 grants in February 2006. Apply by November 30 to win a gift card valued at $250 - $500 for your youth garden program! Click here to download an application.

2nd Annual "Remember Me" Rose School Garden Awards ~ Apply by Feb. 1, 2006
This award will help 20 schools establish rose gardens to commemorate the events of September 11th. Beyond their commemorative significance, each garden will also be a catalyst for education in conflict resolution and mediation skills, preparing students to seek and achieve fair and peaceful solutions. For more information and to download an application, click here.

12th Annual Kids Growing with Dutch Bulbs Awards ~ This program of the Mailorder Gardening Association, offered in conjunction with the International Flower Bulb Center, Dutch Bulb Exporters, and the North American Flower Bulb Wholesalers Association, awards schools with a package of 200 premium Dutch flowering bulbs and related educational activities. Application deadline: April 1, 2006. Learn more here.

2006 Mantis Awards ~ Mantis proudly announces its expanded 2006 award program in support of charitable and educational garden programs that enhance the quality of life in their host communities. In partnership with Mantis, NGA will select 25 gardens to receive a prize: 20 will each receive a Mantis Tiller/Cultivator, and five will receive a ComposT-Twin composting system. We welcome applications from all nonprofits; past winners include community gardens, schools, ministries, colleges, master gardening groups, and hospices. Learn more here.

Adopt a School Garden Registry ~ This new program from NGA matches schools in need of resources for their gardening and plant-based education programs with people who have the ability and desire to help. NGA will also mentor educators and volunteers, and provide resources to ensure program sustainability.

If your program is already listed in the School Garden Registry on Kidsgardening.com, your listing automatically appears in the searchable Adopt a School Garden (ASG) database on the National Gardening Association Web site. To be sure your information is current, please take a moment now to: