We are a STEM Magnet middle school servicing students in a low socio-economic urban community. Amidst many bodegas and few grocery stores, at least 50% of the community makes less than 25K income. We just joined a garden coalition in the community. Our community problem to address is living in an area targeted as a food desert.
Through planting herb and vegetable gardens in school and at home, students will have increased opportunities to eat healthy, flavorful foods that increase veggie intake. Making a connection between the senses (touch, sight, smell, etc.) emotions and empathy while planting/gardening herbs and vegetables students can experience a greater awareness of the importance of themselves, their feelings and how they interact in the world. Additionally, students can experience increased energy, calm and develop a more expansive palate for varying foods. Actions the group will take to implement the project are 1. meet with families and discuss the role of growing herbs and vegetables as a curriculum extension teaching Next Generation Science Standards and providing hands on experiential life long learning. 2. Each family/student will plant an herb such as basil, cilantro, chives, to grow at school and an item to grow at home. Each week students will be asked to document the changes in their plant at home/school and discuss the role of science. 3. In spring, during a STEM family night, families will be asked to harvest their herb, create a simple dish and share with other families interested in learning to garden. Students are involved in the selection and planning of the project by deciding the herbs to grow, and creating a system for documentation. The 22nd Street Community Garden Coalition will have their urban agriculturalist team with students/families to ensure proper gardening procedures are used.
Our Roots and Shoots project was to provide opportunities for fresh flavorful, healthy foods for students. Students took a neighborhood walk and noticed the number of small bodega type stores and few places to get fresh fruit and vegetables. We started by planting herbs and/or vegetables, one for school and one for home. Many of the home plants did not survive, but our school plants thrived. Students and parents, planted basil, dill, cilantro, parsley and oregano at a school hosted parent night. The plants were transplanted seedlings or seeds. The urban garden specialist from the 22nd Street Healthy Coalition and his counterparts were on duty, with a table set up to display information about the coalition as well as to assist students and parents with planting. Students were introduced to the compassion traits in a meeting and asked to mark the areas they felt most comfortable operating in and one area they thought they could work on. Many students were not familiar with the traits, so it was a learning curve. After several weeks/ or almost two months, students harvested basil, lettuce, collards, Kale and peppers and cabbages. Families attended a school fest and harvested items such as the Kale, collards, and a guest chef assisted students in making a salad using the Kale, lettuces, peppers, and tomatoes. Funding was used to purchase the seedlings, seeds and soil, planting pots, as well as small shovels and gloves for handling the soils and organic fertilizer. The results of this project is that an afterschool garden club was established, and students met bi-weekly, they created a schedule for watering, and they learned about composting. To increase success for growing plants at home, we would need to have more parent participation in the students biweekly events so they learn things they can do at home to care for their plants. In addition to this, the book, Seedfolks was read as a One Book, One School initiative, every morning to give students across the school opportunities to connect with the garden.
One thing we learned is we need a stronger support system for student success planting at home. At school, we need dedicated teachers and staff that volunteer their time each week to maintain the garden and ensure students are able to apply the transitions, changes and experiences in the garden to their class academics. Additionally, we discovered plant seedlings and seeds are expensive and require a good amount of money to purchase as well as tools such as water hoses, spades, gloves, etc.
If we did this project again, I would start small with 5 families and just work with those families and perhaps an afterschool club. I would ensure they are on board for monthly classes one day after or before school, also find ways to ensure there is accountablity for what is occurring with plants at home to know how to support the home gardeners.
Favorite part of this project was the fact that we implemented a project where students had to buy in and spend time afterschool. Most of the students were there every afterschool garden session, they paid attention, asked questions and enjoyed trying new things... like plants that grew in the wild referred to as toothache plants.
The biggest tip would be to get buy in from a small group of families and just work with them on a regular basis, send emails, stocked with information to support their work at home.
