Transcript Document

Garden-Based Education at Sow Much Good
A Community Based Learning Project
Alice Curchin, Ayanna Thomas, Nick Neitzel, Liz Stevens, Tom DeMarzo
Food and Sustainability, Spring 2014, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035-7118
Our Project
The goal of our project is to create a relevant
educational program that allows the leaders of Sow Much
Good to introduce certain gardening and food related
topics to school groups visiting the farm. The lesson plans
are based off of topics such as food access, nutrition,
growing sustainably and alternative growing practices in
urban areas. We also are helping the organization develop
a Learning Garden. We hope that the garden and the
lessons will be able to aid Sow Much Good in its
educational commitment to the community.
By introducing
students to these topics
at such a young age, we
hope to make younger
generations more aware
of the social, economic,
nutritional and
communal values of
food.
Benefits of Garden Education
a)
Garden-based learning is an educational strategy
that utilizes a garden as a learning resource and tool
in teaching across disciplines. Through active,
engaging, and real-world hands on experiences,
educators use the garden as a foundation for
integrated learning (2). It fosters environmental
awareness, makes the students a part of the food
production pathway, and helps students develop life
skills.
Relatedness is met through the cooperation with
peers, teachers, and community members.
Competence is discovered through the tangible
benefits achieved through working in the garden,
problem-solving and persistence in seeking their
goal. In the garden the students are able to learn
what it means to have hard work pay off. Autonomy
comes through the potential sense of pride resulting
in reaching their goal and having a visible, tangible
and meaningful product that they were a part of
creating (1).
c)
Lesson Plans
• Alternative Growing Practices
This lesson plan details alternative methods of growing, specifically in
urban locations with little resources or land space.
• Art as Agency for Social Action: Painted Rock Mosaic Stepping Stones
Using artwork, the goal of this lesson is to connect the students to the
land, while also creating a creative marker that shows everyone can be engaged
in the broader social context one painted rock at a time.
• Creating Meaningful Spaces
This lesson plan will detail the benefits of using raised beds and
trellis/vertical planting techniques in a limited amount of space (i.e. urban
gardens.
• Understanding the Importance of Water Permeability and Water Filtration
This activity introduces, sustainability, landscapes and the
environmental benefits of rain gardens and bioswales.
Sow Much Good
Sow Much Good is a non-profit organization dedicated
to using food as a means of promoting social justice.
With the help of volunteers, SMG grows and
distributes healthy and organic foods at two urban
micro-farm sites in the Charlotte region. Robin
Emmons, who had worked in corporate America for
the last two decades, launched SMG in
2008. She originally dug up her own
background and planted food to sell at
affordable prices to residents living in
food deserts. The organization has
blossomed in the past few years and
has become a beacon of community
supported agriculture.
Studies reviewing garden
education programs found
positive effects in numerous
disciplines. Of students who
participated in the gardeneducation system there was a
demonstrated increased
achievement in the following
categories:
• 93% in science
• 80% in mathematics
• 72% in language arts (2)
Works Cited and Acknowledgments
We truly appreciate the help of Renae Cairns, Robbin Emmons, Prf. Lozada, and Prf. Mittelstadt
1.
2.
Skinner, Ellen (2012). “Intrinsic Motivation and Engagement as ‘Active Ingredients’ in Garden-Based Education: Examining Models and Measures Derived From
Self-Determination Theory.” The Journal of Environmental Education 43(1):16-36.
Williams, D. and P. Dixon (2013). “Impact of Garden-Based Learning on Academic Outcomes in Schools: Synthesis of Research Between 1990 and 2010.” Review
of Education Research. Aera 83(2):211-235.
Learning Garden
The lesson plans will be
utilized by SMG with
numerous high school
classes, farm visitors, and
volunteer groups coming to
the farm.
The Learning Garden is a space that will enable Sow Much Good to educate volunteers, visitors and
neighbors on what the organization advocates, by combining both theory on food access in addition
to hands on learning projects, which will keep people engaged in the goals Sow Much Good has for
the community of Charlotte. The site for the learning garden is planned to be close to the open
market so that while neighbors are picking out fresh foods to eat, they can visit the learning garden
and participate in its different areas.
Goals of the Learning Garden and how our Lesson Plans relate:
• Lesson Plans supplement tangible structures in the learning
garden so neighbors have both hands-on experience and
information
• The Learning Garden is an educational space that facilities
broader questions besides food access (examples include
recycling rain water, gardening in small spaces and benefits of
growing culturally specific foods)