Garden-Based Education at Sow Much Good A Community Based Learning Project Alice Curchin, Ayanna Thomas, Nick Neitzel

1. 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 Benefits of Garden Education c) Lesson Plans a) 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. • 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. 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. Relatednessis 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). 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.  The lesson plans will be utilized by SMG with numerous high school classes, farm visitors, and volunteer groups coming to the farm. Sow Much Good • Studies reviewing garden education programs found positive effects in numerous disciplines. Of students who participated in the garden-education system there was a demonstrated increased achievement in the following categories: • 93% in science • 80% in mathematics • 72% in language arts (2) 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 Learning Garden 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.  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. • 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) Works Cited and Acknowledgments We truly appreciate the help of Renae Cairns, Robbin Emmons, Prf. Lozada, and Prf. Mittelstadt 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.