What Urban Farming
Can Do for Your School
By Kerry Audisho
As you probably already know, I am a huge advocate for growing your own and especially for buying food from local growers. With a network of small local growers, we will be able to build a sustainable, local food ecosystem right in our own backyards. But, it can only work if there are enough food growers. Growing food can teach your kids lifetime values (1), as well as create a sustainable local food system.
One great place to grow food is right at home! Another great place to do that is in schools!
For the 700,000 kids that spend more than 1,000 hours at school per year in one of the 1,171 schools in Maricopa county, Arizona, a garden is a must.
In addition to the lifetime values a garden can instill in children, a garden in school can be used in science classes about life, death, minerals, nutrients, evaporation, rainfall, ecosystems, and more.
It can be used in health class to compare the effects of an apple on a person, as opposed to a lollipop.
The food grown from the garden can be demonstrated in cooking class, to teach kids how to eat in season and healthy. The history of the food industry in conjunction with wars and women entering the workforce is a great way to teach kids about food history.
It can even be used in literature as a place to sit and write, or art as a something to draw in the beginning of the season and again at the end of the season and then the drawings can be compared to see the differences, reverting it back to science and change.
A garden in a school can be used as a prayer and meditation area.
The food harvested from the garden can be offered to the kids at lunch, setting an example of living well. Extra food can be sold to teach kids about economics or given to the needy to teach about compassion.
No matter how your school uses a garden, it can only benefit the school, the students and your local community. There are plenty of schools right here in the valley that are already growing food or starting a garden. What school do you know that has a garden?
If your school does not have a garden, start one. Do you want to learn how? Check out the website in my bio below.
Further Reading
- http://yourfarmfoods.com/index.php/2017/02/12/growing-food-can-teach-your-kids-lifetime-values/
Kerry Audisho is a wife to a wonderful man and mom to three energetic children. She is a good food lover, local farm groupie and a Dr. Sear’s certified health coach. She believes the best way to get good food is to buy it from local farms and is here to help others do just that. She hopes to connect more people with local farms. If you want to connect with Kerry, check out yourfarmfoods.com.
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