School gardens are a place to increase food literacy and food system education, empowering students to take control over their own health and food system. The core components of sustainable school gardens use have been identified within the literature. This study aimed to describe school gardens in School District 61 (SD61) on South Vancouver Island and explore what school stakeholders identified as important to supporting their school garden and what elements of sustainable garden integration were present. To address these questions a school garden survey and observation tool was adapted by a stakeholder group from existing instruments and administered to 24 schools in SD61. Sixteen schools completed the survey (response rate of 64%), and there were 22 garden observations conducted. Descriptive statistics were used to explore the data. The analysis showed that professional development, volunteerism, school garden irrigation, courses that allow teachers and students regular time in the garden, District policy were the weakest supported areas for school gardens, while educational material, administration buy-in, garden committee, networks, technical assistance, and garden upkeep were the highest supported areas. Overall, SD61 could offer further organizational and physical infrastructure, resources, and support to strengthen the institutionalization of gardens. Further research is required, specifically on the surveying, monitoring and evaluation of gardens in order to make continued adjustments to program delivery to ensure their use and longevity. / Graduate / 2019-11-27

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / School gardens are booming in Arizona as their opportunities for educational development continue to grow. One common problem, however, is that most schools with a school garden lack a proper managerial system that would help their garden be used to its full potential. The work compiled in this capstone project defines a managerial structure and provides a site-specific example of an intern manual that is intended to be used as in introductory guide with all the necessary resources to get an intern started.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF AFTON KHALE DELVECCHIO, for the Master of Science Degree in Food and Nutrition, presented on November 15, 2013 a Southern Illinois University. TITLE: THE IMPACT OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE EDUCATION WITH A SCHOOL GARDEN ON KINDERGARTENERS' NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Sylvia Smith, CHE BACKGROUND: Over 12.5 million children and adolescents are obese in the United States (Nowak, Kolouch, Schneyer, & Roberts, 2012). Only 7% of youth are currently consuming the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables (Krebs-Smith & Cook, 1996). Children are required to receive some sort of schooling, thus schools are utilized as a prime location in the United States for nutrition and health education. It has been found that exposure to and knowledge about food items, such as fruits and vegetables, results with increased intake (Ohri-Vachaspati, Turner, & Chaloupka, 2012). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a nutrition education intervention with a school garden on kindergarten students' attitude and knowledge about fruits and vegetables. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: A five-week quasi-experimental study design was used. Three kindergarten classrooms from the same school participated in the study: a control, an education only, and an education with a garden. A total of 62 kindergarten students made up the convenience sample for this study. The study was conducted during April and May of 2013 at Parrish Elementary School in Carbondale, Illinois. The intervention classrooms experienced a half hour nutrition education intervention twice a week, for five weeks. The intervention lessons were based on the Fresh from the Farm curriculum, specifically for the first grade population. The classroom with the garden had an additional hour throughout the week to work and explore a growing garden. The students were given a Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire for baseline measurement and again after the five week intervention. The students' attitude was measured using a three-point hedonic scale, while nutrition knowledge was measured using three separate matching exercises: fruits and vegetables to color, nutrients, and body parts. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Independent Variables: Demographics, Nutrition Education Intervention. Dependent Variables: Attitudes to Fruits and Vegetables, Nutrition Knowledge. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Descriptive statistics were run to evaluate the study's sample. Chi-square test for cross tabulations was used to evaluate the attitude and knowledge of the kindergarten students. RESULTS: Kindergarten students in the garden classroom had a p-value of <0.001 for the nutrient matching portion of the nutrition assessment. In addition, self-identified white students correctly matched nutrient to body part significantly better than self-identified black students, p< 0.05. An association was found between the garden classroom and correctly matching nutrients, p< 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Positive associations were found with students experiencing a school garden along with a nutrition a nutrition education intervention and their knowledge outcomes. The children in the garden classroom improved from pre-test to post-test, specifically with the nutrition matching portion of the nutrition knowledge. When compared with the education-only and control classrooms, the students in the garden classroom out-performed on the nutrient matching aspect of nutrition knowledge.

Master of Science / Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources / Candice A. Shoemaker / Once a fixture of American schoolyards during the early 1900’s, school gardens in the United States are again growing in popularity. It is estimated that one-fourth of all public and private schools in the U.S. have a school garden. Funding, teacher involvement, support of the principal, volunteer help, garden coordination, maintenance assistance and site availability are all factors found to contribute to the success of school gardens and are also found to be the barriers to sustainability of school gardens. Many of these challenges can be overcome with the support of volunteers. Little is known however, about individuals who volunteer their time to a school garden program and more importantly no research has investigated the specific variables influencing volunteer retention in an after-school garden club program setting. A case-study of long-term adult after-school garden club program volunteers was conducted to determine the variables affecting one’s decision to continue volunteering after one semester with a program of this type. Twenty long-term after-school garden club program volunteers were interviewed. Interview responses were grouped into main theme and subtheme categories using NVivo, a qualitative analysis software. Main themes that had responses from at least 95% of the volunteers participating in the case-study, were isolated for further analysis. The top five subthemes for each of these isolated main themes were assessed and four of these main themes were found to have similar top five subthemes. These subthemes and the long-term volunteer demographics were then used to determine the variables affecting volunteer retention in an after-school garden club setting. Age, marital status and level of education were all found to affect length of volunteer service. Organizational commitment, positive volunteer relations, organizational support, learning opportunities and the opportunity to work with children all contributed to the decision of after-school garden club program volunteers to continue volunteering after one semester of service. Furthermore, it can be concluded that these volunteers continued to volunteer because their initial motivations, expectations and/or needs were met through their participation in the program.

Theoretical part of this Diploma Thesis is attend to movement of a children in the pre-school, availness of scholl garden and its facilities from technical and purpose matter. Practical part of this Diploma Thesis is attend to research of Analysis Pre-school gardens, which has and object to ascertain that garden's facilities are conform to pedagogue and children's needs. Key words 1. Child 2. Movement 3. Kindergarden 4. Scholl garden 5. Games elements

<p>Syftet med mitt examensarbete var att undersöka, om det finns något samband mellan förskolegårdens utformning och barns utveckling. Litteraturgenomgången i bakgrunden ger en klar bild av förskolegårdens och utomhuspedagogikens betydelse. Utomhusvistelsen påverkar hela kroppen, både psykiskt och fysiskt enligt Szczepanski (2007). Jag gjorde en kvantitativ undersökning, om hur pedagoger ser på sin utemiljö. Sexton förskollärare från tre olika förskolor fick min enkät. Resultatet av min undersökning ger en samstämmig bild av, hur förskolegården kan användas till både lek och lärande. Gårdens utformning är viktig, och det bör finnas en rik variation av lekmaterial. Många pedagoger betonar att barnen utvecklar motorik, samspel, empati och respekt under utevistelsen. Eftersom min undersökning gäller endast tre förskolor, kan det diskuteras, i vilken grad resultaten kan generaliseras. Dock är samstämmigheten så stor i svaren från förskolorna, att pedagogernas uppfattningar om förskolegårdens betydelse och möjligheter troligtvis gäller även övriga förskolor i landet.</p> / <p>The purpose of my study was to examine, whether there is any connection between the preschool yard’s design and child development. Literature review in the background provides the importance of the yard and outdoor education. Outdoor stay affects the whole body both mentally and physically under Szczepanski (2008). I did a quantitative study on how teachers view their outdoor environments. Sixteen preschool teachers from three preschools got my survey. The result of my study gives a unanimous picture of, how the preschool yard can be used for both playing and learning. The design of the yard is important, and there should be a rich variety of toymaterials. Many educators stress that children develop motoric skills, interaction, empathy and respect during the outdoor play. Since my study is based on just three preschools, the results possibly can’t be generalized. However, the answers from the preschools are nearly unanimous, and the result is probably valid all over the country.</p>

Syftet med mitt examensarbete var att undersöka, om det finns något samband mellan förskolegårdens utformning och barns utveckling. Litteraturgenomgången i bakgrunden ger en klar bild av förskolegårdens och utomhuspedagogikens betydelse. Utomhusvistelsen påverkar hela kroppen, både psykiskt och fysiskt enligt Szczepanski (2007). Jag gjorde en kvantitativ undersökning, om hur pedagoger ser på sin utemiljö. Sexton förskollärare från tre olika förskolor fick min enkät. Resultatet av min undersökning ger en samstämmig bild av, hur förskolegården kan användas till både lek och lärande. Gårdens utformning är viktig, och det bör finnas en rik variation av lekmaterial. Många pedagoger betonar att barnen utvecklar motorik, samspel, empati och respekt under utevistelsen. Eftersom min undersökning gäller endast tre förskolor, kan det diskuteras, i vilken grad resultaten kan generaliseras. Dock är samstämmigheten så stor i svaren från förskolorna, att pedagogernas uppfattningar om förskolegårdens betydelse och möjligheter troligtvis gäller även övriga förskolor i landet. / The purpose of my study was to examine, whether there is any connection between the preschool yard’s design and child development. Literature review in the background provides the importance of the yard and outdoor education. Outdoor stay affects the whole body both mentally and physically under Szczepanski (2008). I did a quantitative study on how teachers view their outdoor environments. Sixteen preschool teachers from three preschools got my survey. The result of my study gives a unanimous picture of, how the preschool yard can be used for both playing and learning. The design of the yard is important, and there should be a rich variety of toymaterials. Many educators stress that children develop motoric skills, interaction, empathy and respect during the outdoor play. Since my study is based on just three preschools, the results possibly can’t be generalized. However, the answers from the preschools are nearly unanimous, and the result is probably valid all over the country.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilken roll   skolträdgården på en skola i Sverige har för eleverna i årskurs 4-6. I   studien diskuteras kring huruvida eleverna känner till att skolträdgården   finns och vad för möjligheter de anser att de har att besöka den under en rast   och under skol- och fritidsverksamhet. Det diskuteras också kring vilka   möjligheter de anser att de har till undervisning i skolträdgården. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt grundas i John Deweys   begrepp Learning by doing, knowing by   doing. Utifrån en kvantitativ ansats genomfördes en enkätundersökning där   insamlade data utgör resultat i studien. Respondenterna är alla elever i   årskurs 4-6 på den aktuella skolan. Studiens resultat visar att många av eleverna väljer att   besöka skolträdgården under rasten, men enligt dem själva, ges inte möjligheter   att besöka eller få undervisning i den under andra delar av skoldagen.   Resultatet visar också att många av de tillfrågade respondenterna vill ha   lektioner där och de visar på många exempel hur detta kan ske. Detta resultat visar att det finns en skolträdgård på skolan som skulle kunna användas mer i det pedagogiska arbetet än vad det gör idag enligt eleverna. / The aim with this study is to   investigate what role the school garden at a school in Sweden has for the   pupils in grades 4-6. The study discusses whether the pupils know there is a   school garden and to which extent they consider themselves having the   possibility to visit it during the schooldays. It also discuss which   possibilities the pupils think they have to get education in the school   garden. The theoretical foundation of this   study is John Dewey and his statement Learning   by doing, knowing by doing. Based on a quantitative approach, a survey   was carried out and the result of this study is based on the data from the   survey. All of the respondents are pupils in grades 4-6 at the significant   school. The result of the study shows that   many of the pupils choose to visit the school garden during their school   breaks. The pupils think that they do not get enough opportunities to visit   or get education in the school garden during the schooldays. The result also   shows that the pupils would like to get more education in the garden, and   they have many ideas about how that could be done. According to the pupils, the   school has a school garden that the educators at the school could use more in   their teaching than they do today.

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No. of bitstreams: 1 SASSI, Julina S..pdf: 1704012 bytes, checksum: d6c4d0d59b5545a8bb2a3ff17d0be59c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / A horta tem consolidado presença nas escolas urbanas e rurais, principalmente através da realização de projetos extracurriculares visando a Educação Ambiental e alimentar. Nesse sentido, objetivamos nessa pesquisa compreender quais as implicações pedagógicas de articular a atividade da horta ao Ensino de Ciências. Delimitando nosso estudo consideramos como sujeitos da pesquisa as famílias da Comunidade Nova Gonçalves – Canguçu/RS bem como uma Escola Municipal de Ensino Fundamental (EMEF) dessa região e seus educadores. As informações da pesquisa foram obtidas a partir de questionários realizados com as famílias da comunidade de forma colaborativa e coletiva com integrantes do Núcleo de Pesquisa e Extensão Educamemória/FURG que configura-se como um grupo interinstitucional, entrevistas e Roda de Diálogo com as educadoras da EMEF que possibilitaram sinalizar questões importantes referentes a vida no campo e do campo; produção agrícola produzindo significados a respeito do lugar; saúde e qualidade de vida do lugar; escolaridade e preocupações com o futuro dos adolescentes. Tais questões quando dialogadas e problematizadas em Roda de Diálogo com as educadoras nos proporcionaram subsídios a fim de construirmos uma Trama Conceitual “Solo: fonte de vida e subsistência” a qual contribuiu para a construção de um ensaio de uma proposta didático-pedagógica a fim de compreender as possibilidades de articular a horta escolar as atividades de Ciências. Nesse ensaio, identificamos inúmeros conteúdos escolares que podem ser articulados com a horta, como: solo, água, plantas, microrganismos, ciclo de nutrientes. Dessa forma, apontamos que a horta pode ser utilizada, além de projetos extracurriculares, como articuladora do Ensino de Ciências que objetive a desmistificação do ensino tradicional e incorpore uma educação enfatizando a realidade e a problematização. Nesse caso, em escolas do campo, a horta pode ser utilizada para problematizar as práticas agrícolas instauradas e além de utilizar dos conteúdos já citados com a finalidade de dinamizar o currículo e constituir saberes. / The garden has consolidated presence in urban and rural schools, mainly by conducting extracurricular projects aimed at environmental education and food. In this sense, this research aimed to understand what the pedagogical implications of joint activity of the garden to the Teaching of Science. Confining our study we consider as research subjects families Community New Gonçalves - Canguçu / RS and a Municipal Elementary School (EMEF) in this region and their educators. The survey information was obtained from questionnaires conducted with families in the community collaboratively and collectively with members of the Research and Extension Educamemória / FURG that is configured as an interagency group, interviews and Wheel Dialogue with the educators EMEF that enabled flag important issues the country life and field; agricultural producing meanings about the place; health and quality of life of the place; schooling and concerns about the future of adolescents. Such questions when dialogued and problematized in wheel Dialogue with educators provided subsidies to build a conceptual Trama "Solo: source of life and livelihood" which contributed to the construction of a test of a didactic and pedagogic proposal to understand the possibilities of articulating the school garden activities of Sciences. In this essay, we identified numerous educational content that can be articulated with the garden, such as soil, water, plants, microorganisms, and nutrient cycling. Thus, we point out that the garden can be used in addition to extracurricular projects such as articulating the science education which aims to demystify the traditional teaching and incorporate an education emphasizing the reality and the questioning. In this case, schools in the field, the garden can be used to problematize introduced agricultural practices and besides using content already mentioned in order to streamline the curriculum and build knowledge.

School garden-based education programs have become an increasingly popular tool to improve children's nutrition, yet evaluations have found mixed results. This study analyzes three years of student surveys collected before and after one year of participation in the American Heart Association's Teaching Gardens program. Analysis was guided by the Social Cognitive Theory, and measured changes in determinants of healthy eating behavior: preferences for fruits and vegetables, gardening skills, food systems learning, and perceptions of self-efficacy and social norms regarding fruit and vegetable consumption. A total of 755 pre-test and 976 post-test responses were included in the analysis, as well as 173 pre-test and 146 post-test responses from two control schools that did not participate in any gardening activities. Frequencies and crosstabulations were used to analyze pre- and post-test data. Paired t-tests were also used to analyze differences between pre- and post-test when data were collected for the same student before and after Teaching Gardens participation. Paired t-test results indicated improvement in Preferences, Food Systems Learning, and Social Norms for both control and experimental groups and in Gardening Skills for the experimental group, although none of the changes over time were significant. At posttest, significant differences by gender were found in responses across all five indices, with girls answering generally more positively to questions than boys. Crosstab results also indicated significant differences by school minority concentration and socioeconomic status (SES) across all five indices at post-test, as well as a general correlation between minority concentration and SES. However, the effects of these environmental factors were mixed. The second article of this thesis investigates the effects of another environmental factor - the level of integration of the school garden program into the wider school environment - on students' reported knowledge of Gardening Skills. Eight schools and 142 matched pairs of students that participated in the Teaching Gardens program were analyzed. Adult responses from each of the schools were used to create an index of the program's Level of Integration, which was then compared with the students' reported changes in Gardening Skills using bivariate analysis and Paired Samples t-tests. Repeated Measures General Linear Model tests were then conducted to compare the model including the Level of Integration against the more traditional model of school garden evaluation, which focuses on school's minority concentration and SES. Results indicate that students at schools with well-integrated school garden programs gain greater Gardening Skills as a result of one year of participation in the program and confirms previous findings that students from lower SES areas experience greater gains in Gardening Skills than students from higher SES areas.