April 12, 2007

School Garden Project continues to grow in Virginia

RICHMOND—Educators say the best way for students to learn is by doing. That is exactly what happens in the classrooms of teachers participating in the eighth annual School Garden Project.

“This program is wonderful for children who may not have a chance to garden at home,” said Karen Davis, executive director of the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, which coordinates the project. “It teaches children the importance of nature and shows them how plants develop. This hands-on experience helps kids connect with the state’s science standards while having fun.”

Earlier this spring, packets of vegetable seeds and other materials were shared with about 1,300 teachers around the state. The School Garden Project is a partnership between the AITC foundation and Southern States Cooperative Inc., which provides teachers with free vegetable seeds and seed catalogs. AITC supplies professionally developed lesson plans related to gardening that are aligned with Virginia’s Standards of Learning.

Two studies cited recently by the National Science Teachers Association indicate students who participate in school gardens have higher science achievement test scores. And while gardening activities strongly support science SOLs, they also are relevant to math, social studies and language arts.

Davis said the School Garden Project is most popular with teachers in the Richmond area. Chesterfield County tops the list of participating school systems with 79 teachers, while Dinwiddie and Henrico counties come in second and third.

Agriculture in the Classroom is a national program that promotes greater understanding of agriculture through education. The Virginia AITC foundation is a nonprofit organization that receives financial and administrative support from Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. During the 2005-2006 school year, the foundation provided free workshops for 1,012 elementary school teachers.

Garden-related lesson plans are available on the foundation’s Web site at www.agintheclass.org, along with a list of recommended books that support school gardening activities. Teachers interested in participating in next year’s School Garden Project can register in August through the AITC Web site or by calling 804-290-1143.

Contact Davis at 804-290-1142 or Sherri McKinney, VFBF video producer, at 804-290-1148.