Sandberg Elementary School on Madison’s far East Side now has enough garden to go around. Some of the many families who helped out said that they had never volunteered at the school before. Read their story on Madison Commons or on Channel 3’s web site.
Many congratulations to them and to Melissa Gavin, GROW Coalition member, who organized the day.
Growing Minds: Garden-Based Learning from the Ground Up
Visit Community Groundworks’ site for full course information.
Dates: July 23-27 2012, 8 am-noon
Cost: $135*
Credit: 1-2 semester units of graduate credit available at additional cost of $60 per credit.
Place: Community GroundWorks Kids’ Garden at Troy Gardens (500 block of Troy Drive, near Warner Park)
Instructor: Nathan Larson, Education Director, Community GroundWorks
*A limited number of scholarships will be available and drawn in May from a lottery of registrants.
Description: This 5-day, 20-hour course is designed for K-12 teachers and community educators who are interested in building skills in the areas of youth garden education, development, and management. This course will emphasize an inquiry-based, hands-on approach to garden-based learning.
Course topics will include youth garden design and construction, funding and resources, recommended tools and equipment, organic gardening methods, cooking in an outdoor garden kitchen, garden-based nutrition, nature study and games, earth art, chickens in the garden, program evaluation, and the role of youth gardening in the sustainable agriculture movement.
Course instruction will take place outdoors in the award-winning Kids’ Garden at Troy Gardens. Please bring sunscreen, drinking water, and appropriate clothing for the weather (e.g., hats, sunglasses, rain jacket). Enrollment is limited to 22 educators.
How do you get kids excited for outdoor learning?
Join us next Tuesday, March 20, 7-8pm, from the comfort of home as we talk about what’s going on around Madison to get kids outside. With a special emphasis on youth gardening, we’ll hear from:
This interactive webinar will offer some good visuals and opportunity for Q & A. (Caution: Bad puns may infest this event.)
For access to the webinar, you’ll need a computer with speakers. A microphone is not necessary but is useful. If you don’t have a mic, there will be an interactive keyboard chat option available.
Login as a “guest” here:
http://hwli.adobeconnect.com/growcoalition
Many thanks to the Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute (hwli.org) for hosting us on Adobe Connect!
Questions? Contact madisongrowcoalition@yahoo.com.
Members of the GROW Steering Group gathered on February 15th at the Farley Center for Peace, Justice and Sustainability to develop a three-year plan to support outdoor learning in Madison. Get ready, because we’re soon going to ask for members to review it!
Using input gathered from individual and organizational members through online surveys and at meetings during 2011, the group is crafting a plan to:
Ultimately, outdoor learning can lead to myriad results, where children:
At the same time, outdoor classrooms can engage a more diverse set of community members in the educational process, as families build capacity for more sustainable food and activity choices.
Clearly, these kinds of outcomes take time and coordinated efforts, and our plan will reflect that. But hey! That’s why we formed a coalition!
Look for an invitation to review and comment on the plan in the next couple of months! Your ideas matter!
Check out this resource page to jump-start your garden-based learning, and stay tuned for more information about offerings from the GROW Coalition. Remember–you can start with simple steps and grow from there. Just getting kids out to explore can help them engage more fully in learning.
For a great perspective on how to engage younger children in the outdoors, check out this article from Children, Youth and Environments: Trees Talk: Are You Listening? Nature, Narrative and Children’s Anthropocentric Place-Based Play.
And this recent article from The Atlantic summarizes new findings about the benefits of play: Recreational Play can be Far More Important than Academics.
Hey! We’re on Groupon!
Thanks to Sustain Dane, we are raising funds to help defray the cost for Madison-area school teachers to participate in Community GroundWorks’ professional development course during Summer 2012. During the “Growing Minds” course, K-12 teachers learn how to teach in school gardens, incorporating garden-based learning into the curriculum. For a better sense of the course, check out this photo montage of Growing Minds 2011.
To contribute to this campaign:
1. Subscribe to Groupon (http://www.groupon.com/subscriptions/new) in Madison [it’s FREE, easy, and you can unsubscribe at any time!].
2. Check the daily Groupon e-mail starting TODAY! to view our campaign, which will be featured along the right hand side of the main deal and under the list of daily deals.
3. Support the campaign with a pledge and spread the word to friends and family, encouraging them to do the same.
Then look for news from us about making our target!
The GROW Coalition and Friends present the CAC Open House Seed Party!
Pick-up free seeds for your community or school garden and get advice from members of the GROW Coalition as you plan for spring! Feel free to spread the word and we hope to see YOU there.
Two dates!
Monday, January 30th from 6-8 pm
or
Saturday, February 4th from 10 am – 12 pm
Where?
Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin
1717 N. Stoughton Road
Madison, WI 53704
Map: http://mapq.st/vx99DS
Many thanks to Centro Hispano for hosting us! Questions? Contact Rachel Martin, rachel@sustaindane.org
Details and location to follow…join us!
When? Monday, October 17, 6 – 7:30 pm
Where? UW Arboretum Visitor Center (map)
Who? Educators, parents, teachers, professionals or youth interested in promoting outdoor learning
What? Come network, learn and problem-solve together. Get inspired as you hear how Centro Hispano engages youth in outdoor learning. Connect with colleagues to explore how to engage others in your work. Brainstorm themes for future meetings.
RSVP: Rachel Martin, rachel@sustaindane.org
Madison Area GROW Coalition 