Growing School Gardens: ICCSD Teacher Training Workshop

The workshop was open to teachers, students, parents, and community members interested in school gardens. Over 50 attended.

Topics included:

Connecting Gardens with the Classroom

• Connecting Learning With Living curriculum resources from ISU Extension; includes “hands on” learning and curriculum review and discussion by Janet Toering, author of the gardening curriculum
• Combining gardens, Iowa Core, and healthy food at ICCSD schools
• Nature Explore: Learning with children in nature
• Soil Science and Composting

Growing Healthy Food for Snacks and Lunch

• Garden to Cafeteria: School Garden Food Safety Guidelines
  with Alison Demory, ICCSD Director of Food Service
• Top 10 Easy Foods to Grow and Eat

Janet Toering is a 4-H Youth Program Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Janet is the coordinator of the Connecting Learning and Living (CLL) Programs including: Growing in the Garden:  Elementary Curriculum; Growing in the Garden:  Local Foods and Healthy Living; and the Where We Live curriculum.  CLL is also Iowa State University contact for the national Food, Land and People:  Resources for Learning curriculum and leads  the USDA’s People Garden grant program in Iowa.

ICCSD Farm to School is working to increase the amount of fresh, local food that students eat through our three projects: 1) adding more local foods to school lunches, 2) building school gardens and composting systems, and 3) providing food, agriculture and nutrition education programs.

Field to Family is an association of farmers, consumers, professional food buyers and support organizations fostering a more local and sustainable agriculture in Johnson, Linn, and surrounding counties. Field to Family’s projects include ICCSD Farm to School, Local Food Finder, the Field to Family Festival, and Healthy Community Food Systems Education.