Winter To-Do List

We know you’re already working on all these, right? But just in case Mother Nature doesn’t feel like warming up anytime soon, you better  add these garden tasks to your to- do list.

Plan ahead

Cold, dark winter days are the ideal time to start planning your spring garden.  Choose the plants you would like to grown with your students and create a planting calendar to guide you through spring.

If You Build it…

Get the garden ready for spring. When the weather permits, winter is a great time to dive in to infrastructure projects for your Teaching Garden. Building or repairing planter boxes now leaves more time for growing later! So roll up your sleeves and tackle that bird bath or tool shed that you’ve been hoping to add.

Compost

A compost pile allows you to recycle food scraps and create fertile soil for the garden. Get started over the cool months to make sure you have plenty of healthy soil for your new seedlings.

Photos & Video

Be sure to use the flip camera provided with your Teaching Garden to take pictures and video of your students in action and submit them to teachinggardens@heart.org

Jot it down

Keep the garden going during winter with the Teaching Garden Journal. Have students track the weather, make plans for spring or share a favorite recipe.

Survey Time!

We want to see your growth, but we need data measure it.

For schools new to the Teaching Gardens program, make sure that you have filled out and submitted your Pre-Survey. Gardens in their second cycle after completing a harvest should have completed the Post Survey.

 

Unlocking school playgrounds and gyms encourages physical activity

The United States is facing an obesity epidemic. Nearly one in three children and teens are overweight or obese and many are inactive, according to the American Heart Association. About 50 percent of U.S. adults and 65 percent of adolescents do not currently get the recommended amount of daily physical activity.

School districts can increase physical activity in children and young adults by opening playgrounds, gyms and fields to the community when school’s out, especially in lower-income areas, according to an American Heart Association policy statement published in the American Journal of Public Health.

The statement recommends that school districts and community organizations create shared use agreements to allow supervised activities like sports leagues and unsupervised playing. It reported that low-income communities have less access to recreational spaces and community recreation centers.

“If you want to get active, you need a place to be active,” said Deborah Rohm Young, primary author of the statement. Dr. Young is with the Department of Research and Evaluation at Kaiser Permanente Southern California in Pasadena. “We need more voices to help local schools share their playgrounds and gyms with the community.”

Recognizing that schools have legitimate concerns with simply unlocking their gates and doors, the statement identifies five key issues to address with community organizations:

• Who pays to keep facilities open and maintained;
• How schools and community groups can best communicate;
• Whether schools have appropriate spaces for physical activity;
•  Who takes on liability for injuries or damage to school property;
•  How schools can select the best groups to work with.

A recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 61.6 percent of the 800 districts surveyed currently have a formal agreement for use of their facilities. However, many of the districts are in more affluent areas that already have more opportunities for physical activity.

“The bottom line is sharing spaces can bring communities together and improve the health of all residents,” said Young. “Many schools have found ways to make it work and with the low rates of physical activity among kids and families, every green space and playground that is available means more kids that are active, more kids that are healthy and more families having fun.”

For more information:

• Voices for Healthy Kids
• CDC study: increasing physical activity through joint use agreements in Los Angeles county 
• American Heart Association physical activity recommendations for children 

 

reblogged from  National American Heart Association blog 

Fall Garden Checklist

Happy Fall Teaching Gardeners! Its harvest time, and we know your kiddos are chomping at the bit to try those garden goodies.  Make sure you’re ready to enjoy the fruits of your labor with these quick tips.

• Invite us to the party

We want to see your gardeners in action! Remember to invite your local AHA staff to your Harvest day. We’re ready to help you celebrate your success!

• Brush up on your cooking skills 

Your students are dying to try those fresh fruits and veggies. Make sure you know how to prepare them. Check out Simple Cooking with Heart to find healthy prep methods and ways for your students to lend a hand in the kitchen.

• Photos and video

Be sure to use the flip camera provided with your Teaching Garden to take pictures and video of your students in action. BONUS POINTS: Upload your best harvest photos to Instagram and use #TGHarvest during the month of October for a chance to be featured on our sites! Click here for contest details.

• Jot it down 

Keep your students engaged with the garden in the classroom with the Teaching Gardens Journal. Write about the changing seasons, which veggies they enjoyed the most, or what they would do different next season!

•  
• Be Generous

If you harvest more than you can eat, consider donating your surplus crop to a local food back. Its a great way to reach out to your community and show students the value of giving back. Not sure where to donate? Use this tool to find food banks in your area.

• Survey Time! 

We want to see your growth, but we need data measure it.
For schools new to the Teaching Gardens program, make sure that you have filled out and submitted your Pre-Survey. Gardens in their second cycle after completing a harvest should have completed the Post Survey.

 

Back To School – Back To Farm Learning

The new school year is underway and our friends at Moss Haven Elementary in Dallas Texas are getting back in the swing of things by heading back to the farm. Check out this excerpt from their blog about their first week back.

Every year students, teachers and parents feel excited and hopeful for a new year at school. At our school we have those same feelings, but in addition to those, we are thrilled about our farm and the hope for lots of green growth in the garden.

It’s been a great start so far. Our wonderful Master Gardeners have helped align curriculum for every grade level, so that teachers can easily take their students out to enjoy a hands on lesson in the garden. They also taught all of our classes a lesson on garden safety, using tools correctly and helped the classes plan for planting their Fall crops. This partnership has been absolutely amazing!

Our first week of school gave us an invitation to bring a few farmers to an American Heart Association board meeting. This group was made up of folks from all around the country who help decide how to spend money for the American Heart Association. They wanted to hear from us, so a few of my farm friends came along, because they are the best spokespeople for our farm. They were a hit!

Our hydroponic tank has been set up and new growth has started there as well.

Teachers have taken their classes out to teach lessons and the kids have been out to  make observations on the farm.

We were lucky to have some farm hands show up on Saturday to wrangle our pullets and help them get used to being picked up, held, pet and loved.

Our “Name the Pullets” suggestion list has grown to 3 pages and we will unveil their names next week at our school assembly “Round Up”.

This year we will continue to “Hatch Healthiness” but also will be “Making A Difference” by planting our farm field full of veggies that will be donated to families who are in need.

It’s going to be a great school year farm friends! I will be sure to keep you posted!
E I E I O….,

 

To read the full article or check out more of the adventures on the Moss Haven Farm follow their blog!

 

Good News! Childhood Obesity may be Declining

After seeing childhood obesity rates soar over the past 30 years, there is finally some good news to report. The CDC released a report Tuesday that shows obesity rates among low-income children between the ages of 2 and 4 has dropped in 19 states and territories.

Although the declines were small in most cases, this definitely a sign of progress.

“It’s encouraging news but we’re very, very far from being out of the woods,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said. “The fight is far from over.”

We’re thrilled with the news and are excited about continuing to do our part to end childhood obesity for good.

To read the CDC’s full report click here: http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/ChildhoodObesity/index.html

Richardson Elementary celebrates Aetna sponsored American Heart Association Teaching Garden

Students, staff and faculty at Richardson Elementary couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day, as they were joined by parent and community volunteers to celebrate the dedication of their American Heart Association Teaching Garden on Monday, June 3. The garden, sponsored by Aetna, is intended to serve as a nutritional learning tool and includes plants such as tomatoes, peppers and fresh herbs. The students will get the chance to nurture the garden all summer and see the results of their labor in fall when harvest time arrives.
The dedication began with a warm welcome from Principal, Julie Petruna, who thanked everyone for their participation. The highlight of the afternoon was when a third grade class recited a poem about gardening and a second grade class sang “You Are My Sunshine.” The dedication concluded with Richardson Elementary receiving a Teaching Garden plaque to display in their school, honoring their commitment to health.

“We are so excited for this opportunity to work with our students to educate them about the importance of making healthy choices within the context of the Teaching garden and its curriculum. The teachers and I hope this experience will inspire our student body to take the tools they learn from working together and put them to use for success in their future efforts,” said Principal at Richardson, Julie Petruna.

The American Heart Association Teaching Garden Program aims to teach elementary school students around the country the importance of healthy eating by providing hands-on learning experiences. With the rate of childhood obesity on the rise, the program’s focus is on teaching proper nutrition at an early age. By showing children that not all food comes from a can or package, it gives them knowledge that may help them make healthier choices as they get older.

“We are very proud to partner with Aetna and the team at Richardson Elementary to help bring a better understanding of healthy eating to our next generation. By adopting healthy nutrition patterns at an early age, we hope these students will grow up to share their knowledge of healthy eating with their families and friends,” said Ashley Smas, senior Heart Walk director with the American Heart Association.

Aetna has sponsored Teaching Gardens in five elementary schools across the nation, and Aetna nurses have given their time and volunteered at each location to help build the teaching gardens. Along with 10 planter boxes, Richardson will also receive items such as garden gloves, seed packets, trowels, cultivators, pruners, buckets, and a hose. The staff will receive a mini camcorder with an 8 GB SD card to help record and share the success of the garden with students, parents, staff and the community.

The American Heart Association has a 30 year history working with children and schools; currently, the association has an active relationship with nearly one-third (30,000) of the country’s schools. The Teaching Gardens program is part of a larger American Heart Association, My Heart. My Life. healthy living initiative, designed to help Americans understand what it means to be healthy, and to take action. For more information about the Teaching Gardens program and how you can participate, visit http://www.heart.org/teachinggardens or call 330-664-1905.

reblogged from the Cuyahoga Falls Patch