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The Big News
The Wisconsin School Garden Initiative (WSGI) has officially blossomed into the Wisconsin School Garden Network (WSGN)!
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How do you teach kids about nutrition, help them choose more fruits and veggies, incorporate movement into academic lessons, build self-efficacy, and create a sense of place and pride at school? In Wisconsin, educators are turning again and again to youth gardens that are blossoming at ever more schools, early care & education sites, and after-school programs throughout the state. Three years ago, the Wisconsin School Garden Initiative was created to support the development of school and community youth gardens in our state by offering free professional development opportunities for educators, technical assistance, useful resources, and to begin developing a support structure and network for new and existing youth gardens.
Accomplishments of the Wisconsin School Garden Initiative
Since 2013, WSGI has:
We are immensely proud of the work we have done, and we are even more proud of the thousands of Wisconsin educators who have helped new gardens come to life, and established gardens become an indispensable part of school culture, policy, and students' every day experiences. With green thumbs or without, Wisconsin educators have taken to the soil to help students learn through the measuring of garden beds, the planting of seeds, the eating of cherry tomatoes, and so much more. To date, we have collected over thirty incredible school garden stories, and we are so excited to see this movement continue to grow.
Introducing WSGN: the Wisconsin School Garden Network
We are thrilled to announce the establishment of the Wisconsin School Garden Network. Through WSGN we will build off of the success of the Wisconsin School Garden Initiative to continue supporting the growing school garden movement in our state.
Vision of the Wisconsin School Garden Network
WSGN will:
- Continue to improve children's health and wellbeing by supporting and promoting best practices in garden-based education in Wisconsin and beyond.
- Continue to connect educators and other school garden enthusiasts to free resources, funding opportunities, and inspirational stories through a robust communications network.
- Continue to offer free training and technical support for new and existing youth gardens in Wisconsin.
- Support garden-based education in urban and rural communities around the state by establishing five nodes of school garden leadership throughout the state.
- Engage local and state-level decision makers to lay the groundwork for policy changes that support school gardens and garden-based education.
- Bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to establish goals and priorities for the school garden movement in Wisconsin.
Thank-you to our funder and partners
Funding for both the Wisconsin School Garden Initiative and the Wisconsin School Garden Network was provided by the UW School of Medicine and Public Health from the Wisconsin Partnership Program. We can't begin to express our gratitude for making these projects possible!
The Wisconsin School Garden Network is supported by the Cultivate Health Initiative (CHI), which is a joint project of Community GroundWorks and the Environmental Design Lab, in collaboration with healthTIDE and the Obesity Prevention Initiative. CHI is supported by many local, state and national partners including schools and school districts, regional health departments and health coalitions, and state agencies and organizations such as the Wisconsin Department Health Services, the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and UW-Extension.
Help grow the Network!
We are so excited for what the next five years have in store for garden-based education in Wisconsin! Help us grow the Network - share our newsletters and resources, or drop us a line with your school garden questions or ideas!
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This month, to celebrate the many accomplishments of WSGI and the launch of WSGN, we have put together a "Resource Round-up" that includes some of our favorites from the past three years. Find more school garden resources at wischoolgardens.org. We are always adding to our collection!
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Teaching in Nature's Classroom We are so excited to announce the release of this new book! In Teaching in Nature's Classroom, Nathan Larson shares fifteen principles of teaching in the garden. Free paperback and ebook editions are available. The book includes vivid paintings by Becky Redelings, connections to evidence-based practices in garden education, and personal insights from the author about teaching kids in the garden!
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Chop, Chop! Videos “Chop, chop!” That's the sound of School Child Nutrition Directors who have a new way to help Wisconsin students eat more locally grown vegetables and grains. This six-part series of free videos teach food service staff how to work with specialty crops is now available online. Episodes include Dark Leafy Greens, Winter Squash, Root Vegetables, "Wisconsin Slaw," and more!
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School Garden Briefs
Our collection has grown! The WSGN website is now home to over twenty school garden briefs! Topics include building outdoor classrooms, pollinator gardens, kid-friendly garden tools, incorporating curriculum standards in garden-based learning, funding your garden program, creating accessible gardens, composting at school, planting fruit trees, gardens for early care and education programs, and more! Download, read, print, and share!
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Growing Healthy Children is a toolkit for garden-based nutrition education! This at-a-glance guide includes activity cards for your classroom, cafeteria, or in the garden itself. Activities are supported by research from the field and success stories from Wisconsin schools. Co-written by WSGI, the Oneida County Health Department, Northwoods LEAN, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
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WI School Garden Map From Bayfield and Barron to Mount Horeb and Monona, Wisconsin kids are planting, tending, and harvesting youth gardens. Add your school garden or pass along to a sister site! Find gardens by county or school type - including districts and early education centers - and look up contact information for garden coordinators.
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Newsletters by Theme
Want to learn more about Art in the Garden? Composting with Kids? Literacy in the Garden? Over the past three years, WSGI has developed each monthly newsletter with a guiding theme in mind. Browsing past newsletters can be a great way to find resources, ideas, and garden success stories related to a specific topic. Other themes have included Academics in the Garden, Working with Volunteers, Seed Starting, Garden Fundraising, Summer Maintenance, Harvest Festivals, and more.
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