The Edvocate

Top Menu

Main Menu

  • Start Here
    • Governance
      • Lynch Education Consulting
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • Contact Us
  • PreK-12
    • Assessment
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development
    • Classroom Management
    • Early Childhood
    • EdTech & Innovation
    • Education Leadership
    • Equity
    • First Year Teachers
    • Gifted and Talented Education
    • Parental Involvement
    • Policy & Reform
    • Special Education
    • Teachers
  • Higher Ed
    • Best Colleges and Universities
    • Best College and University Programs
    • Diversity
    • HBCU’s
    • Higher Education
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • International Education
  • Advertise
    • Request a Product Review
  • The Tech Edvocate Awards
    • The Awards Process
    • Finalists and Winners of The 2017 Tech Edvocate Awards
    • Finalists and Winners of The 2018 Tech Edvocate Awards
    • Finalists and Winners of The 2019 Tech Edvocate Awards
    • Award Seals
  • Apps
    • Edupedia
    • GPA Calculator for College
    • GPA Calculator for High School
    • Cumulative GPA Calculator
    • Grade Calculator
    • Weighted Grade Calculator
    • Final Grade Calculator
  • The Tech Edvocate
  • The Edvocate Podcast
  • Books

logo

The Edvocate

  • Start Here
    • Governance
      • Lynch Education Consulting
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
        • My Speaking Page
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • Contact Us
  • PreK-12
    • Assessment
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development
    • Classroom Management
    • Early Childhood
    • EdTech & Innovation
    • Education Leadership
    • Equity
    • First Year Teachers
    • Gifted and Talented Education
    • Parental Involvement
    • Policy & Reform
    • Special Education
    • Teachers
  • Higher Ed
    • Best Colleges and Universities
    • Best College and University Programs
    • Diversity
    • HBCU’s
    • Higher Education
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • International Education
  • Advertise
    • Request a Product Review
  • The Tech Edvocate Awards
    • The Awards Process
    • Finalists and Winners of The 2017 Tech Edvocate Awards
    • Finalists and Winners of The 2018 Tech Edvocate Awards
    • Finalists and Winners of The 2019 Tech Edvocate Awards
    • Award Seals
  • Apps
    • Edupedia
    • GPA Calculator for College
    • GPA Calculator for High School
    • Cumulative GPA Calculator
    • Grade Calculator
    • Weighted Grade Calculator
    • Final Grade Calculator
  • The Tech Edvocate
  • The Edvocate Podcast
  • Books
  • Mathematics Terms That Middle School and High School Students Should Know

  • 3 Steps to Becoming a Teacher in Nebraska

  • A Guide to Classroom and At-Home Accommodations for Dyscalculia

  • Importance of Hands-On Learning In Early Education

  • 3 Steps to Becoming a Teacher in Alaska

  • 3 Steps to Becoming a Teacher in Nevada

  • What are the Differences Between ADD and ADHD?

  • A Guide to Classroom and At-Home Accommodations for Dyspraxia

  • Improving Education Policy By Looking Beyond The Experts

  • What Should Parents and Educators Know About the Assessment of Young Children?

First Year TeachersParental InvolvementTeachers
Home›First Year Teachers›Do kids who grow kale eat kale?

Do kids who grow kale eat kale?

By Matthew Lynch
September 23, 2016
0
Spread the love

Garrett M. Broad, Fordham University

It’s back-to-school time in the United States, and for countless children across the nation, it’s also time to get back into the school garden.

For centuries, educators and philosophers have argued that garden-based learning improves children’s intelligence and boosts their personal health. In recent years, concerns related to childhood obesity and young people’s disconnection from nature have led to a revitalized interest in the topic.

Tens of thousands of American schools have some form of school garden. Many are located on school grounds and others are run by external community partners. Most are connected to the school’s curriculum. For instance, seeds are used in science class to explain plant biology, fruits are used in social studies to teach world geography and the harvest is used in math to explore weights and measures. Some even incorporate food from the garden into the school lunch.

As a researcher and an activist, I’ve spent the better part of the last decade working to promote a healthy, equitable and sustainable food system. Through this process, I have heard bold claims made about the power of garden-based learning to meet these challenges.

School gardens claim a variety of benefits.

Given the enthusiasm that surrounds garden-based learning today, it’s worth taking stock of their overall impacts: Do school gardens actually improve the education and health of young people?

Promoting school gardens

School gardens have become a favorite strategy of prominent advocates in the “Good Food Movement.” Both celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and First Lady Michelle Obama have been vocal supporters.

An elementary school garden with six raised beds is meant to help kids learn. U.S. Department of Agriculture

Nonprofit and grassroots groups, who see these gardens as a way to provide fresh produce for the food insecure, have forged partnerships with local schools. Then there are service-based groups, such as FoodCorps, whose members spend one year in a low-income community to help establish gardens and develop other school food initiatives.

Philanthropic organizations like the American Heart Association have also sponsored the construction of hundreds of new school garden plots.

Taken together, upwards of 25 percent of public elementary schools in the United States include some form of garden-based learning. School garden projects are located in every region of the country and serve students of all ages, ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic classes.

Transforming kids lives through gardens?

Advocates argue that gardening helps kids make healthier eating choices. As the self-proclaimed “Gangsta Gardener” Ron Finley put it in his popular TED Talk,

“If kids grow kale, kids eat kale.”

Does garden-based learning help school kids?UGA College of Ag & Environmental Sciences – OCCS, CC BY-NC

Many proponents go even further, suggesting that garden-based learning can inspire a variety of healthy changes for the whole family, helping to reverse the so-called obesity epidemic.

Others, like Edible Schoolyard founder Alice Waters, argue that experience in the garden can have a transformative impact on a child’s worldview, making sustainability “the lens through which they see the world.”

Sure, gardens can help

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that garden-based learning does yield educational, nutritional, ecological and social benefits.

For example, several published studies have shown that garden-based learning can increase students’ science knowledge and healthy food behaviors. Other research has shown that garden-based learning can help students better identify different types of vegetables as well as lead to more favorable opinions on eating vegetables.

In general, qualitative case studies of garden-based learning have been encouraging, providing narratives of life-changing experiences for children and teachers alike.

Do gardens improve the intake of fresh foods and fruit? RubyDW, CC BY

However, when it comes to actually increasing the amount of fresh foods eaten by young people, improving their health outcomes or shaping their overall environmental attitudes, quantitative results have tended to show modest gains at best. Some of the most highly developed school garden programs have been able to increase student vegetable consumption by about a serving per day. But the research has not been able to show whether these gains are maintained over time.

A lack of definitive evidence has led some critics to argue that school gardens are simply not worth the time and investment, especially for lower-income students who could be concentrating on more traditional college prep studies.

The social critic Caitlin Flanagan has gone so far as to say that garden programs are a distraction that could create a “permanent, uneducated underclass.”

There are no magic carrots

There is no doubt that the power of garden-based learning is sometimes overstated.

Particularly when describing garden projects in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, popular narratives imply that a child’s time in the garden will rescue her from a life of poverty and chronic disease.

I call this the “magic carrot” approach to garden-based learning. But as we all know, there are no magic carrots growing in the school garden.

Gardens alone will not eliminate health disparities, close the educational achievement gap, fix unemployment or solve environmental injustice.

When is a garden successful?

For gardens to effectively promote learning and health, they must be supported and reinforced by the community as a whole. Surveys of school garden practitioners show that garden programs have serious potential to enhance school and neighborhood life – but only if certain conditions are met.

Notably, school gardens are most successful when they are not held afloat by a single dedicated teacher. Instead, multiple involved stakeholders can ensure that a garden doesn’t dry up after only a season or two.

If kids grow kale, do they eat it? U.S. Department of Agriculture, CC BY

For example, participation from administrators, families and neighborhood partners can turn a school garden into a dynamic and sustainable community hub.

Many experienced practitioners have also shown that garden-based learning is more powerful when its curriculum reflects the cultural backgrounds of the young people it serves. When children of Mexican descent grow indigenous varieties of corn, or when African-American youth cultivate collard greens, the process of growing food can become a process of self-discovery and cultural celebration.

In other words, if kids grow kale, they might eat kale, but only if kale is available in their neighborhood, if their family can afford to buy kale and if they think eating kale is relevant to their culture and lifestyle.

Creating valuable green space

As my own research has highlighted, there are organizations and schools across the country that incorporate garden-based learning into broader movements for social, environmental and food justice.

These groups recognize that school gardens alone will not magically fix the problems our nation faces. But as part of a long-term movement to improve community health, school gardens can provide a platform for experiential education, create valuable green space and foster a sense of empowerment in the minds and bodies of young Americans.

The Conversation

Garrett M. Broad, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies, Fordham University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.


Spread the love
TagsEcepreschoolteach
Previous Article

Why are police inside public schools?

Next Article

Want an Olympic legacy? Get primary school ...

Matthew Lynch

Related articles More from author

  • Matthew LynchOpEducationPolicy & Reform

    The Implications of Universal Preschool

    January 21, 2016
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Child DevelopmentModern ParentingParenting

    What Fathers Should Teach Their Daughters

    October 13, 2017
    By Matthew Lynch
  • social promotion in schools
    Child DevelopmentEarly ChildhoodParentingTrending Topics

    7 Amazing Learning Activities for Toddlers

    August 8, 2017
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Child DevelopmentModern ParentingParenting

    The Benefits of Reading to Your Newborn

    August 28, 2017
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Child DevelopmentModern ParentingParenting

    The Secret to Raising a Confident Boy

    April 19, 2018
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Modern ParentingParenting

    How Parents Can Have a Tear Free First Day of School

    August 23, 2017
    By Matthew Lynch

Leave a reply Cancel reply

  • Artificial Intelligence

    26 Ways That Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Transforming Education for the Better

  • Artificial IntelligenceEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTech

    The Effects of Artificial Intelligence on Education

  • Artificial Intelligence

    How Artificial Intelligence is Boosting Personalization in Higher Education

Search

Registration and Login

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Newsletter

Signup for The Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in P-20 education news and opinion delivered to your email address!

Subscribe to The Edvocate Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyTuneInAndroidStitcherRSS
  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • Mathematics Terms That Middle School and High School Students Should Know

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 13, 2019
  • 3 Steps to Becoming a Teacher in Nebraska

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 13, 2019
  • A Guide to Classroom and At-Home Accommodations for Dyscalculia

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 13, 2019
  • Importance of Hands-On Learning In Early Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 13, 2019
  • 3 Steps to Becoming a Teacher in Alaska

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 12, 2019
  • 18 Reasons the U.S. Education System is Failing

    By Matthew Lynch
    April 3, 2017
  • The Top 5 Unexpected Benefits of Early Childhood Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 29, 2016
  • Transformational vs. Contemporary Leadership Styles

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 28, 2016
  • Why Mobile Technology Enhances Instruction

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 8, 2016
  • The Dark Side of Educational Technology

    By Matthew Lynch
    October 15, 2016
  • Accommodations for dyscalculia - Dyscalculia HeadlinesDyscalculia Headlines
    on
    December 13, 2019

    A Guide to Classroom and At-Home Accommodations for Dyscalculia

    […] Read all about ...
  • Nursing Professor Pioneers Technology to Engage Millennial Students - GoReact Blog
    on
    December 13, 2019

    Top Four Ways to Engage Millennials in Learning Environments

    […] focus on tech ...
  • 6 Reasons Why eLearning Programs May Fail, Plus Tips to Avoid Failure - The Tech Edvocate
    on
    December 12, 2019

    EdTech Should Change the Way Teachers Teach

    […] teacher centered. With ...
  • Helping Your Kid With ADHD Excel In School | Sarasate Association
    on
    December 11, 2019

    Assistive Technology to Help Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Succeed Academically

    […] or Attention Deficit ...
  • The School Psychiatrist Can Help Your Kid Succeed In School  | Sarasate Association
    on
    December 11, 2019

    Assistive Technology to Help Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Succeed Academically

    […] A kid’s success ...

Ask an Expert

  • Ask An Expert

    How Dumbed Down Education Is Creating a National Security Crisis

    Spread the loveFor the past few decades, our country’s educational system has seen both struggle and tremendous change. With the various ailments plaguing our educational system, education reforms have attempted ...
  • Ask An Expert

    21 Inspirational Quotes That Nelson Mandela Made About Education

    Spread the loveWe all have our heroes. Those human beings that seem larger than life and almost achieve Godlike status. One of my heroes is the late-great Nelson Mandela, who ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssistive TechnologyCareer ReadinessChild Development TechClassroom ManagementDigital & Mobile TechnologyDigital LeadershipDisabilitiesDiversityEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEducation LeadershipElementary EducationElementary SchoolEquityFirst Year TeachersFreshHigh SchoolK-12Middle SchoolModern ParentingParent & Family TechParental InvolvementParentingPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformPreK-12Special EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachers

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 7: How Digital Age Teachers Can Win Over Parents

    Spread the loveEducation is a collaborative process, as it takes many stakeholders working in unison to help students succeed academically. One of the most integral parts of this collaborative team ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssessmentAssistive TechnologyBlack Boys in CrisisChild Development TechClassroom ManagementDigital & Mobile TechnologyDigital LeadershipDisabilitiesEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformEducation LeadershipElementary EducationElementary SchoolEquityFeaturedFirst Year TeachersFreshGamificationGifted and Talented EducationHBCU'sHigh SchoolHigher EducationK-12Online Learning & eLearningOpEducationPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformRetention & Social Promotion SeriesSpecial EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachersTesting

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 6: 8 Ways That Digital Age Teachers Avoid Burning Out

    Spread the loveBeing a teacher is a tough job. So much so, many new teachers end up leaving the field within their first three years. To ensure that the next ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssessmentAssistive TechnologyBest of Best ListsBlack Boys in CrisisBullyingChild DevelopmentChild Development TechClassroom ManagementCurrent Ed NewsDigital LeadershipEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformEdTech Startups & BusinessesEducation LeadershipEquityFeaturedFirst Year TeachersFreshGamificationGifted and Talented EducationHBCU'sHigh SchoolHigher EducationHigher Education EdTechK-12Matthew LynchModern ParentingOnline Learning & eLearningOpEducationPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformRetention & Social Promotion SeriesSpecial EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachersTestingYear-Round Schooling

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 5: The Archetype of a Great Teacher

    Spread the loveOne of the questions that I am frequently asked is, what does a good teacher look like? I respond by mentioning my 10th-grade Biology teacher, Mrs. Minor, and ...

International Education

  • International Education

    Seven Things to Know About Egypt’s New Education System

    Spread the loveOnce hailed as a center of intellectual excellence, Egypt has lost its glowing reputation. But, they are working to make changes.  In the fall of 2018, Egypt implemented ...
  • International Education

    Robot Teachers Invade Chinese Kindergartens

    Spread the loveRobots are a cool aspect that kids enjoy seeing in movies and as toys, but now robots are turning out to be more real than ever before. In ...
  • International Education

    Girls’ Education in Sierra Leone: A New Era in Female Empowerment

    Spread the loveEducational inequality exists all around the globe, and Sierra Leone is no exception. Unfortunately, females are behind their male counterparts in literacy rates, and as of 2016, UNICEF ...
  • Higher EducationInternational Education

    How International Student Mobility is Changing in Higher Education

    Spread the loveWe live in the Information Age, a time where learning and earning happen remotely, from anywhere on earth. Being a student no longer means being rooted in the ...
  • International Education

    How are K-12 Schools Around the World Tackling Social Injustice?

    Spread the loveSocial injustice from a worldwide perspective is the “denial or violation of economic, sociocultural, political, civil or human rights of specific populations or groups in a society based ...

Early Childhood Education

  • Child DevelopmentEarly Childhood

    Importance of Hands-On Learning In Early Education

    Spread the loveWhen young children are introduced to school, usually through a pre-k program, it is essential that it is a pleasant experience. This first experience is going to set ...
  • AssessmentEarly Childhood

    What Should Parents and Educators Know About the Assessment of Young Children?

    Spread the loveThe early childhood years help create a foundation for future learning and place students on the path of academic success. That’s why it is essential to use assessments ...
  • Child DevelopmentEarly ChildhoodNeuroscience

    Protecting Brains, Stimulating Minds: The Early Life Roots of Success in School

    Spread the loveEarly childhood education is sometimes dismissed as unimportant – or at the very least considered far less essential than later education in primary and secondary school. The truth, ...
  • Child DevelopmentEarly ChildhoodEquity

    Race, Education, and Social Mobility: Why Pre-K Matters for Children of Color

    Spread the loveWhat do you think of when you think about preschool? Naps and snacks and playing on the playground? Storytime, lunch, and coloring books? Do you think of it ...
  • Early ChildhoodSTEM

    30 Science Activities That You Can Try With Your Kindergartners This Month

    Spread the loveAre you looking for science activities to do with your kindergartners? No sweat. We have you covered. Check out our list of 31 science activities that you can ...

Gifted and Talented Education

  • Behavior ManagementGifted and Talented Education

    Implementing Successful Behavioral Interventions With Gifted Students

    Spread the loveBehavioral interventions are tough to stage and stage successfully regardless of a student’s cognitive abilities and achievement status, but they can be especially rough when it comes to ...
  • Gifted and Talented Education

    How To Solve The Segregation That Plagues Gifted-and-Talented Programs

    Spread the loveThe sad truth about the majority of gifted-and-talented programs throughout the United States is that there are thousands upon thousands of high-ability students from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds ...
  • Gifted and Talented Education

    Public Attitudes Towards the Gifted: Myth and Reality

    Spread the loveGifted and talented students are defined as: “Students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, ...
  • Gifted and Talented EducationSpecial Education

    Not to Miss Gifted & Special Education Conferences in 2020

    Spread the loveLooking for a gifted education or special education conference to attend in 2020? Don’t worry, just check out our list below. Special education conferences 1. Higher Education Consortium for ...
  • Gifted and Talented Education

    Giftedness Knows No Boundaries: Practical Solutions to Identify all Gifted and Talented Students

    Spread the loveChildren who are gifted are known as children who have an “ability significantly above the norm for their age”. And children with different abilities as their peer groups ...

Black Boys in Crisis Series

  • Black Boys in Crisis

    The Importance of Mentoring Young African-American Males

    Spread the loveTeachers need to realize that at home, in their neighborhoods, and in school, many students face difficulties that can interfere with learning. Compared to their middle-class counterparts, it ...
  • Black Boys in CrisisDiversityEquity

    7 Ways That Black Students are Discriminated Against in U.S K-12 Schools

    Spread the loveAfrican Africans have a long history of being mistreated in the United States, starting with slavery. It should come as no surprise that their children face the same ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssessmentAssistive TechnologyBlack Boys in CrisisChild Development TechClassroom ManagementDigital & Mobile TechnologyDigital LeadershipDisabilitiesEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformEducation LeadershipElementary EducationElementary SchoolEquityFeaturedFirst Year TeachersFreshGamificationGifted and Talented EducationHBCU'sHigh SchoolHigher EducationK-12Online Learning & eLearningOpEducationPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformRetention & Social Promotion SeriesSpecial EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachersTesting

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 6: 8 Ways That Digital Age Teachers Avoid Burning Out

    Spread the loveBeing a teacher is a tough job. So much so, many new teachers end up leaving the field within their first three years. To ensure that the next ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssessmentAssistive TechnologyBest of Best ListsBlack Boys in CrisisBullyingChild DevelopmentChild Development TechClassroom ManagementCurrent Ed NewsDigital LeadershipEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformEdTech Startups & BusinessesEducation LeadershipEquityFeaturedFirst Year TeachersFreshGamificationGifted and Talented EducationHBCU'sHigh SchoolHigher EducationHigher Education EdTechK-12Matthew LynchModern ParentingOnline Learning & eLearningOpEducationPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformRetention & Social Promotion SeriesSpecial EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachersTestingYear-Round Schooling

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 5: The Archetype of a Great Teacher

    Spread the loveOne of the questions that I am frequently asked is, what does a good teacher look like? I respond by mentioning my 10th-grade Biology teacher, Mrs. Minor, and ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssistive TechnologyBlack Boys in CrisisBullyingChild DevelopmentChild Development TechClassroom ManagementDisabilitiesDiversityEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformEducation LeadershipElementary EducationElementary SchoolEquityFeaturedFirst Year TeachersFreshGifted and Talented EducationHigh SchoolHigher EducationHigher Education EdTechK-12Middle SchoolModern ParentingOnline Learning & eLearningParent & Family TechParentingPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformSecondary EducationSpeakingSTEMTeacher EducationTeachersTesting

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 4: How to Create a Culturally Responsive Classroom

    Spread the loveBuilding a culturally responsive classroom is hard. To help you along your journey, here is your guide to exploring and respecting the cultural backgrounds of your students while ...

RSS Matthew on Education Week

  • Au Revoir from Education Futures November 20, 2018 Matthew Lynch
  • 6 Steps to Data-Driven Literacy Instruction October 17, 2018 Matthew Lynch
  • Four Keys to a Modern IT Approach in K-12 Schools October 2, 2018 Matthew Lynch
  • What's the Difference Between Burnout and Demoralization, and What Can Teachers Do About It? September 27, 2018 Matthew Lynch
  • Revisiting Using Edtech for Bullying and Suicide Prevention September 10, 2018 Matthew Lynch

About Us

The Edvocate was created in 2014 to argue for shifts in education policy and organization in order to enhance the quality of education and the opportunities for learning afforded to P-20 students in America. What we envisage may not be the most straightforward or the most conventional ideas. We call for a relatively radical and certainly quite comprehensive reorganization of American’s P-20 system.

That reorganization, though, and the underlying effort, will have much to do with reviving the American education system, and reviving a national love of learning.  The Edvocate plans to be one of key architects of this revival, as it continues to advocate for education reform, equity, and innovation.

Newsletter

Signup for The Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in P-20 education news and opinion delivered to your email address!

Contact

The Edvocate
5322 Markel Road, Suite 104
Richmond, VA 23230
(601) 630-5238
advocatefored@gmail.com

Follow us

Copyright (c) 2019 Matthew Lynch. All rights reserved.