From the Back Cover
This book is an invaluable resource--a cornucopia of practical ideas for educators interested in making learning come to life for their students. Having grown up on a family farm, I know firsthand the lifelong lessons that come from working the land. Digging Deeper shows simply and clearly how school gardening is an ideal vehicle to meet high educational standards and achieve learning results so necessary for future generations to live sustainably on this planet.--Dr. Marc Hull, Vermont Commissioner of Education. As a food educator who has worked with children for over 27 years, I applaud Food Works for writing this book. All young people deserve to know where their food comes from and how to prepare a healthy diet. By providing educators with practical, clear information on how to develop youth gardens in schools and communities, Digging Deeper is an invaluable resource for anyone who cares about improving the lives of children by reconnecting them to the lessons of the earth.--Dr. Antonia Demas, Founder and Director, Food Studies Institute, Trumansburg, NY.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
From the Introduction: What do children's gardens and the fate of the planet have in common? Answer: When they are cultivated consciously in harmony with the natural elements, then wonders that were once unimaginable emerge of their own, like a field of wildflowers suddenly appearing from under a fresh spring snow. Growing gardens with children is a living testament to how to restore our ancient ties to the natural rhythms of the earth itself. It is in the learning of this lesson--flower by flower, child by child, season by season--that we will be able to reclaim the heritage that is rightfully ours: as the caretakers of a natural paradise where all species thrive. This is the highest aspiration for Digging Deeper. There are countless reasons for young people to start a garden in their school, community, or home: to feel the power of growing their own food with their own hands; to witness the simple glory of a plant maturing from seed to flower; to work in harmony with the forces of nature as our forebears have done for centuries; to learn firsthand a wide range of basic academic skills and concepts in science, math, language arts, and social studies; to experience the satisfaction of working cooperatively with others to make the world more beautiful. This practical, step-by-step guide for creating successful youth gardens offers all these plus one more reason for children to grow gardens where they live. Gardening provides an ideal context for youngsters, and the wider community, to reawaken their relationship to the natural world, a world that has been so transformed by human expansion in the 20th century alone. Starting with growing foods and flowers in their own neighborhoods, children can use the activities, project ideas, and resources in Digging Deeper to become catalysts for teaching their community a blend of life-enhancing methods for living sustainably in their own local ecosystem. Digging Deeper will enable you to join what has become one of the fastest growing movements in North America: youth gardening. It is designed to help adults lead children in practical learning activities around food growing, nutrition education, ecological restoration, and community service learning. For this reason, we are pleased to release Digging Deeper to spearhead the "Garden in Every School Campaign," which is quickly gaining momentum across the country. Initiated by the state of California in 1995, the initiative is spreading throughout the U.S. and Canada, from rural counties in Vermont and Tennessee to the cities of Denver, Pittsburgh, and Montreal. In addition to being a useful activity guide for parents and community workers, this manual is a complete tool kit for educators who want to create successful and lasting children's gardening programs as part of the "Garden in Every School Campaign."
