Posts Tagged ‘children’

Article first published as Naked Chef Jamie Oliver Caught with His Pants Down – Food Revolution or Fool’s Contribution? on Technorati. Thanks to Hulu, I finally had the chance to catch up on Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, the show where the UK’s “Naked Chef” flies over to West Virginia, declared by a CDC to be “the unhealthiest town in America.” Throughout the six-part program, Jamie meets with parents, students ,school administrators, local media, and the business community to try to change the food system in the public schools from largely processed, to fresh and healthy food.It’s an interesting watch, and I suggest anyone interested in health, obesity, food systems, and food policy check it out.  It raises questions about personal choice, family habits, education, and even the flaws in our federal policies and the USDA.But the biggest question I had was, “what were the lasting effects?”  A quick Google search revealed

Spotted: a DC Farm to School Week sign outside the Capital City Public Charter School on 16th and Irving.  This made me smile. It’s taking place this week, so check it out if you are a teacher or have school-aged children!

Way back in May, I wrote a post titled “Something’s coming…” about the Barbara Chambers Children’s Center at 1470 Irving Street NW.  At the time, there were nothing more than four raised beds with some seeds that started to sprout.  I’m happy to report that the garden was a success.  Despite looking less-than tended to at some points during the summer, the garden had a nice crop of: Corn Tomatoes Nasturtiums Peppers, and Sunflowers Perhaps next year, I’ll engage the school to do some additional tending with the students.  It was a little overgrown by the end of the summer!

Salazar Green is a landscape project that includes a new track + field and community/school garden. Located in Santa Fe, NM, this project was designed to encourage positive habits of physical health and nutrition.

This morning, I posted about my employer (the American Planning Association’s) Sustainable Schoolyard initiative.  Recognizing the ability to impart knowledge to the next generation, my colleagues designed and constructed a fun exhibit that is also educational.  Covering everything from squarefoot gardening, to composting, to Louisiana’s relationship with water and the Mississippi river delta, the exhibit connects children with the natural environment.  Time will tell if the exhibit is adopted by the community, but I applaud Rich and Ryan’s work! Sometime in the future, I’ll post about the programming opportunities built into the schoolyard. For more pictures, click here.

As you know, I’m a big fan of gardening as a tool of youth engagement and education.  That’s why I was so proud of the work of two of my colleagues – Rich Lukas and Ryan Scherzinger, who installed a sustainable schoolyard exhibit in New Orleans’ City Park this past April.  The sustainable schoolyard is based on a model that began at Brent Elementary School in Washington, DC.    The New Orleans exhibit, which had a kickoff on April 9, will remain as one of the park’s  permanent installations for the foreseeable future. The schoolyard, which was sponsored by APA and the National Association of Realtors, has several different “teaching moments” throughout the space.  These include an exhibit on edible gardens, a demonstration of square foot gardening (sponsored by LSU Extension), a functioning compost pile, and exhibits on water storage and recycling.  There are also what I like to refer

I pass the Barbara Chambers Children’s Center at 1470 Irving Street NW every morning on my way to work.  The other day, I noticed 3-4 newly-constructed, raised beds!  Something’s coming.  I must admit, despite living next to the Children’s Center, I don’t know much about their programs. Does anyone have an idea of what the programming is for these beds?  Is it part of a larger urban gardening initiative for the children?