Fourth- and fifth-grade college students at Washington County’s Sulphur Springs Elementary Faculty realized about each gardening and diet within the fall of 2021 via a joint effort of East Tennessee State College’s School of Public Well being and UT Extension Washington County.
Venture EARTH of the School of Public Well being and the UT Extension Washington County brokers created a “Backyard in a Field” program utilizing the “Be taught, Develop, Eat and Go” curriculum that permits younger college students to develop greens whereas studying in regards to the significance of a well-balanced eating regimen.
“Many college students develop meals for the primary time and expertise new meals selections,” mentioned Dr. Mike Stoots, Venture EARTH director of operations and professor within the ETSU Division of Neighborhood and Behavioral Well being. “The youngsters actually appeared to get pleasure from this undertaking and realized issues that might enhance their well being for years to return.”
This system not solely teaches the agricultural expertise of planting, tending and harvesting vegetation, but additionally dietary expertise, corresponding to the best way to eat a balanced eating regimen and methods to organize the greens grown via the undertaking.
Christopher Honeycutt, a doctoral scholar within the ETSU School of Public Well being, working with Venture EARTH, partnered with UT Extension Washington County Brokers Lucy Timbs and Adam Watson to carry the Backyard in a Field program to Sulphur Springs Faculty.
4 sq., raised backyard beds had been constructed on the varsity grounds by the crew and college students on Aug. 26. Fall greens had been planted on Sept. 13, after which harvested a few months later. The vegetable vegetation used on this undertaking had been donated by Onks Greenhouse and Backyard Heart in Grey.
Beneath the steerage of Timbs and Watson, fourth- and fifth-grade college students participated within the rising course of – from planting to reap – of such fall crops as collard greens, cabbage and broccoli as a part of their bodily schooling class taught by coaches Jill Fox and Brandon Qualls.
“It’s wonderful how the youngsters may are available and check out issues they hadn’t tried – the cabbage, the kale, or the collard greens that they hadn’t tried at residence – and had been amazed at how a lot they loved it and appreciated it,” Fox mentioned. “I appreciated seeing that facet of it, and seeing how straightforward it was to develop. Simply understanding the best way to develop it and choose it opens their eyes to one thing new that they haven’t been uncovered to. They advised their pals about what they realized, and their pals need to take part and expertise it as properly. It’s been a optimistic outreach for them. It’s been fantastic.”
The Backyard in a Field crew hopes to not solely add extra raised gardening beds at Sulphur Springs, but additionally to increase this system to different colleges sooner or later.