Frankfort, October 26 -- By now we've all heard of the White House garden planted with the help of elementary students. But did you know children are busy learning in more than a hundred school and after-school gardens across Kentucky?
The Kentucky School Garden Network hopes to increase that number: Its goal is to create edible gardens at every school in the state. School gardening is in a "renaissance" in Kentucky, said Network Director John Delautre, head of St. Francis School in Goshen.
Gardens teach children healthy eating habits, respect for the Earth and themselves, while providing hands-on lessons in math, science, social studies and more.
"Getting children outdoors and connected with their food and their environment has never been more important," said Anne Nagro, a school garden advocate and author of Our Generous Garden and Nuestra Huerta Generosa, which follow children as they plant a vegetable garden and change their community.
Based on a real-life youth garden project, the books will be featured at the 28th annual Kentucky Book Fair on Saturday, Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Frankfort Convention Center. She'll sign copies of the English and English-Spanish language books and will read to children from her book from 12:40 " 1 pm.
Our Generous Garden has been lauded by Maria Shriver, First Lady of California; Martha Stewart Radio; TIME for Kids magazine, Horticulture magazine, Connecticut Public Radio; Mel Bartholomew, Author of Square Foot Gardening, Action for Healthy Kids, Kirkus Discoveries, National Farm to School Network, Openlands and more! Read reviews: http://www.gardenabcs.com/OurGenerousGardenReviews.html
Parents and educators love the message Our Generous Garden presents, as well as its kid-friendly garden recipes and a hands-on garden planning activity.
Nagro is a school garden volunteer, Master Gardener, and operates www.GardenABCs.com, a school garden share-site. Visitors to the site can learn:
How to start an outdoor classroom
Why youth gardening is important
Successful school garden projects
Where to find youth garden funding and support
Kentucky School Garden Network: KSGN is dedicated to creating vibrant, sustainable, edible gardens in every public, independent, and parochial school in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Kentucky Book Fair: The Kentucky Book Fair uses profits from the sale of books to provide grants to Kentucky school and public libraries. To date, it's awarded over $300,000 in grants.
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