Health and Wellbeing through Gardens of Hope Education/Curriculum
Dear Educators and Administrators,
Thank you in advance for taking a leadership position, and bringing Gardens of Hope to your classroom; you are making an impact on student/family/community health and wellbeing.
The Gardens of Hope program is a unique opportunity to influence childhood health outcomes by promoting healthful behaviors during time spent outdoors in natural spaces.
- 1 in 5 school-aged children is obese
- Obesity results in diseases that were once considered adult-limited
Our program will assist teachers, guardians and parents in developing attitudes in their students, that will ultimately improve childhood vegetable consumption, improve health literacy, health outcomes, group interconnectivity, and leadership skills; it is more than simple nutrition education.
Each lesson is grade appropriate, and has been designed for younger students, however the materials can be adapted to support more mature audiences, skillsets and themes. The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s MD/MPH program has been collaborating with the Joseph P Cory Foundation, collecting statistics to positively substantiate a knowledge, attitude and behavior exchange among students. The year one data has done just that, and a report can be obtained upon request, in addition to the institutions and publications that were sourced upon lesson design; they reflect the most current information and best protocols.
As of September 1, 2020, our on-site garden program, is also being deployed (due to COVID-19 restrictions), as an interactive online newsletter, accessible to anyone at no cost.
Lessons can be integrated into different disciplines:
Science
Health
Language Arts
Math
Certain lessons include the following, making them cross disciplinary:
Persuasive writing activities
Science activities
Art projects
Mapping
Lesson Design
a. Objectives
b. Materials
c. Discussion
d. Classroom Activity (option to work in pairs for socialization) Note: Online option to work independently or with adult supervision)
Becoming a part of this program is very easy. Simply contact our foundation and confirm you would like to be onboard for this school calendar year, or if you have any questions. We recommend choosing an adult Club Sponsor, who will be the administrator that delivers the content and works directly with our educators.
Planting is optimal beginning in late October, as is the pre survey assessment, so please contact us as soon as possible. We are excited at the possibility of extending our reach and impacting more students!
In good health,
Nada Cory, Founder and President
