Upper Elementary

Our goal with school partner Dodson Elementary is to create a transformative demonstration site centered on growing a healthy and thriving community in the most urban area of Houston. The funding will allow the creation of a school community garden that will engage families students and teachers. The school community garden will provide opportunities for hands-on projects that come alive increase fruit and vegetable consumption and create a green economy with farm to market school curriculum.

The primary goal of goal of the CFCI garden project is to create a dynamic learning environment that provides students with hands on experimentation. The ecosystem of the garden will enable students to explore the environment while incorporating subjects such as art math social studies language arts and science. The grant will enable our school to proceed with the initial stage of the garden plan which includes building raised beds for vegetables purchasing seeds and seedling plants.

Green School local foods initiatives promote gardening for student community and environmental health. Kids get nutrition life skills physical activity to reduce high rate of diabetes 2 obesity and related problems among Native people. Gardening is culturally relevant. It counteracts reservation diet and other poverty behavior social problems. Garden content is taught across the curriculum to promote fruits vegetables and the global contributions and nutrition value of Native agriculture.

The garden will: provide students the opportunity to grow and eat fresh produce expose students to hands-on environmental education enhance the curriculum by connecting it to the natural world offer parents and community residents the opportunity to engage the school community and develop a program that will sustain itself. We hope the garden will attract community members to assist in maintenance and participate in farmers markets increasing the school's community involvement.