Florida Agriculture in the Classroom Offers Assistance to School Gardens

Local teachers might want to take a look at this...

Grant Program Shows How Agriculture Can Be Used to Teach All Subject Areas

Gainesville, FL – Florida Agriculture in the Classroom announced that it is offering a new Teacher Grant Program to help educate Florida’s students about the importance of agriculture. The program, which shows teachers how agriculture can be used to teach all subject areas, will provide 222 $500 mini-grants for the creation or improvement of a school garden that grows Florida fruits and vegetables.

Certified, general education Florida and agriscience teachers engaged in classroom instruction at the pre-K through 12^th grade level are eligible to apply.

The grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Proposals can be submitted through the Florida Agriculture in the Classroom website,www.flagintheclassroom.com, and grants will be allocated until all funding is depleted .

Teachers who are awarded a grant will also receive a copy of Gardening for Grades, Florida Agriculture in the Classroom’s new resource aimed at helping teachers through the start and maintenance of classroom or schoolyard gardens.

Gardening for Grades provides advice for how to secure support from school administrators to use school property, how to find grant funding to pay for supplies, and what types of fruits and vegetables will thrive depending on the school’s location. It also includes guidance on using the garden to teach core subject areas.

The book is offered free to Florida teachers, thanks to a partnership with the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Healthy Schools and Food & Nutrition Management Section. Teachers who would like a copy of the book can order one here.

Workshops will also be held throughout Florida during Fall 2011 to train teachers how to use Gardening for Grades.

The Teacher Grant Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Florida Agriculture in the Classroom’s “Ag Tag” sales, among others.

For more information about Florida Agriculture in the Classroom, visit www.flagintheclassroom.com.

For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit www.FreshFromFlorida.com or follow Commissioner Putnam on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/AdamPutnam, and Twitter, @adamputnam.

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