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Program plants seeds in minds of children
| Name | Ginger Bowen | | Situation | Childhood obesity is on the rise all across America. I believe one major factor that contributes to childhood obesity is the sedentary lifestyle that some children live. Sitting still and working or playing games on the computer for an extended period of time does not help the situation. Children need to get outdoors more often and give their computers a break. | | Response | 4-H in Spartanburg County along with the Soil and Water Conservation District has responded to the situation. Our response goes back to the 4-H basics of agriculture. We believe children like to see things happen, to develop and grow if given the opportunity. The 4-H Junior Master Gardening Program was our response to trying to help the situation in our county. Thirteen 4-H JMG classes were conducted over the past year with
a total of 275 children participating in the programs. The children met once a week for twelve weeks. Some classes were held during school hours and other classes were held after school. Volunteers helped to maintain this program. In addition to using the 4-H JMG curriculum, workbooks were developed to go along with the weekly lessons. The booklets were designed and developed to fit into the schools' curriculum. | | Impact | After the youth participated in the gardening programs, 95% of participants indicated that they had increased their knowledge about the importance of soil and water, insects, composting, vegetable identification, the parts of a plant, the importance of the weather, healthy eating and basic nutrition. 40% of the children indicated that they would, with the help of their parents, plant a garden at their home. 75% of the youth said they would try to make healthier choices when eating and would try to eat more vegetables. |
Last update8/19/2008
This website is maintained by Kim Dillard.
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