Dear Frank,
Welcome to Issue #2 of By the Box! This time we feature a topic near and dear to our hearts: urban gardening. We've also got some outstanding examples of the ways that EarthBoxes are being used in schools and around the world, and of course we've included some intriguing tips for you to ponder.
Oh, and by the way: we've chosen our first winner in the Educators' Monthly Drawing. Check out her story, and be sure to keep using that Educator's Source Code when ordering. You could be the next lucky winner!
Happy Gardening,
Molly PhilbinEducation Director
EarthBox, Inc.
Anne's Classroom
Our EarthBox Education products have allowed Florida teacher Anne Cruikshank maximum flexibility in her middle school science programs. Anne teaches hands-on science in the classroom using the two EarthBox Ready to Grow Kits, along with the correlated standards-based lesson plans from the EarthBox Middle School Support Curriculum. Working outdoors with the EarthBoxes enables students to learn horticultural skills, and to eat the nutritious produce they grow.
Anne has also developed Service Learning components that connect students to their community by incorporating issues of global and local hunger into the program. Recently, the children tended 16 EarthBoxes, and donated the harvested produce to a local soup kitchen.
As a result of this project, Florida's branch of Agriculture in the Classroom named Anne the "Ag in the Classroom" Middle School Teacher for 2006. Congrats, Anne!
TGC in Nicaragua
The Growing Connection has grown by leaps and bounds in Nicaragua. In 2005, thanks to a generous donation from Florida businessman Cy Bispham, TGC began working with 4,000 students in 34 trial EarthBox vegetable gardens through partnerships with the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Instituto de PromociÌÒn Humana (INPRHU), and AsociaciÌÒn Familia Padre Fabretto.
Today Fabretto manages all the TGC gardens in Nicaragua, and has introduced students to a number of complementary activities, ranging from composting to international communication. Computer knowledge allows students to use email and other Internet tools to find immediate garden solutions, and to evaluate best practices from peers around the world.
Produce harvested in the school gardens is served in the cafeterias for lunch, and seeds from the gardens are brought home to be planted. Parents tend the gardens when school is not in session, learning valuable lessons to apply to their own farms and family plots.
TGC continues to promote innovative solutions to chronic malnutrition and poverty around the world. Students, individuals, and communities are improving their own nutrition and well-being by growing vegetables using intensive production methods and learning from the experience of others via the Internet. Click here to learn more about TGC!
Did you know that your EarthBox garden may respond better to rainwater than to the water from your tap? It's true! Take a look at this post in the Educational section of the Forum to get an idea of the power of rainwater, and how to harness it for your garden.
We've got two hot items for you this time, folks!
FYI, did you know that there are all kinds of education conferences coming up in the next few months? Here's a sampling for April:
National Afterschool Association Conference (NAA); April 2-4, New Orleans, LA
National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP); April 3-6, New Orleans, LA
National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA); April 13-17, San Diego, CA
Also FYI, we'd like to invite you to get involved with the The Great Sunflower Project. Help the bees, add beauty to your garden, and learn about agriculture all at the same time! This project addresses the challenges facing bees by collecting data from citizen scientists across the U.S. Sign up online to request your free seeds today! For more information, visit www.greatsunflower.org.
The patented EarthBox was developed by commercial farmers and proven in the lab and on the farm. Our maintenance-free, award-winning, high-tech growing system controls soil conditions, eliminates guesswork, and more than doubles the yield of a conventional garden -- with less fertilizer, less water, and virtually no effort. It's used successfully on a daily basis by commercial farmers, educators, and consumers. Distributors are also finding it to be a popular growing system.
EarthBox is a remarkably easy-to-set-up system that can be used to grow produce virtually anywhere.åÊOur systems have been incorporated into community gardens all over the world, enabling families and neighbors to share fresh produce while minimizing work and expenses.
EarthBoxesåÊalso make excellent additions toåÊthe classroom. Our Pre-K through 12th grade standards-based curriculum support packages can bring science to life, with hands-on lessons that teach principles of growing and nutrition, utilizing the scientific method in student-driven experiments.
Visit our Education Programs page to learn more.