Gardening with Youth as a Means of Developing Science, Work and Life Skills

Abstract

Children in the “black belt” region of the southern United States grow up in counties characterized by persistent poverty, low incomes, and low educational performance, including low scores by K-12 students on science and math achievement tests. In Macon County, a black belt county in Alabama with an 83 percent African-American population and 44 percent of its youth in poverty, a partnership evolved in 2004 between Tuskegee University social work students and children aged 5 through 13 years from low-income communities that resulted in after-school and summer programs to enhance K-7 student learning. In 2007, the Youth Garden Project was initiated to focus student interest and learning on science, agriculture, and the environment. The children, with support from their college student mentors learned to plant, water, weed, and harvest vegetables and fruits, emphasizing connections between land, food, and the environment. Student learning and perceptions were captured through artwork and discussions with their mentors. The response of the children and student mentors indicates that gardening activities positively influenced the children’s behavior, learning, and academic performance and interest in science, agriculture, and the environment.