Nutrition & Diabetes - Tribal Garden Project

4400 Auburn Blvd., 2nd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95841
(916) 929-9761

Tribal Garden Project

Most food preferences and dietary habits are established during childhood. Family, friends, school, the food industry and the community influence the available food choices and eating environments for children. Childhood offers an important opportunity to establish lifelong healthful eating habits. Children learn best when they experience the world first hand.

The Tribal Garden Project gives Indian Head Start Programs, Education Centers and Childcare Programs the opportunity for additional hands on early nutritional experiences that will help to lay the foundation for a lifelong habit of eating nutritious foods. This provides children with a tremendous sense of personal achievement by giving them a peek into the adult world they so often imitate. The ultimate goal of this project is to increase the children's intake of fruits and vegetables and to improve dietary habits thereby decreasing the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. We know that school nutrition education has been proven to change knowledge, attitudes and some eating behaviors, especially when parents are involved.

This project will attempt to encourage children to get their parents and other family members to eat better. This can be a very effective way to reach the adults in the community. The Tribal garden is a place to help children learn more about where their food comes from. Children learn about making healthy food choices and eating seasonal foods that are grown locally. Learning about where food comes from is a wonderful way to connect the garden to Native American history. The Tribal Garden Project involves the community and asks volunteers to help out by building the boxes or a fence, contributing gardening expertise or helping a class to maintain the garden. Head Start classes can plan special events such as selling garden produce or having the children plant a special tree as part of an event. Some classrooms may want to have a groundbreaking celebration or dedication with the children. Some ideas include a Halloween pumpkin sale, family gardening activities, community workday or a school harvest day. For more information on how to create a garden in your community clink here

The California Rural Indian Health Board has created a Garden Project manual with methods to implement a garden in your community, curriculum ideas and resources. For a free copy of this manual please contact:

Stacey Kennedy, M.S., R.D.
California Rural Indian Health Board
4400 River Park, 2nd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95841
Phone: (916) 929-9761
Fax: (916) 929-7246
E-mail: stacey.kennedy@ihs.gov

Create a Nutrition Garden

Purpose:
Your garden will be a place to help children learn more about where their food comes from. Children can learn about making healthy food choices and eating seasonal foods that are grown locally. Learning about where food comes from is a wonderful way to connect your garden to Native American history. You may want to put together a group cookbook of favorite recipes using the crops from your garden.

Finding space:
You need a vacant 10' x 15' space, if you do not have room for a garden plot you can create planter boxes for a patio or courtyard. Your garden location should receive a minimum of six hours sunlight. The garden needs to be close to a water source don't plant in a low spot where puddles form. A garden close to the classroom is more convenient, more visible and easier to incorporate into the curriculum. You may want to create your garden within a fenced area to prevent animals from destroying it.

The design:
You can place you garden directly in the ground or you can build soil frames. When making the planting areas, space them 3 feet wide so children can work from either side without stepping on the plants.

What to put in the garden:
It is up to you and your students to decide what to put in the garden, you may want to grow some traditional plants and talk about where foods come from. The student may want to plant their favorite vegetables. You will of course have to plant according to the season and climate in your area.

Community involvement:
You may want to involve the community and ask volunteers to help out by building the boxes or a fence, contributing gardening expertise or help your class to maintain the garden. You can plan special events such as selling garden produce or having the children plant a special tree as part of an event. You may want to have a groundbreaking celebration or dedication with the children. You can have a Halloween pumpkin sale, family gardening activities, community workday or a school harvest day. Be creative and involve the community as much as possible.

Create a Garden Checklist

Planning the Garden

Meet with children, parents, teachers and community members.
Select a site with at least six hours of sunlight, access to water and visibility from classroom.
Design you garden layout.
Purchase tools and materials

Breaking Ground

Organize a workday; invite anyone who wants to help.
Cultivate soil
Stake garden beds
Purchase seeds

Maintaining the Garden

Plant seeds in flats
Plant and transplant
Cultivate garden beds
Prune plants
Protect from pest
Water plants as needed
Weed and mulch beds
Harvest crops
Develop a work schedule for volunteers
Plan a holiday and summer maintenance program

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