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 The Junior Master Gardener
Program® is an innovative program that
teaches young people to garden while encouraging good nutrition and
physical activity. Young people improve their social skills while working
on hands-on projects with other youth and an adult leader/teacher and
increase their community involvement through participation in public
service projects.
The Junior Master Gardener
Program® utilizes an outstanding curriculum
that covers such topics as Plant Growth and Development, Soils and Water,
Ecology and Environmental Horticulture, Insects and Diseases, Fruits and Nuts,
Vegetables and Herbs, Landscape Horticulture, and Life Skills and Career
Exploration.
A variety of groups may
participate in the JMG® program, including 4-H
programs, school groups, community centers, day camps, scouting programs and
after school groups. To form a group you need at least 5 youth, a willing and
able adult leader, an appropriate location, and the JMG
curriculum.
The Kansas Junior Master Gardener® program is a
youth gardening program supported by a grant from the Family Nutrition
Program (FNP). The Junior Master Gardener® program uses a well developed
curriculum that features hands-on activities. There are three levels of
curriculum; Level 1 for grades 3-5, Level 2 for grades 6-8, and Level 3
which is in the developmental stage.
The Junior Master Gardener curriculum is integrated with science,
language arts, mathematics, social studies and life skills. You can see
how the JMG curricula align with Kansas Education Standards by clicking on
"Education Standards" on the sidebar.
The Level 1 Junior Master Gardener Teacher/Leader
Guide is designed to accompany and correspond with the student handbook,
"Junior Master Gardener Handbook". The
"Teacher/leader Guide" covers a broad base of gardening topics and
includes work sheets, rhythms, and standardized reading passages. The
"Youth Handbook" is also available in a Spanish version.
The "Health and Nutrition from the Garden" book is also designed for
grades 3-5, and is a combination leader/youth handbook. "Health and
Nutrition" emphasizes basic gardening techniques and nutrition education.
"Wildlife Gardener"
was developed in cooperation with the National Wildlife Federation.
"Wildlife Gardener" features lessons on how to design and implement a
wildlife garden. Specific chapters focus on mammals, insects, and birds,
as well as reptiles and amphibians.
“Literature in the
Garden” makes books come alive by cultivating the connection between
gardening and great children’s literature. The curriculum utilizes six
garden- and ecology-themed children’s books to inspire learning through
hands-on activities.
The Level 2 curriculum is designed for use by middle school students,
grades 6-8, and is
published in module form that combines the leader and youth handbooks. Each chapter includes group
activities, independent projects and an online activity. "Operation
Thistle: Seeds of Despair" focuses on plant growth and development
activities, while "Operation W.A.T.E.R.-Dr. Thistle Goes Underground"
features soils and water activities.
For more information,
contact Evelyn Neier, Associate Specialist, K-State Research and Extension,
Family Nutrition Program Junior Master Gardener® Coordinator/4-H Youth
Development, 9822 Harvest Court, Wichita, KS 67212, 316-722-0932, or email
eneier@ksu.edu |
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