Memphis
The Kitchen Community is coming to Memphis!
The Kitchen Community (TKC), a 501c3 nonprofit, was established in 2011 to support Community Through Food by creating Learning Gardens in schools and community organizations across America. The Learning Garden was created to help connect kids to real food through outdoor learning and experiential play. Learning Gardens are 21st century learning environments that support a diverse array of lesson-plans and activities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
What is a Learning Garden?
Our Learning Gardens are more than just garden beds; they are 21st century learning environments complete with benches, seating boulders, an art pole set, shade structure (where applicable), trees, and other elements where appropriate. Standing at nineteen inches tall, our garden beds are the perfect size for kids and to be eye-level with soil and plants.
Each school and community in Memphis is different, which is why we make our gardens completely customizable. Every garden has a unique design, created by our team of landscape architects. We assist schools in hosting community installation days to assemble and plant the gardens, giving community members a greater sense of ownership and pride. The beauty of the Learning Garden is enriched from the creativity of the communities in which they grow.
Education for the Future!
We believe that a school garden should do much more than simply produce vegetables. With input from educators, parents, children, researchers, architects, and countless others, we have designed a comprehensive Learning Garden. Designed to be an extension of both the classroom and the playground, Learning Gardens foster an integrated learning experience that encourages students to learn in the same places in which they play.
With thoughtful design and proper support, a school garden can serve as critical first exposure for children to the notion of neighborhood and environmental stewardship. Over 60 years of authoritative research shows that in addition to improving academic achievement, gardens also give students the drive and know how needed to take greater responsibility for their world. Gardens have been shown time and time again to instill students with a sense of pride of place, increased self-esteem, and appreciation for the environment.
A qualified TKC Garden Educator is paired with each Learning Garden. Our Garden Educators have both teaching experience and extensive gardening knowledge, giving them the tools to develop intimate relationships with each school. Garden Educators serve as the main contact to the school after the garden is installed, and offer a range of services including training and trouble-shooting, conducting lessons, and assisting with maintenance.
Focus on STEM!
While the Learning Garden is designed to enhance learning experiences and improve learning outcomes across all school subjects, we put a special emphasis on STEM education. We believe that STEM education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy, and enables the next generation of innovators. Innovation leads to new products and processes that sustain our economy, as well as our planet. The U.S. Department of Labor shows that of the 20 fastest growing occupations projected for 2014, 15 of them require significant mathematics or science preparation.
Studies have also shown the positive impacts of school gardens on STEM achievement in students. With 92% of our schools teaching science in their Learning Gardens, we are now developing more robust strategies for optimizing our gardens and materials for STEM curricula.
The Kitchen Community does not act as a fundraising agent obtaining funding for specific Learning Gardens. We are not a direct grant-making foundation; however, because of the generosity of our funding partners, we are frequently able to provide Learning Gardens to eligible applicants.
The Kitchen Community provides funding assistance for Learning Gardens based on schools’ or youth/community centers’ FRL (Free and Reduced Lunch) or low-income ratios.
Click below to download the appropriate Learning Garden application. Submission of an application does not guarantee approval of a Learning Garden.
To ensure that your organization receives the maximum benefit from your Learning Garden, we require that you form a Garden Team that will lead the garden planning, installation, and maintenance processes. This team will be responsible for integrating the garden into the organization’s environment and overseeing the addition of art projects and activities in the garden. The most successful applications will have input from a well-rounded Garden Team.
The Kitchen Community is requesting applications for the 2014/2015 Learning Garden Initiative in Memphis:
- Achievement School District
- Jubilee Catholic Schools
- Shelby County Schools
To learn more about our Learning Garden application process, please email hilary@thekitchencommunity.org.
