Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education: Garden Mosaics

“花园马赛克”项目将开发并测试一种模式，让年轻人在城市环境中对社区和家庭花园进行研究。将招募11至18岁的青年与社区长者一起参加园艺活动。学生学习与有机生物学、群落生态学、生态系统和物理环境相关的科学内容，以及与文化相关的粮食种植实践。然后，参与者参加指导研究；利用样带漫步、制图、生态系统模型和土壤测试等方法，记录少数移民和传统园丁的粮食种植实践。扩大的研究调查将开放给想要利用互联网和其他资源继续探索的学生。学生为美国新的和现有的民族和传统园艺实践数据库做出贡献。将开发的材料包括教育工作者手册、青年手册和花园马赛克网站。在试点阶段，将成立一个全国领导小组，在美国不同城市的10个地点测试该计划和材料，包括圣安东尼奥、巴尔的摩、波士顿、萨克拉门托、纽约、布鲁克林和费城。预期这一模式的传播将惠及750多名教育工作者和13 000名青年。

The Garden Mosaics program will develop and test a model in which youth conduct research on community and home gardens in urban settings. Youth ages 11-18 will be recruited to participate in gardening activities in conjunction with elders from their communities. Students learn the science content associated with organismal biology, community ecology, ecosystems and the physical environment, as well as culturally-related food growing practices. Participants then take part in guided research; using methods such as transect walks, mapping, ecosystem models and soil tests, to document food-growing practices of immigrant minority and traditional gardeners. Expanded research investigations will be open to students who want to continue their explorations using the Internet and other resources. Students contribute to new and existing databases of ethnic and heritage gardening practices in the United States. Materials to be developed include an Educator's Manual, a Youth Handbook and a Garden Mosaics website. During the pilot phase a national leadership team will be established to test the program and materials at 10 sites in different cities across the U.S. including San Antonio, Baltimore, Boston, Sacramento, New York, Brooklyn and Philadelphia. It is anticipated that the dissemination of this model will reach more than 750 educators and 13,000 youth.