(Burlington, VT – KidsGardening, a U.S.-based national nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring all kids have the opportunity to learn through the garden, is thrilled to announce the release of its most popular garden education materials in Spanish.
Since launching the Youth Garden Grant in 1982, KidsGardening has been a leader in the youth gardening movement. As a national nonprofit, they inspire and support garden educators, volunteers, and families by offering grants and original educational resources and fostering an online community of dedicated youth garden advocates.
Today, the organization unveils a new “Siembra con Niños” section of its website, with translations of free popular gardening activities and lessons designed to help educators and parents garden with the children in their lives.
Research has shown that gardening with children improves nutritional attitudes and educational outcomes, enhances social and emotional learning and gives rise to environmental stewardship in youth across the country.
“Last year, thanks to the support of a generous donor, we were able to translate our popular “Lessons to Grow By” study units into Spanish. We were so thrilled to see how much parents and educators used them that we knew we needed to make Spanish translation of our educational materials a priority going forward,” says Em Shipman, executive director of KidsGardening.
In addition to the lessons and activities, the organization will also make its long-running Youth Garden Grant available in Spanish when it launches in October, including the grant information and application. Review and follow-up will also be conducted in Spanish. This will be the first and only youth garden grant made available in Spanish in the United States.
More than 559 million people globally speak Spanish, and it is expected, according to the Census Bureau, that by 2050, one in three people in the United States will speak Spanish (including bilingual people who speak English). However, the production of content related to gardening is still predominantly in Engl
“This is a great opportunity for Spanish-speaking children and educators across the country to access all the benefits that garden-based learning can provide,” says Perla Sofía Curbelo-Santiago, a member of KidsGardening’s board of directors. KidsGardening.org offers hundreds of free online lesson plans and activities. Making these available in Spanish is a great step towards more equitable access to the benefits of nature. Thirteen percent of the US population speaks Spanish at home, and 6 million of them are kids.”
