Gardening helps fight childhood obesity

A Kansas professor said: Gardening may be a way to combat the growing problem of childhood obesity.

Candice Shoemaker, associate professor of Kansas Department of Recreation, Forestry, Planting and Care, received a $ 1.04 million grant from the National Research Institute under the Department of Agriculture for topics PLANTS, or School Life Extension and Nutrition Activities.

(Artwork: Prairienursery) Shoemaker and his colleagues will study to create high gardens and tunnels for gardening during the winter months - in a school in Kan County, in Manhattan. The program will include an after-school program for students in grades 4 and 5 to grow their own fruit, vegetables and flowers.

She said: "When children help grow vegetables and fruit trees, they are more interested in eating what they grow. In addition, gardening helps children have the opportunity to go out and be regarded as physical activity ".

Shoemaker said each school will have a core group of parents, after-school staff, teachers, master gardeners in the area and a group of volunteers to help create gardens and watch the garden in the summer. . Shoemaker said in a news release released on Monday: 'We hope to demonstrate how the community can collaborate with the school to build a garden.'