University of Florida IFAS Extension Recieved Education Award
By Space Coast Daily // November 7, 2013
National Association for Consumer Sciences
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — The University of Florida IFAS Extension Brevard County has received an Environmental Education award from the National Extension Association for Family and Consumer Sciences for its Budding Gardener Nutrition Camp (BGN) program.
A team consisting of UF/IFAS Brevard Agents Vanessa Spero-Swingle (4-H), Linda Seals (County Extension Director), Sally Scalera (Home Owner Horticulture), Elizabeth Shephard (Family and Consumer Sciences), and Holly Abeels (Marine Science) created a weeklong camp to address childhood obesity and “Nature Deficit Disorder.”
The latter has been used to describe the disproportionate amount of time children spend indoors rather than participating in outdoor activities.
BGN provides children with the opportunity to tend an onsite garden (funded through Brevard County Master Gardeners and Florida Ag in the Classroom grants) while learning the biology behind the garden and the physiology behind healthy eating.
By creating a camp that is conducive to learning and exploring, youth can be encouraged to explore their environment and promote agricultural and environmental education.
