October 2021
Voices From The Field: School Garden Conference
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Calling all educators, after-school youth personnel, and others to join us for the School Garden Conference: Voices From The Field. The conference will be held on Friday, October 22, 2021 at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center. Attendees will learn and explore project-based learning related to school gardening. You may register at go.osu.edu/sgc2021.
Master Gardener Volunteer Class of 2020 Finally Graduates
The Franklin County Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) Class of 2020 finally graduated recently, albeit 9 months late due to Covid. A total of 58 MGV Interns graduated in a Zoom celebration on September 28th which featured remarks from OSU President Kristina Johnson and CFAES Dean Cathann Kress. Completion certificates were distributed in a drive-through celebration on October 3rd which featured Brutus Buckeye who congratulated graduates and the famous Franklin County Master Gardener Tool Arch!

The Franklin County MGV Class of 2022 will begin in January with 60 participants. Franklin County’s Master Gardener Volunteer program is the largest and most active MGV program in Ohio. You may learn more about the MGV program here.
Dining With Diabetes: Take Charge for the Holidays
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Preparing nutritious foods that taste good is challenging year-round. The holidays can be even more challenging. Take Charge of Your Diabetes during the Holidays will provide you with tips for managing your diabetes during the holidays. Join us on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, 12PM - 1PM for the information session. Register at go.osu.edu/dwdholidays2021.
Extension Today: NBC4 WCMH-TV & OSU Extension
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NBC4 WCMH-TV and OSU Extension are partnering to to share stories with tips, resources, and even recipes for improving your life, your garden, your family, and your community. NBC4 will air a special Extension Today segment on Daytime Columbus each Wednesday, as well as on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Daytime Columbus is a locally-produced talk show which takes a closer look at area businesses, organizations, and resources available in central Ohio, and is delivered by NBC4 WCMH-TV every weekday at 12:30pm. Check out the past segments here.
Summer Fun in the Sun

Bianca Blakey, EFNEP Youth Program Assistant

Even though the temperatures were in the upper 90s during mid-June to the end of July, I was able to integrate nutrition education with fun in the sun and a little bit of gardening sprinkled in each lesson. I had a total of 100 students ranging from second graders to high schoolers in five Columbus City Parks & Recreation Centers and a YMCA group in the Hilltop area. Summer programming is very different from one lesson to the next. It is important to keep students engaged while also teaching them the importance of making healthy choices.

By integrating gardening into the Extended Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Learning Healthy Together Nutrition Curricula, students learned the process of growing their own vegetables. Each student received a biodegradable container with potting soil and either radish or carrot seeds. Some of the centers let the students take them home and watch them grow with their parents, a couple of the centers did not have much luck with seeing their seeds sprout, and only one of the locations actually were able to plant their carrots into the school garden after they started sprouting. Even though not all of the students were able to successfully watch their seeds grow into a radish or carrot, they learned that taking care of a seed is much like taking care of their bodies. Both need nurturing, water, sun, and nutrients in order to grow healthy and strong. 
It was fun to see their faces when I talked about the diseases that can happen if plants are not taken care of properly, as well as, how to keep the garden free of weeds and pesky bugs that can destroy the crops. I made sure that every lesson contained physical activity breaks, hands-on learning activities, and food tastings all following the Covid-19 guidelines and protocol at each location. The students loved eating vegetables in a new way like the bug treats shown in the picture and trying new vegetables like the kale chips recipe listed below. 
Please reach out to Bianca Blakey at blakey.26@osu.edu to find out more Information about how to host an EFNEP nutrition education series with your students. 
Upcoming Events
October 5: CARTEENS Class
October 7: Ohio Master Urban Farmer Series
October 12: Taking Control of Student Loan Debt Virtual Workshop
October 12: Start Here: Investing 101 Virtual Workshop
October 13: Class of 2022 MGV Interviews
October 14: Ohio Master Urban Farmer Series
October 16: Home Buyer Education Virtual Workshop
October 21: Ohio Master Urban Farmer Series
October 22: School Garden Conference: Voices From the Field
October 23: Home Buyer Education Virtual Workshop
October 28: SNAP-Ed Virtual Office Hours
November 2: CARTEENS Class
November 4: Ohio Master Urban Farmer Series
November 6: Money Management Virtual Workshop

Be sure to check out franklin.osu.edu/events for the most up-to-date list of event.