With the help of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, the Junior Master Gardener® Program was officially kicked off in Alabama at a training meeting in November and is now being promoted and implemented across the state.

The JMG® Program is a 4-H youth gardening program that was started by the Texas Cooperative Extension Service three years ago. Modeled after the adult Master Gardener Program, JMG® integrates a variety of science-related skills into a fun, hands-on elementary curriculum.

The JMG® program includes lessons on plant growth, insects, fruits, vegetables, environmental sciences and ecology, and is flexible enough to be taught in schools, in after-school programs and to homeschoolers.

Teachers, parents, community leaders, 4-H volunteers and Master Gardeners can all work together to implement the program.

Tallapoosa County Extension Agent Shane Harris, who is serving as the state coordinator for the program, said the JMG® program has had phenomenal results nation-wide.

(Above: Michelle Mobley (left), Tuscaloosa County Extension agent from, works with several teachers and Master Gardeners to make "Know & Show Sombreros", an example one of the many Junior Master Gardener learning activities.)

"Evaluations of the JMG® program have found that it really enhances learning in the classroom," Harris said. "Children do better in school, they enjoy learning more, and the parents are involved more. The JMG® program teaches children leadership and life skills, and they are learning how to work with parents, teachers and volunteers from the community. It’s really had great results."

The program’s curriculum matches the third-grade curriculum almost perfectly, Harris said, but can be geared to fourth- and fifth-grades, as well.

"The Junior Master Gardener® Program is a new program that some teachers and home-schooling parents have been already using," Harris said. "Many Extension services around the country are just now partnering with Texas A&M, getting involved with it, and supporting it. ACES will be testing the JMG® program in 15 counties across the state to see how well it works here in Alabama. We will probably evaluate it in about a year to see if we should extend it to other counties."

The JMG® program offers horticultural and environmental education through hands-on activities that teachers can use to apply knowledge their students have learned, Harris said.

"The neat thing about this program is that it touches every area of Extension," he said. "It’s not just an agriculture or just a 4-H program. It involves urban programs, family and consumer science, nutrition education, leadership skills, community involvement – it’s everything Extension does."

Dr. Paul Waddy, district Extension coordinator, said he is pleased Extension is working with the JMG® program and is excited about what it will offer elementary children around the state.

"It will teach them hands-on skills as related to plants, the environment and the food chain," Waddy said. "It will also give them knowledge about science, particularly in the area of biology, and it will allow them to cultivate relationships with Master Gardeners, teacher-leaders and other adults."

Harris said the curriculum can be extended in the classroom to include such projects as creating learning gardens and outdoor classrooms on school grounds.

"There are so many great learning activities in this program that can help teachers engage their students in a variety of fun, hands-on activities that really allow the children to understand what they have been learning," Harris said. "The curriculum integrates so many different things into it and helps children apply knowledge, work with others and build leadership skills. The Junior Master Gardener® Program is really a unique program with a lot of opportunities for children. It will be a very successful program in Alabama."

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