Science Has Just Gotten a Lot More Interesting
Auburn, December 6, 2002 --- Science may have just gotten a lot more interesting in 
many Alabama schools.  
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.
	“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.”