Dig In and Give Back with DINE!

by Mike Zastoupil and Sam Hoeffler

Want to make new friends at Friedman and be a part of the Chinatown community? Become a teacher with DINE!

School gardens have been popping up in cities all across the U.S. in an effort to teach children where their food comes from, and of course Tufts University’s Friedman School is part of the movement. For more than 10 years, the Dig In! Nutrition Education (DINE) program has brought Friedman students into neighboring Josiah Quincy Elementary School in Chinatown to teach third graders about nutrition and life science, with an emphasis on the importance of gardening and eating healthy food. Based on research conducted by past Friedman students on best teaching practices, DINE teachers facilitate hands-on, interactive lessons about plant parts, worm bin decomposition, pollinators and more. The program consists of four lessons in the fall and three lessons in the spring, with a culminating end-of-the-year celebration on the rooftop garden that the students themselves plant from seed.

The DINE program gives Friedman students the chance to gain real experience in garden-based education as well as the opportunity to give back to the Chinatown community. The excitement of the kids and fun activities are also a refreshing study break for Friedman students during their long hours of work. If you are interested in becoming a DINE teacher this fall, please contact Mike Zastoupil (michael.zastoupil@tufts.edu) or Sam Hoeffler (samantha.hoeffler@tufts.edu) for more information. We hope you’ll join us this fall!

Mike Zastoupil and Sam Hoeffler are second-years who had a blast teaching for DINE last year and are now serving as the DINE coordinators. Mike is in the Agriculture, Food and Environment program, and Sam is in the Food Policy and Applied Nutrition program.