What’s waiting in the classroom? Garden based Education!

July 28, 2021

 Stepping out of the traditional classroom setting and into a school garden can be an exciting learning opportunity at school. A garden teaches science, math, visual arts and more. It is far more fun to determine the fastest growing plant in the garden by charting the growth rate, rather than an abstract example in a textbook.

The connection between learning about nutrition and growing food in the garden is real. Hands on nutrition learning results in kids eating more fruits and vegetables, regardless of whether they were grown in the garden. It also gives kids lifelong appreciation for fresh food.

For many kids, a school garden may be their only contact with any garden – and being outdoors in nature.  Preparing the garden, planting seeds and watching them grow into something that you can eat teaches the full cycle of where food comes from. Instilling pride and curiosity from garden-based learning early on, then powers kids to want to learn more.

The garden provides a wide range of physical activity – digging, planting, weeding and watering. The kids are so involved they do not realize they are exercising. Exercise in the garden involves all muscle groups doing bends and stretches – and then some fine motor skills as well, such as placing seeds in the group and picking the vegetable from the plant. For young children, garden based-learning helps to develop motor skills that are happening during that early developmental window of opportunity.

The garden teaches life lessons.  Forget to water something for a couple of days and return to see it struggling or dead.  The reinforcement of positive progress is the fruit or vegetable itself. Kids learn the hard work it takes to have a successful garden and this contributes towards teaching them a good work ethic.

One of the most rewarding attributes of a school garden is the sense of community spirit.  No one child is responsible for the garden – it is a team effort.  Many kids enjoy making a contribution towards the environment at school and producing food for the cafeteria.  In the garden, they learn that the hard work of everyone pays off.

If your children are attending in person school this year, ask your school and teachers about starting a school garden. There are many free, evidence-based teaching and learning materials available, such as the SAGE curriculum for early care and education preschools. Time spent in the garden is a great outdoor learning opportunity for all ages!