Embedded Files
Learning targets
Learning targets
By the end of the lesson students will be able to:
Define what school gardens are, and their potential benefits.
Explain some of the specific traits that made the school garden at Walter Bracken elementary school successful.
What is a school garden?
What is a school garden?
School gardens are “cultivated areas around or near to primary schools, which can be used mainly for learning purposes but could also generate some food and income for the school" (Huys, 2017) but they can be so, so much more than just that! They allow students to explore a wide variety of topics and learn about themselves and the world around them.
According to the Collective School Garden Network (CSGN) there are 4 main pillars to the work of school gardens:
Environmental Stewardship
Healthy
Lifestyle
Community & Social
Development
Academic
Achievement
(CSGN, 2015)
Environmental Stewardship: School gardens help instill positive attitudes towards nature and the environment into adulthood.
Healthy Lifestyle: School gardens can lead to positive BMI changes and other dietary behaviors.
Community & Social Development: School gardens help students improve in life skills, like working in groups and understanding themselves.
Academic Achievement: School gardens increase test scores and school behavior.
(kidsgardening.org, 2016)
There tends to be a wide variety of intentions behind behind school gardens, from teaching good personal habits and social skills to increasing students' awareness of, and access to, healthy food options and lifestyle choices, or to teaching science and botany! The possibilities and potential benefits are really endless!
All of these intentions are nice and sound idyllic, but what does an effective school garden actually look like?
Walter Bracken elementary
Walter Bracken elementary
This video shows how a school garden was implemented at Walter Bracken elementary school as a way to get students engaged in a physical way with their curricula standards!
Some highlights are down below if you don't have time to watch the full video, but I heavily encourage you to watch it all! If you don't, at least jump to 01:56 and see how the kids used worm's poop and pee to fertilize plants!
Effective school gardens have been described as having a few main traits:
Being maintained at or near schools.
Fostering meaningful education experiences.
Being valued parts of the school's culture.
(Burt, 2018)
The garden at Walter Bracken does all of these things as the garden was:
IN Conclusion:
IN Conclusion:
School Gardens offer
School Gardens offer
a wide variety of different ways for students to engage with the world around them, and learn about themselves and others, and truly grow!
Despite the various different methods and implementations- these passion projects are bearing good fruits for students around the nation! Namely in: environmental conscientiousness, healthy living, community and society, and academics!
Successful school gardens, such as the one at Walter Bracken elementary in Las Vegas, Nevada, have several common features, most notably that they are: maintained at or near schools, foster meaningful education experiences, and are valued parts of the school's culture.
Answers and explanation:
Answers and explanation:
#1) A- A cultivated area near, or in, schools which can provide many benefits for students.
This is based on the definition used by Huys, and while it is a little broad it does encompass one key element: that the land is cultivated by students.
#2) C- The garden is used daily and is tied directly to meaningful learning.
While some of the other options are true statements, the research suggests that successful implementation relies on the garden being tied to meaningful educational experiences and being a part of the school's culture.
REFERENCES
REFERENCES
Burt, K. G., Luesse, H. B., Rakoff, J., Ventura, A., & Burgermaster, M. (2018). School gardens in the United States: Current barriers to integration and Sustainability. American Journal of Public Health, 108(11), 1543–1549. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2018.304674
Huys, N., De Cocker, K., De Craemer, M., Roesbeke, M., Cardon, G., & De Lepeleere, S. (2017). School Gardens: A Qualitative Study on Implementation Practices. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14(12), 1454. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14121454
KidsGardening. (2016). Benefits of School Gardens. Kidsgardening.org. Retrieved January 6, 2022, from https://kidsgardening.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/KG_BenefitsofSchoolGardens-2016.pdf
The Collective School Garden Network. (2015). Why school gardens?: The Collective School Garden Network. Why School Gardens? | The Collective School Garden Network. Retrieved January 6, 2022, from http://www.csgn.org/why-school-gardens
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