School Gardening
School gardens can be found all across the U. S. and in
countries in Central and South America that are the result of
projects of NGC member clubs and International Affiliates.
These gardens can beautify the school grounds and create outdoor
classrooms.
A school garden program does not have to start out using any
outdoor land. Garden programs can be started in the classroom
on a windowsill, cabinet or table near a window or artificial light
source.
A new school garden initiative for the 2011-2013 administration
is "Bee Nature's Partner . . . Plants and
Pollinators". The garden is to be planted with
native plants that attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and
other native pollinators to the garden. The gardens may be
large or small, portable or stationary.
Educational Benefits
School gardens are being integrated into the educational
curriculum to teach children not only about gardening and plants
but other subjects as well. School garden programs can be
developed to address Standards of Learning in science, math,
reading, writing and other curriculums. Gardens can teach
children about insect life cycles; environmental science;
conservation of soil and water; native plants; and habitats for
butterflies, birds, insects and pollinators.
Art can also be related to school gardening programs with
projects using plants that poets and painters have made famous,
such as William Wordsworth's poem about daffodils, Georgia
O'Keefe's painting of pansies, Monet's painting of gardens, and Van
Gogh's paintings of irises and sunflowers.
Personal Benefits to the Student
With the rise of childhood obesity in the U. S., school
vegetable gardens are a way to teach nutrition, healthy eating
habits and exercise. Gardening is an activity that can get
kids moving by turning compost heaps and barrels, clearing out beds
for a new planting, mixing potting soils, lifting planters, raking
leaves, hoeing, digging fence post holes, moving soil between beds,
and spreading mulch and landscape materials. It is a physical
activity that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.
A school garden can also teach community awareness by helping
youth to understand the concept of citizenship and their place in
neighborhoods as well as in the environment. Students have the
opportunity to watch seeds turn into plants and tangible produce,
and in turn are able to use that produce to help those in need in
their community.
Contact NGC School Garden Projects Chairmen, June
Ashwood or IA School Gardens Chairman,
Sandy Mangels, for information on starting a school
garden program.