School gardening made its American debut more than a century ago when the victory garden movement sprang up all over the country. These gardens encouraged people to live simply and produce enough food to last through the trying times of World Wars I and II. First lady Eleanore Roosevelt even planted her own garden on the front lawn of the White House in 1943 to prove that anyone could, in fact, grow their own food.
More recently, however, educational systems have used school gardens as a tool to teach students about the importance of the environment and how human actions may affect it. By incorporating hands-on learning and integrating gardening into other classes, these gardening programs help kids realise earth restoration is a priority. Moreover, through gardening, students can make a difference if they work alongside others.
Earth Restoration Is a Priority
The vast majority of school classes focus on the importance of math, science, literature and other academic staples. Yet few prioritise environmental knowledge, even though the earth is a huge part of life — it's your home, after all! And, if humans don't make it a priority and truly care for it, they'll lose the only inhabitable planet in the universe.
In light of this fact and the increasing severity of climate change, some educational institutions are beginning to prioritise earth restoration by implementing school gardening and environmental restoration programmes.
Through the creation and application of these programmes, gardening and earth restoration becomes just as important as any other class or academic subject. Moreover, teachers can integrate the garden into other classroom lessons to further prioritise the earth. This may include plotting garden dimensions in math class, conducting growth experiments in science and even writing reports about the importance of restoration in English class. Allowing this topic to permeate every area of education will help establish it as a priority in the minds of students and teachers alike.
Anyone Can Garden
Another benefit of school gardens is that they teach kids anyone can garden. Regardless of age, experience or socioeconomic status, they can plant and grow their own food. This can be extremely empowering for young kids who would otherwise rely on their parents to provide for them. With a garden, they can provide themselves with food, even if they are penniless. This promotes reliability on the earth and fosters a deep respect for the soil that grows their food.
Moreover, anyone and everyone can benefit from gardening, especially when it comes to a students' future career. For instance, children and teenagers who wish to become architects may think that math and science will be most valuable in their chosen career path.
However, environmental literacy is becoming a core requirement within the design and architectural sectors. So, regardless of interest or career, students can use what they learn gardening in the future.
All Food Has an Origin
Many children who grow up in urban or suburban settings have never even seen sprouts or watched vegetables grow. They don't make the connection that every food that hits their table came from the earth. Nor do they realise that most of their food likely traveled more than 1,000 miles before reaching their plate. This long-distance transportation accounts for large amounts of emissions that contribute to climate change and exacerbate global warming.
Once students realise the impact their everyday meals have on the earth, they may be more conscious about where their food comes from. And they may be more willing to partake in gardening in an effort to reduce their environmental impact and restore the planet. Thus, with the help of school gardens, students learn about the natural growth of plants and experience a firsthand connection with nature and the bounty it can provide if they choose to take care of it.
Restoration Is a Group Effort
While school gardening programs do help kids realise the independence of growing their own food, they also reiterate the fact that world-wide change isn't accomplished through individual effort alone. Rather, the earth's restoration depends on the efforts of many people combined — it truly is a group effort.
Through teamwork and commitment, students can promote change on a larger level just as they do on a small-scale school-wide level. Hopefully, these cooperation and social skills will follow students for the rest of their lives as they work together to restore the planet.
Article written by Jenna Tsui