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| Orcutt Jr. High School Garden - growing strong with compost |
Do our children know where food comes from? Many would answer McDonald’s, Taco Bell or whatever grocery store their family frequents. Given the fact that our children are facing a health crisis - we need to go back to where food begins: the garden. And if we think about it, aren’t school gardens the perfect learning environment?
School gardens are a powerful way to involve our children in a lifelong love of learning. The garden engages students by providing an active environment for students to observe, discover, experiment, nurture, and learn. It is a living laboratory where lessons are drawn from real-life experiences rather than textbook examples, allowing students to become active participants in the learning process. Math and science curriculum are supported in a school garden, while social skills are strengthened as students learn to work together toward a common goal.
And the end product isn’t bad either - healthy food! Produced through cooperation, physical labor and knowledge gained in this outdoor “classroom”, students may choose to share their harvest with the school cafeteria or donate it to a local food shelter. Whatever the final destination, students have created something good where before there was simply a plot of land.
Another lesson to be learned from a school garden is environmental responsibility. Creating a healthy foundation for a growing garden is vital to the garden’s success. To replenish lost nutrients, soil should be amended with compost before planting. Adding good microbes to the soil increases soil organic matter and water holding capacity, delivering oxygen and nutrients to growing root systems. Plants then have what they need to grow strong and healthy.
Now that the garden has produced all this good food and it’s been enjoyed as delicious lunch or dinner, what happens to the food waste? We can “Complete the Cycle” by recycling those scraps, transforming them into compost. We’ll be saving literally tons of room in our landfill while creating a healthy soil product for future crops. Naturally!
Ten Reasons Why School Gardens are an Excellent Idea
1. Magic happens when a child harvests a vegetable he or she has planted and nurtured. The child will want to eat it! It will increase interest and improve attitudes towards eating fruits and vegetables.
2. Students will learn where food really comes from - a carrot grows in the ground, a green bean on a vine and Brussels sprouts on a stalk!
3. School gardens foster an increased awareness of environmental issues. They will learn to respect and care for the soil, where our food comes from.
4. They will get to share their bounty with their classmates. Eating with their peers is one of the most important motivators for children to try new foods.
5. It gives children an opportunity to be outside and away from computer screens and, at the same time, significantly increase science achievement scores.
6. They improve self esteem, behavior, social skills and interpersonal relationships as well as help develop life skills including working with groups.
7. Research shows that hands-on gardening and cooking programs are the two things that are actually effective in behavior change; they get kids to eat more vegetables.
8. The gardens are beautiful spaces that connect students to their school and help them develop a sense of pride and ownership, which in turn improves attitudes towards school and discourages vandalism.
9. They provide opportunities for community involvement including neighbors, volunteers, parents, and local businesses.
10. School gardens promote good nutrition and exercise. The health of our kids and the health of our planet are fundamentally connected.
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