When I began teaching, I initially started gardening with my students to bring science lessons outdoors, then soon realised that establishing a keen interest in the living world was just one of many benefits for my ‘budding’ gardeners.
There was a gradual yet significant shift in the classroom culture, students’ habits and an increase in student-directed learning. I have outlined several changes I noticed in my young ones after we got into the garden!
1. So much science!
As I mentioned, I was wanting to provide real life learning opportunities for the science curriculum and the best way I could see this happening was by using gardening as the vehicle to deliver this content. We created a bug house to look at the difference between ‘bad’ bugs and ‘good’ bugs. I greatly underestimated how much more learning was available through gardening.
Over the years, I have taken my classes outdoors and explored many more scientific concepts. We have looked at pollination, seed germination, photomorphogenesis, photosynthesis, root systems, the importance of worms and bees, companion planting, moisture retention through mulching, identifying weeds, biodegradable material versus imperishable (when composting), weather patterns, how temperature and other conditions are vital to consider when planting…the opportunities are near endless. That’s the beauty of nature – it goes full circle.
Nearly all my students were engaged and motivated in these garden-science lessons. Their content knowledge improved dramatically, including the specific terminology they used to describe what was happening in the garden. I highly recommend you don’t downplay this technical vocabulary – you’ll be surprised at how much children can absorb. One of my six-year-old students excitedly pointed out to his friends that he could see the hypocotyl of a sprouting seed.
2. So much MORE than science!
The natural world is a beautiful medium for explaining everything about life. Kids have BIG questions and gardening is a wonderful way to help answer them. I have found valuable connections to other subject areas and helped develop social emotional intelligence in children.
Our garden brought everyone together.
An example of this could be if we look at photosynthesis and the process of converting CO₂ into O₂, we can liken this to using what we need and then letting go of what we don’t need. I’ve used this when helping children understand the difference between what we need to survive compared to what we want, and also in the emotional sense of letting some feelings pass because they don’t serve us. I’ve also used the delicate and slow process of seed germination to develop patience and nurturing attention, and fostered empathy by associating overwatering seeds to how we can’t stay too long underwater because we have to hold our breath to survive. Another lesson we looked at how different all the seeds were in size, shape and colour – just like us.
Of course, you can always bring in art projects based on your scientific endeavours such as botanical drawings, paintings of different processes, patterns and textures in nature, and so on. Other naturally occurring learning opportunities that arise from gardening include measuring areas for new planters, arrays of planting seeds in rows and columns, ratio of seeds planted to fruit harvested, gardening calendars, sensorial poems, procedural writing, fine motor skills development when caring for tiny seeds to pulling weeds, following recipes and selling their produce as a fundraiser for more gardening equipment!
3. Children started to eat healthy
Using real items that the children have a connection with can enrich any lesson, so this was no exception. We had a specific lesson on eating healthy and having crops from the garden just added more flavour to their learning! We talked about carbohydrates, fats, proteins, nutrients, vitamins, toxins, antioxidants…everything to how plant pigments (colours of vegetables and fruits) can have different health benefits. During lunch time, I saw more vegetables and fruit appearing in lunchboxes which indicated the children were taking their learning home and talking to their families about it.
Even for those who were not taken in by these lessons were still excited and proud to eat food they had grown from seed and better appreciate that rainbow of colour they see in the supermarket. One of the best moments I’ve had in the garden is seeing a child pick a ripe berry, pop it in their mouth, and their face light up with pure joy.
4. Empowered and responsible citizens
To use yet another gardening pun: I planted the seed, nurtured it a little, and then stepped back to let it grow.
Teachers – and parents – do struggle to take that step back and trust the learning process. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy, over-teaching and directing student learning to the point where rich opportunities for learning are smothered. It is difficult to let go of that control, but I promise it will bring greater yields.
Once we had established a garden, we discussed the responsibility of keeping it running successfully. I asked for volunteers to look after it first by establishing a ‘committee’. I facilitated the first few committee sessions to help them off the ground and as soon as they started looking to each other to solve issues or assign jobs, I purposely slipped into the background. They all had access to the tools that kept their garden running and all I asked was that if they needed to leave the class, to touch base with me so I knew where my students were in the school grounds for safety reasons.
These kids became organised, responsible and empowered. Our garden required consistent care and attention, so the committee had to set up routines and guidelines that others would follow. If a plant died or became diseased, the committee would have to find out why and put a prevention measure in place for the next crop rotation. One child made sure no one touched potting mix without gloves or a mask. A consensus had to be reached after researching recipe ideas for the next harvest of vegetables. Children from other classes started picking at the unripe fruit during lunch time, so the committee organised a programme to raise awareness about caring for the garden. I was asked to watch them practise their presentation and give feedback before they went to the classrooms.
What was I doing to help keep the momentum going? I was teaching. I offered workshops in different scientific concepts with hands-on gardening activities to follow. The lessons were optional, so the children still had the choice to join or initiate their own project. I was helping them upskill and the day-to-day management of the garden was being handled by the kids. They were so thorough that when a committee member was absent, they had a substitute step up and handle that member’s duties in their place before I had a chance to say or do anything.
I trusted them, they felt trusted. Consequently, they intrinsically formed a sense of greater responsibility and ownership.
See? Greater yields.
5. A stronger classroom community
Responsibility was not only established, but it was also equally shared among all my students. Therein lies the key to a successful classroom community (or any community) – taking action to achieve a collective goal. More hands make lighter work, and lighter work makes happy students.
Our garden brought everyone together. Even those children who squirmed if dirt touched their hands were involved in ‘behind the scenes’ work such as filling the watering cans, designing signs for parents to buy our harvest of vegetables or taking inventory of seeds and other gardening supplies. Everyone enjoyed making pizza dough then using our garden-grown ingredients for toppings!
It’s never a smooth journey all the way when I’ve taught gardening, but all this time spent as a group with a common purpose created stronger bonds within my classes. A bond that helps us through those bumpy patches and still love the adventure we’re experiencing together.
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