School Gardens: Why Gardening is Important for Children’s Learning

As children spend more and more time indoors, away from nature and the outdoors, school gardens are becoming an increasingly important tool for education. Gardening not only teaches children about the natural world and where their food comes from, but also helps them to develop valuable life skills such as responsibility, teamwork, and patience. Here are a few reasons why gardening is so important for children’s learning.

Gardening Connects Us

Firstly, gardening can be a fun and engaging way to learn about science and the natural world. By planting seeds, observing plant growth, and learning about soil composition and nutrient cycles, children can gain a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of the natural world. Moreover, this hands-on learning approach can help to make science more engaging and accessible for children, especially those who may struggle with traditional classroom learning.

Gardening Helps Us Grow

Secondly, gardening can help children develop important life skills. Taking care of a garden requires responsibility, patience, and perseverance. Indeed, in a garden, children learn to plan and organize, and to work collaboratively with others. These skills can be applied to many areas of life, from school and work to personal relationships.

Stop to Smell the Flowers

Finally, gardening can help children develop a greater appreciation for the environment and the importance of sustainable practices. By learning about organic gardening, composting, and recycling, children can become more aware of the impact that humans have on the environment. Overall, this can lead to a greater sense of responsibility and a commitment to making more environmentally-friendly choices.

Let's Grow More!

School gardens are an important tool for education that can help children learn about science, develop important life skills, and gain a greater appreciation for the environment. As educators and parents, it is our responsibility to provide children with opportunities to connect with the natural world and to learn about the importance of sustainability. Gardening can be a fun and engaging way to do this, and can help children to develop a lifelong love of nature and the outdoors.

Are you located in Central Florida and interested in sponsoring a school or community garden? Schedule a FREE consultation with our Edible Landscapes team!

United Nations Food Gardens

The United Nations acknowledges IDEAS For Us’s nonprofit urban agriculture program, Fleet Farming, as part of an edible garden initiative. Specifically, Fleet Farming is recognized for “outstanding efforts to further sustainable urban agriculture and contribute to the food security and well being of their community.” What is the Food Gardens Initiative? The United Nations Food Gardens initiative was developed on the premise that community food gardens can serve as an excellent source of local produce. Not only that, they can simultaneously empower communities to grow food in an increasingly urbanized world. Well, that’s what Fleet Farming is all about! How do the

Why Local?

On every corner of urbanized communities is a supermarket offering thousands of products and produce shipped from all over the world. While grocery stores are a convenient and inexpensive option for quick shopping, they do little to benefit the community economically and environmentally. There is also little information on where the produce comes from. It is often shipped from thousands of miles away. Imagine the fossil fuels expended and nutrients lost in transit. Fleet Farming’s mission is to farm locally for a healthier, more connected world to change the cycle of food accessibility. Lettuce get local! Environment For every calorie

Our Plastic Problem

Plastic bags, water bottles, straws and utensils have become an everyday convenience, especially because of their small financial costs for major corporations, but at what cost to our planet? The Ocean Conservancy organization has collected over 200 million pounds of plastic from the ocean over the last 30 years. That includes straws, plastic bags, water bottles, cigarette filters, plastic utensils, and more. There is no number that exists for how many plastic bags have been used worldwide. In the United States alone, 100 billion bags are used annually such as shopping bags for groceries, clothing, or bags from any other retail