School gardening research studies that may help fuel your proposals.
- Gardens are places where the cycle of life and season’s come alive for kids.
- Nothing about a garden is abstract.
- Gardening with children is active learning.
- The science concepts and skills students gain from a garden project are impressive.
- The garden classroom is an environment where children learn about plants, food, and nutrition.
- Enhances the core curriculum in math, language, health and science.
- The science concepts and skills students gain from a garden improve reading, reading comprehension, spelling, and written expression.
- Gardening encourages responsibility, patience, and cooperative behavior.
- Kids are enthusiastic, interested, take initiative and develop a love for nature, plants and science.
- Encourages environmental awareness and concern for the human impact.
- Kids gain a greater understanding of life science concepts, life cycles.
- Kids gain a clearer understanding of science processes, and improve problem solving skills, math skills, and language arts skills.
- Student behavior improves when the garden is a learning context.
- Kids exhibit a greater increase in social concerns (feeding the hungry).
- Improves relationships with students and parents.
- Kids who are behaviorally disturbed or learning impaired make great strides in a gardening program.
- When children have an opportunity to create a garden, become ‘experts,’ and share their expertise with others, their skills and confidence soar.
- Scores are significantly higher in students’ understanding of key life science concepts and science inquiry skills.
- Scores are higher on attitude scales measuring “concern for the environment” and “confidence in ability to do science.”
- Attitudes toward vegetables improves, and their preferences for fruit and vegetables.
- Beyond offering rich language arts opportunities, the garden is a natural context for science inquiries, math problem solving, and developing social skills such as working together to puzzle out problems.
- Kids become more expressive and better citizens.
- Students understand the interdependence of life and overcome fears about nature.
- Kids learn about conservation and recycling and develop skills they can use for the rest of their lives.
- The garden develops deep roots for lifelong learners.
- Gardening enhances the core curriculum.
- Children learn to share, and work as a team.
- The most significant student gains are in self-esteem and achievement in reading, reading comprehension, spelling, and written expression.
- At the end kids will be more confident, more expressive, advanced academically and better citizens.
- They learn about conservation and recycling and develop skills they can use for the rest of their lives.
- The garden shows the children’s strength, ability, and love for the outdoors and nature. It develops deep roots for lifelong learners.
- The curriculum is broad and the health benefits are great.
- Freedom comes with self-control, caring, sharing, and kindness and these grow in a garden.
- Gardens are a place where the cycle of life and season’s come alive for kids.
- Gardens can bridge age gaps by bringing together family and community members who are generations apart.
- Gardens are a place of spontaneous hands-on discovery that can’t occur sitting at a desk or reading a book.
- Young children strengthen fine and gross motor skills and experience their own impact on their environment.
- Children hone their observation skills and develop scientific understanding, as early as preschool years, as they watch plants change and grow.
- Gardening is a way to learn and contributes to the vision for a healthier more active community.
- The natural world is a teacher and gives us sustenance, strength, and inspiration.
- Kids learn the consequences of one’s actions in a very direct way.
- Gardening with kids gives them “a real-life connection to what they learn in the classroom and develops deep roots for lifelong learning.
- Sound nutrition and physical activity are a critical part of children’s health and development.
- Gardening programs improve communication skills, increase knowledge and understanding of each other, promote peace, and bring about healthy changes in kids lives, their community and the world.
- Gardening with kids has a lifelong impact.
- Learn about the uniqueness of the earth as a life supporting system.
- Gain insight into how we use science and technology in our lives.
- Give opportunity to take advantage of the teachable moment, address multiple intelligences and an emergent curriculum.
- Gardens are significant for its ethnic heritage associations and its associations with community growth and identity.
- Learn first hand how energy from the sun helps to grow the food we eat.
- Spiritual renewal
- Gives back beneficial and sustainable byproducts.
- Teaches about climate zones.
- Contributes toward a sustainable culture.
- Plays an important role in creating an ecologically sustainable educational system within an ecologically sustainable environment.
- Perfect place for service learning projects and teaches stewardship, grace and empowerment.
- Contributes to the vision for a healthier more active community.
- Caring for life helps children develop their knowledge and understanding of life and a reverence and respect for life. Children develop more nurturing attitudes.
- Children are natural explorers and delight in and are inspired by the outdoors.
- A more stimulating environment than the outdoors for the development of the mind, body, senses and the spirit doesn’t exist.
- Gardens have the power to heal.
- Helps build a movement of educational and environmental change that is rooted in love and respect for the interconnectedness of all of life.
- Nurtures the child’s imagination and curiosity.
- Enhances moral education and socialization skills.
- Reduces stress and enhances mental health.
- Encourages self-discovery and the sharing of individual perceptions.
- Broadens one’s views and knowledge of nature, community, and themselves.
- Helps children understand the value of our natural resources.
- Develops a students understanding of natural systems in their community.
- Foods give us a window on cultural understanding and appreciation.
- Gardens are ideal vehicles for introducing the elements of multicultural education.
- Contributes toward a sustainable culture.
- Foster a greater awareness of and appreciation for how food is grown.
- Impact on cultural literacy, and encourages the implementation of environmental initiatives.
- Increases the opportunities for education and cultural exchange.
- Opportunities for the child to discover abound.
- Horticulture is a profession deeply rooted in community involvement and active based living.
- Many disciplines can be taught in a garden: language, science, creative arts, history, math, nutrition, life skills, ecology, and conservation.
Gardening Meets Special Needs
“Over and over we’ve found that kids who have been labeled behaviorally disturbed, learning impaired, and so on, make great strides in our garden program. When they have an opportunity to create a garden, become ‘experts,’ and share their expertise with others (often in a role reversal), their skills and confidence soar.”
— Karen Williger, New Orleans, LA
“A season after initiating a therapeutic garden for adolescents, I was floored by their enthusiasm and ability to focus on tasks. It was also amazing to see how fast group cohesion, trust, and self-esteem grew.”
— Amy Stein, Yardley, PA