Swallowtail Salad Bar by Xrysostom
The veggie gardeners amongst us may remember how last year we gained Green Fingers at the White House, the culmination of an extensive campaign run by The WhoFarm and Kitchen Gardener’s International.
A Garden for Every School
Well, now Kitchen Gardener’s International have set their sights even higher with a campaign to bring a garden to every school in America. It goes without saying that I’m in favor of this initiative.
Healthy Food Grown by Kids
Let’s see, healthy food, getting kids outdoors, learning about where food comes from, getting fingers in the dirt. All of these are great. Whether or not it’s reasonable to do anything at every school I’ll hold judgment on, but it’s a great goal. I applaud it. I even vote for it.
For the Butterflies and Birds
If I could add one thing though I’d ask for not only edible gardens, but also a garden space for nature – butterflies, bees, and birds. It’s an unfortunate side-effect that, if we teach kids in a garden which contains only fruits and vegetables, bugs and birds may appear to be our enemies. If the only food we provide is food we want for ourselves, critters become our competitors.
Nature in the School Garden
Kids need to know about nature beyond beneficial bees. They need to see butterflies other than cabbage whites. They need to understand that we must learn to live with nature, not against it. A garden is the very best place to learn all of this. If we’re going to have school gardens they must include some deliberate space for nature, some native flowers and shrubs.
You can vote for A Garden for Every School and help to make this a reality. I don’t want to derail this wonderful effort by making it more complicated and less achievable but, if you agree that there should also be a place for nature in school gardens, be sure to leave a comment.
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I am totally with you on this one Alison. There should be a place for nature in every school-the benefits are ENORMOUS!!!
Outdoor classrooms should be an integral part of children’s daily learning. Thanks for shouting about it!!!
Latest post: Digging in the Dirt with Chloe the Gardener: http://www.marghanita.com/gardening-with-chloe-is-it-just-a-bunch-of-dirt/
I couldn’t agree more, Alison! We are so fortunate to have an amazing school garden at my son’s elementary. The best part is that not only are there beds for planting, there are plenty of wild spaces too, including plants to attract bees and butterflies. I love talking to my kids about why bugs are such an important part of nature.
Debi´s last blog ..5 Ways to Explore Nature With Kids in Oahu
Here, here! How amazing would it be for children to learn about their connection to nature while they are connecting with nature! The benefits are endless…
Wendy´s last blog ..Photo Friday – Wishing For Spring
when I taught 3rd grade we made some VERY SMALL raised beds in the corner of the school yard. No one could believe their eyes when these 10 year olds were running around the school yard joyfully eating radishes! Gardens are a great format for all sorts of outdoor learning!
I was just thinking about doing this next year. Our PTA sponsors “Science Programs” every year. We’ve had aquariums and naturalists visit the school to give presentations. But I was thinking $1000+ could provide a whole lot of ongoing science learning opportunities (rather than a one-time thing) for the whole year – especially in California. I’ll have to check the link to see HOW to start it and keep it going. Or maybe you have some suggestions?
Michele´s last blog ..Nature Scene Investigators (NSI): On A Not-So-Secret Mission to Get Families Outdoors
Michele, I do have some suggestions. It looks like something I should write about.