A few weeks ago Classroom teacher Ms. Mayes and I gave her 3rd grade class an option to either write a piece for publication in our e-news or do some garden chores. The students who chose to write a piece were given a specific subject – Why Should Schools Have Gardens?
It was rewarding for us to see how these students have been processing some complex ideas and reasons for having a school garden e.g. global warming, ecosystem, food web, nutrition, health and importance of nature connections, school and garden economy. It was good to see these complex issues on paper as seen through the lens of our next generation.
Take a look below to get a glimpse into the heads of a few 9 year olds exposed to gardening at school.
-Punita Patel, Youth Educator
Lilly:
There are many reason [sic] why schools should have a garden. One is to edgacate [sic] people in wildlife and nature. I think schools also should have a garden to make compost, and help people learn that monarch are endangered. I like plants and I think kids my age would like them to [sic]. That is why I think schools should have a garden.
Clara:
Schools should have gardens because it will help save all the animals. Also it is good for the environment, so when we grow up we don’t have too much heat. That is why school’s should have garden.
David:
Schools should have a garden because it helps with making oxegen [sic]. Monarks [sic] can have a snack in the gardens. bees, humming birds and other animals can pollenate [sic]. You can get food. And you see tons of animals in a garden.
Faith:
These are a few reasons schools should hae a garden. Garden helps Monarch Butterflies survive. Gardens provide food for the schools cafateria [sic]. Nothing like fresh picked fruits and veggies. The plant provide [sic]the air we breath. Garden teach us a lot of things about nature. We need to protect our Earth. Earth is our only home. Those are my few reasons schools should have a garden.
Gia:
Schools should have a garden because, we can learn about nature. Also the enviorment [sic] because that’s where we live and get oxgyne [sic]. We can also learn to plant, and take care of where we live. We can learn how to do many different things, and we can learn about animals up close. This is why schools should have gardens.
Kelsea:
Kids should garden at school. So they can work with plants. You can also see insects. Kids can build teamwork together while having fun. That’s why kids should have a school garden.
Quinn:
Schools should have gardens because their food could be their lunch. If they ate their food they would be healthy. They would not be sick. That is why schools should have gardens.
By Mina:
There are many reasons why schools should have gardens. One reason is to help the environment. We save many animals by planting plants that they eat. One example is monarch butterflies. We can save them by planting milkweed plants. We also have farmers markets to earn money for our school. It also inspires us to love nature and to take care of it. Those were a few reasons why schools should have garden.
One beautiful fall afternoon last week at Gateway Greening we had our day packed with indoor meetings. It was so refreshing when I started getting these exciting pictures and texts from one of the teachers from Mallinckrodt. Ms. Mayes was sending in the work of her 3rd grade students in the garden. It was great to see how much students were enjoying their outdoor classroom.
