Growing with School Gardens
- ebrparish4h
- Oct 9, 2015
- 2 min read
School Gardens are a very special learning center and great addition to any school. This multi-faceted program brings together the community, school, and faculty to provide participants with an environment where they can learn, not only about plants, but so much more!
Gardening projects for youth in a school setting can provide can extrordinary amount of different learning opportunities. Participating students learn first-hand about plants, nature and the outdoors, and they larn how fresh food is grown. However, lessons learn extend far beyond that and include science, mathematics, English, environmental studies, health, nutrition, art and family and consumer sciences.
We understand instruction time is a critical part of any school day. Through a School Garden, instructional time is not lost, but rather enhanced through hands-on learning. The lessons thar could be taught are only limited by one's imagination. Curriculum ideas and plans are available to aid in establishing a programming plan for your School Garden. Click here to find more resources available to you.
So how do you get started? We thought you'd never ask!
Step 1: Form a School Garden Committee- A garden is a year-round commitment that will require some type of care throughout the months that follow. By creating a committee, you have a group of people willing to help and care for the garden as needed. Further, this group is critical for establishing a goal, purpose, and intent for the School Garden Project. Principals, fellow teachers, faculty, staff members, community members, and parents are all great options for potential committee memebrs.
Step 2: Layout Your Garden- Through this step, you'll want to decide the type of garden that is best suited for your intended purpose. Raised beds, container gardens, or even recylced tires are possible options outside the traditional garden type. You'll want to make sure that the location and type of garden work well together to ensure the best experience for the participants and plants.
Step 3: Build & Grow It- This is where the fun starts! Building the garden is a great opportunity to bring the participants and committee together. Invite several people to help assemble and start the gardening process. Using the gardening plan established earlier, you'll want to secure plants and planting material to start the growing process. All that's next is caring for the garden and watching your hard work blossom.
East Baton Rouge 4-H offers several different opportunities for establishing a School Garden. Please be sure to contact your 4-H Agent to find out more!
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