LEARNING COMES ALIVE IN A SCHOOL GARDEN!
As an environment that allows for creative thought, active learning, and interpersonal skills, the school garden is a living entity that serves as an excellent resource for teaching. Children learn from growing things…
Creates an environment that supports SMART CHOICES and SMART MOVES
Meets SUSTAINABILITY and COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT accountabilities
Children can learn new skills, have fun, play and develop self-confidence by spending time in the garden tending plants and growing their own food. Most children enjoy being outdoors and love digging in the soil, getting dirty, creating things and watching plants grow.
Gardening is educational and develops new skills including...
- Responsibility - from caring for and tending plants, caring for the earth and sharing the surplus
- Understanding - as they learn about cause and effect; plants die without water, weeds compete with plants
- Self confidence - from achieving their goals and enjoying the food they have grown
- Love of nature - a chance to learn about the outdoor environment in a safe and pleasant place
- Reasoning and discovery - as they learn about science, botany and simple construction
- Cooperation - including shared play activity and teamwork
- Creativity - finding new and exciting ways to grow food and solve gardening problems
Gardening also encourages...
- Physical activity - which is fun, productive and non-competitive
- Healthy eating habits - learning about sources of fresh food, food preparation and experiencing new foods
- Positive attitudes - towards the value of conservation, waste management and wise resource use
Additional benefits...
- Students gain practical life skills
- Suits a wide range of learning styles
- Functional aesthetics
About the Moreton Bay Regional School Gardens Network...
- Developed as a response to increasing interest in the role of school gardens as a health and environmental education tool
- Responds to the increasing prevalence of preventable health prolems among young people which is attributed to modifiable lifestyle factors
- Aims to support schools in developing an outdoor classroom unique to their situation and needs which enhances learning and has an impact on the health and wellbeing of the school community.
Assistance Provided to Schools in the Moreton Bay Regional Area
- Identifying and applying for funding grants and donations
- Planning your garden or edible landscape
- Ways to ensure your garden is sustainable
- Accessing resources and forming beneficial partnerships
- Ideas for maximising your garden as a learning tool
- Networking and professional development opportunities
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