Gardening has myriad benefits for preschoolers. Starting a school or community garden has long been a career dream of mine. I am so excited because my current school has one. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been tended to in a number of years (see below). I do
not have a green thumb and am a novice at gardening, but I want to model learning a new skill for my students. Below I have listed a series of benefits of gardening in early childhood. A number of studies have been done about gardening, and one argued that “contact with nature is as important for a child as good nutrition and sleep (Lee et. al, 2019).” It has the potential to provide novel experiences for students, especially in urban areas where there are few spaces for nature. Right now, my garden is still mostly weeds and decay but I’m hoping that we can plant a few new plants by the end of the school year. If not, my goal is to have the space cleaned well enough that next school year we can devote more time to planting and maintaining some live plants.
Benefits of Gardening in Early Childhood Education*
*(Kos & Jerman, 2019; Lee et al, 2019; Vandermaas-Peeler & McClain, 2015)
References
Lee, R. E., Soltero, E.G., Ledoux, T.A., Sahnoune, I., Saavadra, F., Mama, S. K., & McNeill, L. H. (2019). Sustainability via Active Garden Education: Translating Policy to Practice in Early Care and Education. Journal of School Health, 89(4), 257-266. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/josh.12734
Kos, M. & Jerman, J. (2019). Gardening Activities at School and Their Impact on Children’s Knowledge and Attitudes to the Consumption of Garden Vegetables. Problems of Education in the 21st Century, 77(2), 270-291. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1338527.pdf
Vandermaas-Peeler, M. & McClain, C. (2015). The Green Bean Has to Be Longer than Your Thumb: An Observational Study of Preschoolers' Math and Science Experiences in a Garden.
International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 3(1), 8-27. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1108468.pdf
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