School gardens play a significant role in experiential learning, offering a range of benefits for students’ academic, physical, and emotional development.
Benefits of School Gardens: School gardens are instrumental in combatting obesity by introducing students to healthy foods and providing opportunities for outside experiential learning. Students, especially those from lower-income families, may receive a significant portion of their daily food intake from school, making the introduction of healthy foods crucial for their overall well-being
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Academic Performance and Cognitive Function: Gardens can enhance academic performance and cognitive function by providing hands-on learning experiences that refresh concentration and improve short-term cognitive function through contact with beneficial bacteria in the soil. Additionally, long-term benefits to cognitive function and higher-level thinking are associated with garden-based learning, making it an effective tool for building critical thinking skills
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Integration with Curriculum and Community Involvement: School gardens can be linked to the curriculum in various subjects, including science, social studies, math, arts, and language arts, fostering place-based learning and helping students feel connected to their environment. Furthermore, they create opportunities for intergenerational learning, involving parents, community partners, and elders from the community, and contribute to the development of a sustainable environment and community
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Impact on Children’s Learning and Behavior: Research has shown that school gardens positively impact children’s learning and behavior, leading to measurable and observable changes in academic achievement and student behavior. They provide experiences with natural ecosystems, enhance understanding of food systems, and help develop positive environmental attitudes and behaviors
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Health and Well-Being: School gardens contribute to the health and well-being of school-aged children by providing experiential learning opportunities, nutrition-based and garden-based education in the curriculum, and addressing issues related to food security and childhood obesity
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Social and Emotional Development: Empirical evidence supports the importance of school gardens in the development of cognitive and emotional-affective abilities of pupils. Exposure to nature in school gardens has been shown to influence the prosocial behavior of children and adults, making them valuable spaces for social learning
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