Learn, Grow, & Eat Local
By Lauren Couchois, RD, LD, SNS
Across the country, school gardens are transforming education—reaching far beyond the cafeteria and into the classroom, the community, and the local economy. While school gardens help provide fresh produce for school meals, their true impact “roots” deeper.
The Outdoor Classroom School gardens are powerful outdoor classrooms. Students can explore biology through plant life cycles, apply math skills to measure rows or simply count the number of flowers on a tomato plant. I love incorporating English lessons into the garden and have students sharpen literacy skills by journaling about growth, researching the origins of foods, or by writing poetry in the garden. These real-world connections help lessons stick. Instead of just reading about science or nutrition, students see it, touch it, and taste it in action. I have seen firsthand how effective gardens can be when having students try foods for the first time! Students become active participants in their food choices. Growing vegetables, is like magic! It sparks a willingness to try new foods. In one school garden program, I had first grade students, not only interested in bok choy, but eagerly wanting to taste bok choy for the first time simply because they had grown it themselves! That sense of
ownership turns unfamiliar foods into exciting discoveries and gives kids the confidence to try new things. Nothing could be better than getting a kid excited about vegetables! A Child’s Emotional Wellness Beyond academics, gardens promote confidence and emotional growth. Students take responsibility for nurturing plants, collaborate with peers, and learn patience and problem-solving. Gardens also deepen students’ connection to nature and sustainability. In my experience, kids are usually often frightened by the bugs and other inhabitants of the garden. I love using this time to teach them about how gentle those insects and animals really are. It definitely helps when I get the kids to name the bugs in the garden. Undoubtedly, every time their favorite becomes the garden spider who is inevitably named “Charlotte”. We discuss how beneficial the animals and bugs are to the garden, and therefore beneficial to us as they help make
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