- #UKEdChat session 606
- Research shows that green spaces improve health.
- School gardens can be used in lessons across the curriculum.
- Click here to view the tweet archive.
Firstly, it needs to be pointed out that many schools struggle for space, and giving over some of an already tiny playground to a garden is a luxury they cannot have. But school gardens don’t need to resemble an allotment, complete with a shed. Things can be grown on windowsills, shelves, and evening in hanging baskets from the ceiling. Think of these as a distributed garden.
It doesn’t have to cost the Earth. Teachers has a bad habit a “I’ll just buy it myself” attitude, but the tools you need will be out there to borrow in the community, and approaching the local garden centre or allotment for the consumables may yield… fruit (sorry!).
So that is the ‘how’, but what about the ‘why’. There is lots of research showing the benefits of green spaces on health, and specifically mental health. It is also an opportunity to learn life skills. But from a self-serving point of view, a garden can be a valuable resource for so many parts of the curriculum.
In this #UKEdChat session, which took place on Thursday 16th June 2022 at 8pm(UK), we discussed how to set up a school garden, what are the benefits and pitfalls, and what practical advice the community has to give.
Questions
- Does your school currently have a garden or spaces where learners can grow things?
- What are the best options if there isn’t space outside for a school garden?
- Where can schools get tools for a school garden that won’t break the bank?
- Where can schools get consumables, such as pots, seeds etc cheaply or free for a school garden?
- What do you like are the benefits to having a school garden?
- What pitfalls might there be for setting up a school garden?
- How might you use a school garden in your lessons?
- Where can teachers go to get ideas and advice about starting a school garden?
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