School Gardens

School gardens have existed since the advent of kindergarten (1840). Activity-based learning was the idea of educator Friedrich Froebel. He believed that observing and nurturing plants in a garden stimulated a child's awareness of the natural world.

The development of childhood obesity in our society has prompted educators to look at school gardens with renewed interest. A garden can easily become an "outdoor classroom" where students learn about history, literature, math, reading and writing. It's also a place where they can develop healthier eating choices by growing their own food. Current UC Davis research proves this, in the work of Morris and Zidenberg-Cherr's which shows that 4th grader's school knowledge of nutrition and preferences for some vegetables can be enhanced by using garden-based curriculum. There are many other studies that show how growing food helps children make healthier food choices and exposes them to food they may not have tried before.

I've recently taken a part-time position to advocate better eating and nutrition through the use of school gardens. I will be visiting local schools and demonstrating the use of UC Davis curriculum to teachers. Researchers aim to make curriculum easy to use, while basing it on California State Standards. The idea is to help teachers fulfill their duties while at the same time addressing the issues of obesity. For more information, contact me at aschellman@ucdavis.edu