Growing Gardens, Growing Minds
"the verb cultiver retains in French these two meanings: that of growing a garden and that of becoming learned" ALBERTO MANGUEL
It’s a sunny, warm August morning at the Horticulture Center of the Pacific (HCP), Glendale Gardens and woodland. Sounds of excited children reach beyond the garden gates. In the Children's Garden a dozen youngsters are darting here and there, gathering fat pods of green beans, tender leaves of lettuce and Swiss chard and pulling crispy carrots from the soil. Berries and aromatic herbs round up the bounty that will be shared at snack time. Their foraging accomplished, the children turn their attention to watering the pots of vegetables they planted a few days before. The youngsters are taking part in the HCP's annual summer Junior Master Gardeners ® camp, under the guidance of members of the Victoria Master Gardeners Association. At the end of the week the young gardeners will take home not only their own vegetable plot in a pot but, more importantly, will have gained through hands-on experience a greater understanding of our natural environment and its interconnectedness.
The joys of gardening have long been appreciated by adults, but it is only in recent years that we have begun to recognize the value of gardening experience for young minds. Whether in the garden at home with mum or at school, daycare or summer camp, planting and caring for plants boosts child development, teaches life skills and makes kids healthier and happier.
While Alberto Manguel’s words refer to the importance of reading rather than gardening, exploration of the world around us through growing things undeniably enriches our minds. There are many anecdotal reports of benefits of gardening to youth’s overall development. It is important to support these claims with hard facts. A 2010 report commissioned in the United Kingdom by the Royal Horticultural Society found that involving students in school gardens resulted in greater knowledge and understanding of science and math, improvement of communication skills, increased awareness of food production and healthy food choices, better physical coordination and fine motor skills, greater sense of responsibility and positive behavior demonstrated through increased confidence, resilience, and self-esteem.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States have stated that “The academic success of America's youth is strongly linked with their health." Children who eat well are more likely to perform well and have fewer behavior problems (a finding that might resonate with any of us who have ever noticed the impact of food on our own performance). Food preferences and appreciation for the earth start at an early age. Hands-on, garden-based nutrition education programs have been shown to benefit children by stimulating them to increase their fruit and vegetable intake.
Now that we agree that gardening is good for children, how do we make it interesting and age appropriate? What makes a good children’s garden? We all learn in different ways at different stages of life. Children, especially in the younger age group, are active learners and learn best in hands-on interaction and play. They want to touch, smell and taste and, in the process, discover. A four year old may only be interested in pulling a few weeds or watching a bug crawl up a plant. An older child can build a bean teepee. Each activity is an opportunity to learn. A few topics to explore are: soil conditions and nutrients; sun and rain and their importance; insects and pollination; food chains; size of seeds and plants and their spacing needs; plant anatomy; life cycle of plants; and organic weed and pest control.
Children also have their own preferences about the plants. They seem to like flowers big or fun and vegetables small, colorful and eaten raw. Sunflowers, especially the large-headed variety, money plant, snapdragons, lamb’s ears, cherry tomatoes, striped radishes and purple carrots all make the grade.
Above all, a children’s garden should be fun and not just another classroom. If possible, children should be involved in planning their garden and choosing which flowers or vegetables they would like to grow. Pictures in seed catalogues are a great source of ideas for plant choices. At least a few should be easy to grow to increase the chances of success for encouragement and continued interest. Lettuce, radishes, Swiss chard and peas are some examples of easy-to-grow vegetables.
A children’s garden should also welcome wildlife. Sedums and lavender attract bees and butterflies and their seeds are loved by finches. A water-filled shallow bowl at ground level will welcome thirsty birds in the summer heat. A bunch of twigs, sticks and bamboo canes tied together with a string will make an effective home for bumblebees and other insects. A garden can be created almost anywhere. If outdoor space is not available, container gardening offers a wealth of possibilities.
Many studies have demonstrated that exposure to natural world from an early age is beneficial to healthy physical and psychological development. It has been suggested that having been hunters and gatherers for ninety-nine percent of human history, we are genetically programmed to connect with nature. Children are instinctively drawn to nature because they have not yet been shaped by the man-made world. Denied the opportunity to experience the natural environment, they may develop biophobia, or aversion to nature, a disorder which can range from discomfort in natural places to disregard for anything that is not man-made or managed and to regard nature as nothing more than a disposable resource. Teaching our children to garden gives them a head start at a healthy life and prepares them for a more responsible stewardship of the environment.
Radojka Harris,
Master Gardener, Victoria Chapter
