Category — Children

“Far more than simply a ‘how to’ manual, this guidebook is a collection of a wide variety of experiences depicting school gardens across the state of Hawai`i. This book features teachers who plant gardens with their students to educate across multiple disciplines—math, geography, history, biology, and language arts.

“Stories of gardens that are more than just gardens abound, such as the school that parlayed lessons of growing things into lessons of entrepreneurship by turning a productive garden plot into a model farm business to assist in funding field trips.

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By Paris Marshall Smith and Arzeena Hamir
Richmond Fruit Tree Project, BC, Canada, 2007

“Imagine growing greens in the dead of winter and sharing the bounty with a group of eager students. Once harvested, the food from the garden becomes a resource for the kitchen, the next stop in the seed to table cycle. Students have the opportunity to further their garden experience by learning about their taste palates, culturally diverse food preparation techniques, historical methods of food processing (fermentation, canning, pickling), nutrition and food combining and, of course, the pleasure of eating and working together.”

Toolkit is available on-line. Be aware it is a large download (30MB PDF).

By Robin Kortright, Master of Arts 2007, Department of Geography, University of Toronto (139 pages)

“Of the 125 people who were originally contacted, just over half (54%) grew food, meaning vegetables, fruit, nuts, or herbs. Of the people who grew food, almost three quarters grew herbs, nearly two thirds grew vegetables, and just over a quarter grew fruit. Almost everyone grew food only in their backyards, with just three people growing food in their front yard and two in a community garden.

“65 percent of Toronto households have a lawn or garden. Owning your home, gardening skills, and a sunny garden are important parts of being able to grow food in a back garden. There is far more land in home gardens than will likely be available for community gardens in the near future. Home food gardens are an important part of urban food systems. They would benefit from more support, such as information about and access to compost, mulch, rain gauges and soil testing resources.”

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Early photo of children gardening at school, USA, circa 1899.

See large version of photo here.

Booklet produced by the European ‘Office International
du Coin de Terre et des Jardins Familiaux’

“If we look back at the years following the end of the war, we remember that in the cities there were many hidden places and open areas where children could have direct contact with an untouched nature. There was, as well, enough space where children could give free way to their fantasy and experience nature. These adventure grounds have disappeared due to the spreading of the communes, the density of the housing developments and the efforts to plan completely all the open country. The allotment and leisure gardens represent now for our children a compensation for this lost paradise. In the allotment gardens they can have direct contact with nature and discover the numerous mysteries of plants and animals. In this way they can watch the ripening of fruit and vegetables and see the miracles of nature.”

Link to this booklet (31 page PDF)