GREEN THUMBS
To plant a garden is to believe in the future.
– Audrey Hepburn
Wonder and discovery in the garden: exploring the fascinating world of plants and other forms of life that inhabit our garden.
Spending time in the garden can be a holistic, grounding and wholesome experience that we all can benefit immensely from.
Access to green spaces and the opportunity to explore the fascinating world of plants and the abundance of life that can live amongst them, should be available to all children.
A garden can be an incredibly interactive and sensorial playground that offers a great variety of textures, colours, scents, sounds and flavours that naturally stimulate children’s senses. These green territories full of wonder and discovery instigate children’s desire to learn, to ask questions (“Why do the plants need sun to grow? What do plants eat? How do they “drink” water? Why are worms good for the plants?”) and elaborate theories to explain what they see. Complex themes such as photosynthesis, water cycle, soil composition can be empirically understood and assimilated by all in a very hands on and meaningful way.
Gardening also offers the rewarding process of growing our own food. Planting and harvesting what they can eat will allow children to have a better understanding of where our food comes from and what it takes to get it in our plates. This contributes to a more wholesome relationship with fruit and vegetables, as a bonus, more interest in eating what they plant! The valuable lessons children learn in the garden, help to encourage healthier lifestyles moving through their lives.
As you can see there is a wonderful world of wonder waiting to be discovered and explored in our backyards.
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