Back to the garden; growing the future
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By Lynne Bell
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听听听听听听听听听听听 No matter how great the weather is-or isn't-summers are short in Canada, especially for teachers and their students. And given the ever-increasing workload of the average educator, this column's topic may not be a welcome one-that is: Should kids learn how to grow food in school?
听听听听听听听听听听听 Putting aside the logistics of implementing such a plan in Canada-indoor or outdoor gardening, adding another subject to an already overloaded curriculum, etc., etc.,-evidence does suggest that this isn't a bad idea for a few different reasons. And one of the most compelling ones is that of improved health outcomes for young people-and dare I say it?-future generations.
听听听听听听听听听听听 It isn't an exaggeration to say that many of us have lost touch with real food. Busy schedules, the excess and availability of convenience food, and plenty of other reasons mean that food is something that is often picked up and/or prepared in a hurry-without a lot of thought given as to where it comes from.
听听听听听听听听听听听 So it's no surprise that a team of food researchers found that kids are five times more likely to eat salad when they've grown it themselves-and the same kids will be more likely to carry healthier eating habits into adulthood.
听听听听听听听听听听听 The study was published in the health journal Acta Paediatrica. The project monitored 370 students in New York state school cafeterias on three separate days, and recorded what kids put on their lunch trays, what they consumed, and what they left behind.
听听听听听听听听听听听 Before the start of the school salad-growing project, just two percent of the pupils added salad to their main course. However, when the students-both gardeners and non-gardeners-knew the veggies were grown by pupils in the school, 10 percent of kids chose them.
听听听听听听听听听听听 Eight percent certainly isn't a huge increase, but it is a significant one, especially in a school setting and over such a short period of time. With scary stats that state that this generation of kids may be the first one to fall ill from lifestyle-related illnesses at an earlier age than previous generations, it seems like growing food as part of the curriculum could be part of a simple solution to a complex concern.
听听听听听听听听听听听 It would be a wonderful opportunity for kids who-for a lot of reasons-but that's another column- would never get the chance to garden or see much green space. And for all children, gardening at school would help them form healthier eating habits at an early age, given the potential for positive peer pressure.
听听听听听听听听听听听 One of the researchers behind the study, Drew Hanks of Ohio State University sums it up this way: 鈥淲e see great promise with this research. The first hurdle in increasing vegetable consumption is simply getting kids to put them on their plate.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 And this might just be part the answer to a complex concern.
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听 听 听 听 听 听Gardening at school a growing idea
By Kelly Running
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听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Growing up on a farm, I grew up gardening. I can remember being in the garden with mom or dad seeding, pulling weeds, and finally helping find the 鈥渧egetables鈥� of our labour from a very early age. It was just part of what we did on the farm. Specifically I can remember Mom pulling up the potato plants and my sister and I rooting around in the ground to find those fresh new potatoes.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Items fresh out of the garden are always so much better than ones that come from the store. Fresh peas, carrots with a little bit of dirt on them still, lettuce, and so much more. Gardening much like growing up on a farm has given me not only a good work ethic, but an appreciation of vegetables. I know it sounds weird, but when you鈥檝e planted your garden you become dependent on the weather a lot of the time and if a rain floods you out it鈥檚 pretty devastating, but if you have tended it lovingly and everything produces there鈥檚 a great satisfaction in that. It鈥檚 fun to say, 鈥淗ere take some peas, they came from my garden.鈥� 鈥� Although I鈥檓 sorry, I鈥檇 never share the peas鈥� I鈥檓 nice, but not that nice.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 So, what would happen if a school adopted a gardening program? At Eastern Senior High School in Washington D.C., students are outdoors hard at work during the summer as they tend to a garden flourishing with flowers, vegetables, and herbs. The project is called City Blossoms, which is a non-profit organization bringing gardening to schools鈥� it pays a little, but the kids get to take vegetables home with them and any extra is taken and sold at a farmer鈥檚 market.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Within this program one youth explained that it has promoted a healthier lifestyle for her and her family. They had never really bought vegetables a lot and admitted they liked their snacks, but have now embraced a healthier diet.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Additionally, there鈥檚 a concern that kids aren鈥檛 spending enough time outside, and although Pokemon Go has helped send people of all ages out the door on a scavenger hunt using their phones, a garden gets them working and appreciating the natural world.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Although in Canada our school year runs kind of awkwardly to promote gardening there are other opportunities. In my friends鈥� preschool that they run they have what鈥檚 best described as a self-contained greenhouse. It doesn鈥檛 take up much room, but she was excited to find the unit because it teaches her students about the life cycle, growth, how to take care of something other than themselves, observe change, and allows them to put in the work of watering where they get a tasty reward. She added that it helps the picky eaters, because they want to try whatever they grow. Whether they like it or not is a different story, but they鈥檙e more willing to try it if they鈥檝e helped make it grow.
听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听听So, there would be ways of introducing gardening to the school. They may not be the most conventional, but I do feel like it鈥檚 something that should be looked at and taught to youth because it does promote a healthier lifestyle, allows them to taste the 鈥渧egetables鈥� of their labours, and learn about the natural world.听
