Why do we need gardening activities in school?

Why do we need gardening activities in school? Correct Answer To improve environmental attitude

Importance of environmental teaching

Mahatma Gandhi has rightly said, “Nature has everything for man’s needs but not for his greed”.  Children need to be oriented that each one of us has a responsibility to develop and maintain a good quality of environment (natural and socio-cultural) for the survival and continuation of life on this Earth.

Reflecting on the Indian Educational system, Rabindranath Tagore, our national poet, had commented that ‘Education divorced from Nature’ will bring untold harm to young children. The sense of isolation that is generated through such separation will cause great evil to mankind. 

 Important PointsGardening at school:  Gardens are important to the planet because, despite being human-made, they represent a natural environment.

• Encourage healthy eating: School gardening provides children with opportunities to gain extra outdoor exercise whilst teaching them useful development skills. Gardens containing fruit and vegetables can help to revise attitudes about particular foods - students are more likely to try eating vegetables they have grown themselves and to ask for them at home. When this influence is taken back home, it can help improve their family’s shopping and meal choices. 
• Environmental appreciation: By deepening children’s sense of connection with nature, school gardening can inspire environmental stewardship. Children are able to learn about water and energy cycles, the food chain, and the individual needs of different species, meaning they will have more of a desire to explore outside. Gardening can also offer insights into the long-term human impact on the natural environment.
• Provide unique experience: Gardening activities are fantastic for helping children engage in a way that is more difficult in the classroom. It allows for surprises to arise, for example, when plants are afflicted with fungus, how the weather and seasons can impact the growth of different crops and how different insects are enticed by different plants. 

 Key PointsConclusion:  Environmental educationists greatly understand that ‘knowledge about the environment alone does not guarantee positive environmental action. This needs to be coupled with environmental-friendly attitudes and values. Watching plants grow is a fun and educational experience for children. Their enormous curiosity and excitement over anything new make them naturals for gardening. Though gardening at school will engage the students, will make them aware about horticulture also, but above all inculcate environmental values in them. Hence, option (1) is correct.