The Value of School Gardens

School gardens are a wonderful way to use the schoolyard as a classroom, reconnect students with the natural world and the true source of their food, and teach them valuable gardening and agriculture concepts and skills that integrate with several subjects, such as math, science, art, health and physical education, and social studies, as well as several educational goals, including personal and social responsibility.

The Benefits of School Gardens

Experience and research have shown numerous benefits of school gardens and natural landscaping:

  • Students learn focus and patience, cooperation, teamwork and social skills.
  •  Garden-based teaching addresses different learning styles and intelligences
  •  Students become more fit and healthy as they spend more time active in the outdoors and start choosing healthy foods over junk food.
  •  The schoolyard is diversified and beautified.

Parkside Garden Club

Parkside Garden Club students will focus on planting and maintaining the gardens and surrounding grounds. The program is hands on, some of the club’s responsibilities will include:

• Planting and harvesting a winter & spring garden

• Wedding and watering the garden beds and keeping the surrounding area clean

• Exploring the pants and animals in the garden

• Growing our own seedlings

Community Involvement

We will have at least two fun weekend clean-ups and improvement days. These are usually held on Saturday morning; all are welcome to help. Our 2019 spring improvement consisted of building a five senses garden for Parkside students and teachers to explore. Other projects we hope to complete are building an herb garden and a weather station. All are welcome to attend and help, more information will go out through the Mustang News.

Volunteers are always welcome. The garden cannot thrive without your continued support. We can always use help on garden club days, work and improvement days and donations. Donation can include plants, seeds, garden dirt, and mulch – just to name a few.

Contact

If you need any information about the garden, garden club, or donating please contact Stacie Cary at stacie@staciecary.com or Lindsay Carson (Kindergarten Teacher) at lindsey.carson@leanderisd.org

Garden Amazon Wish List

 

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/YWGQ5YH1CR28?ref_=wl_share