Should kids learn how to grow their own food in schools? There has been a lot of talk on Facebook asking this question. We decided to list the benefits of school gardening!
School gardening teaches kids life skills they can use as adults!
1. Gardening teaches kids about more than just nature, but other skills like responsibility and teamwork. That’s right; gardening makes kids accountable for their results. After all who is going to water the plants or harvest the vegetables and fruits? Working together, classmates create a plan to maintain the garden. Schools can take it further by teaching kids how to prep food they’ve grown. Why? Because home cooking is a dying trend! Scary that 60% of millennials admit they do not cook and 30% can’t boil an egg according to ATTN Media. If that doesn’t scare you, 18% can’t even make toast. School gardening and food prep are life skills that can be passed down to adulthood.
2. Kids eat healthier when they’ve growing their own food. Kids are more likely to try vegetables and fruits they have grown. With 41 million children overweight (study by the World Health Organization), kids need to learn at an early age how to establish a healthy lifestyle. Iowa Policy Project reports only 9% of children eat the daily recommended serving of fruits and vegetables
3. Gardening saves taxpayers and schools money! In addition to providing students better food choices, gardens save the school money. Greenhouse Foundation reports that the average elementary school saves around $1000 dollars in groceries with a garden. More importantly the Obesity Campaign states the annual health costs related to obesity in the U.S. is nearly $200 billion. Gardens help kids adapt a healthier lifestyle saving taxpayers money as well!
4. School gardening gets kids outside! According to a bipartisan study, only 10% of kids say they spend time outdoors every day. Gardening teaches kids to appreciate nature while being physically active.
Gardening is a skill that everyone should learn! So yes, we say kids should learn how to grow their own food at school. It’s a skill they can take with them just like algebra or physics.
