School Gardening Becomes More Popular in US

School gardening has become very popular during the coronavirus health crisis¹, with families and teachers saying its hands-on lessons can be used to teach many subjects.

Finding the money to keep a school garden going can be tough. Some experts and teachers, however, are finding creative ways to make it work.

Susan Hobart is a retired² elementary school teacher at Lake View Elementary School in Madison, Wisconsin

She oversees³ the school's large garden with 12 raised beds.

"Gardens are a great way to get kids outside with a purpose. With gardens, kids get to see a beginning, a middle and an end to their project, with tangible⁴ results," she said.

Tangible means easily seen or recognized.

Hobart added that the gardens help calm "the kids and give them a whole different perspective they wouldn't have just sitting at desks."

Each spring, the school's program gets plant seedlings⁵ grown through a training program at a nearby prison. A church group comes during spring break to prepare the garden for the children's return. Over the summer, a volunteer takes care of the garden.

"If we had to buy the seedlings, they'd cost $3 each and we could never afford that," Hobart says.

"If you take a look at your relationships and the community around you and then all the wider networks out there, there are plenty of creative ways to find help."

Toby Adams directs the New York Botanical Garden's Edible⁶ Academy, where schoolchildren learn about growing food.

Adams said that interest in school gardens increased after Michelle Obama planted a garden at the White House and invited schoolchildren to help. Adams added that there has been another increase in interest since the coronavirus health crisis started.

School gardens can teach lessons in health, science, social studies, and even arts classes.

"Giving kids the opportunity to move outside, get their hands dirty, and find worms, especially if their teachers are excited about it — that's huge," Adams said.

For schools without space for even a small garden, turning to local botanical gardens and parks can sometimes be the answer.

"We are located in the Bronx, which is basically wall to wall six- story" apartments. "There's limited space, and vandalism, and it's hard to find a good place to gather 30 kids, not to mention issues like water access," says Adams.

Adams said that gardens do not have to take up a large area outdoors. "It could be a container garden... there are all kinds of gardens and ways it can work," he said.

Ron Finley supports teaching city kids about seeds and growing. His non-profit Ron Finley Project aims to "change the culture around food."

Finley remembers being amazed as a boy when he witnessed how "a seed ... destroys itself to become food."

"Having a garden in a school is just as important as any other education," Finley says.

Finley used the term reverence⁷, or honor or respect that is shown, when talking about gardening.

"The act of gardening teaches you where our food source comes from and teaches you to have a reverence for soil. If kids have a reverence for soil, they have a reverence for themselves and respect for this planet... Gardening is not a hobby, it's a life skill. I see this as one of the most valuable lessons of humanity⁸."

Words in This Story

elementary – adj. of or relating to elementary school; relating to or teaching the basic subjects of education

perspective – n. a way of thinking about and understanding something (such as a particular issue or life in general)

worm – n. a long, thin animal that has a soft body with no legs or bones and that often lives in the ground

vandalism – n. the act of deliberately⁹ destroying or damaging property

hobby – n. an activity that a person does for pleasure when not working

1 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

2 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

3 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

4 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

5 seedlings   

n.刚出芽的幼苗( seedling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ninety-five per cent of the new seedlings have survived. 新栽的树苗95%都已成活。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• In such wet weather we must prevent the seedlings from rotting. 这样的阴雨天要防止烂秧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 edible   

n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的

参考例句：

• Edible wild herbs kept us from dying of starvation.我们靠着野菜才没被饿死。
• This kind of mushroom is edible,but that kind is not.这种蘑菇吃得，那种吃不得。

7 reverence   

n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• We reverence tradition but will not be fettered by it.我们尊重传统，但不被传统所束缚。

8 humanity   

n.人类，[总称]人(性)，人道[pl.]人文学科

参考例句：

• Such an act is a disgrace to humanity.这种行为是人类的耻辱。
• We should treat animals with humanity.我们应该以仁慈之心对待动物。

9 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。