The last few years have brought about a new or intensified feeling in many people, including children: the feeling of anxiety. Being outside and connecting with nature can help alleviate anxiety. Grounding techniques can also help to control symptoms of anxiety by turning attention away from stressors and refocusing on the present. This grounding technique, 5-4-3-2-1, incorporates the five senses and though it can be done anywhere, the school garden is a great place to introduce and practice this activity.
5-4-3-2-1 Technique Find a quiet place to sit and start with a few deep breaths. Walk them through the steps several times with spoken words or provide a “cheat sheet” they can reference to guide the process.
What are 5 things you can see? Look for things you have not noticed before, patterns or small details of an object.
What are 4 things you can feel? How does the sun or wind feel on your skin? How does the ground feel? Are there any objects around you that you can examine? Feel the weight or texture of an item.
What are 3 things you can hear? Pay attention to external sounds, tuning out the thoughts in your head. Can you hear a bird singing or the wind rustling leaves in the trees?
What are 2 things you can smell? Can you smell the earth, freshly
mown grass, or fresh herbs in the garden?
What is 1 thing you can taste? This is a great opportunity for a harvest tasting. Provide each student with a taste of a crop grown in the garden. If you do not want to do a tasting at this time, just have students examine the taste of their mouth. Can you still taste toothpaste from brushing your teeth or lingering flavors from breakfast or lunch?
While this activity can teach students a technique for calming themselves in a stressful situation, it is also a great activity to explore and reflect in the outdoor classroom.
School Garden Clubs
There are two primary ways school gardens are utilized. Either a teacher incorporates the garden as an outdoor classroom to meet curriculum goals, or a teacher or community group offers an after school garden club which focuses on learning and exploring in the garden without instructional parameters. We’ve reached out to three garden club leaders for their thoughts about this approach. For teachers who would like to explore garden learning opportunities, but just need more time in the day, maybe this is a solution.
Garden clubs can be organized
and managed in several ways. The size of the club will likely depend on the size of the garden space, the interest areas of the students, and the number of adult supervisors or club leaders. Many schools set a maximum number of club participants and limit participation to certain grade levels. The club can run for any number of weeks and may not need to meet weekly, but one consideration is ensuring that club participants can harvest the plants that they plant.
Here are some thoughts from local teachers on the benefits of using a school garden with after school garden clubs.
It’s easier to get kids into smaller groups working in the garden.
It’s easier to get more things done in the garden relative to producing edible crops and the overall maintenance of the garden.
Kids view it as being something “special” to be in the garden club.
Those who enroll really want to be there.
Students take more ownership and pride in the garden.
Students learn from each other in the smaller groups; they can partner between grade levels and foster a mentoring relationship, allowing older students to be leaders/teachers.
Students are more willing to try foods they have grown.
They talk about it at home and tend to try and grow more things at home.
Though students may
be ready to “cut loose” in terms of their behavior after school, being in the club is a privilege which can be taken away if needed (leverage).
It provides a hands-on and interactive afterschool activity.
If interest level
is high, a rotation system with one group for the first 6 weeks and another group the second 6 week can be used. Each rotation can also be themed.
Overall, the club atmosphere is more relaxed and less pressure on the teacher.
More exploration without expectations for students; more opportunities for creativity.
We can complete projects together that are not grade level or curriculum bound.
Students have the ability to go through the garden club for multiple years instead of just one school year. This allows for projects to be multi-year and build on one another.
If your school has an underutilized garden space, realize that more than one opportunity exists for how you go about engaging students in the garden.
If it suits your schedule (or if you have an eager volunteer crew to offer support) consider organizing a summer garden club that meets once or twice a week. A summer garden club helps prevent the garden from being neglected for an entire
season (arguably the best, most familiar growing season) and keeps the garden in great shape for the start of the fall semester.
Grant Opportunities
Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant Program awards $3,000 grants to support new or existing edible educational gardens that serve K-12 students in the US and Canada. Applications are due March 11, 2022. Learn more, including links to register for informational webinars about the application process, here.
Check Out STEMsational Ag: The Virtual Farm!
NC State University has partnered
with Middle Tennessee State University’s Center for Health and Human Services, to develop and share “STEMsational Ag: The Virtual Farm”. This free self-paced, virtual learning opportunity is for families, schools, and community partners.
Ask your students, “Where does our food and clothing come from?” If they’re not sure, this may be a great place to start. Students will learn about many facets of agriculture, an amazing modern industry with roots that stretch back to the beginning of civilization. Topics range from animal agriculture to crops and pollinators, as well as fiber.
