GARDENZ 4 GROWTH
Our Mission: Sustainability Education.
Bring Gardenz 4 Growth to your classroom!
"We wanted the students to gain a love of gardening as well as an appreciation of food and how it is sourced." Chelsea Eaton, Milton Hershey School
Gardenz 4 Growth provides educators with opportunities to enhance student education.
Hands on Learning
Gardens can serve as living laboratories in which students see and experience firsthand what they are learning and, in turn, apply that knowledge to real-world situations. When students engage in hands-on gardening lessons, they show an increase in positive attitudes towards content material and learning.
Responsibility
Designing a garden, planting seeds and watching the plants grow can give children a sense of purpose and responsibility. Responsibility is also learned through understanding cause and effect (for example, plants die without water, weeds compete with plants).
Encourages Healthy Eating
Amid the litany of education reforms that emphasize innovation and new methods, school gardens stand out as a low-tech change. In an era where kids' lives are more sedentary, gardens support and encourage healthful eating as a key component of children's physical wellbeing, which can aid their academic and social success, too.
Testmonial
I'm a housemom at Milton Hershey School.
My husband and our students had been wanting
to expand our gardening opportunities at our
home as a way of providing different varieties
of fruits and vegetables for our students. We
wanted the students to gain a love of gardening
as well as an appreciation of food and how it is
sourced. Amanda was the perfect person to help us.
Her presentation was fully engaging. She taught the girls about plants and the essential elements for growth. She told us about different bugs; which bugs were helpful and how to attract them and how to keep away the bugs that would eat our food. Amanda looked at our garden and gave suggestions as to which plants we should grow near one another for their synergistic properties and how many of each variety to plant in our space. She has a wealth of knowledge and a true passion which was displayed in her presentation. What was particularly helpful to us was that Amanda was very knowledgeable on growing plants in pots which is how we have to grow them. Not everyone has the space nor the ability to till up a large garden, so it was especially helpful to speak with someone who could advise on potted plants. I would highly recommend speaking with her to learn about plants, gardening, and finding ways to expand what you may already be doing.
Chelsea Eaton, Milton Hershey School
