How does a zucchini grow? And how do you best care for carrots? During the first edition of the Month of the School Garden, the School Gardens Alliance hopes to teach children how to sow, care for and harvest fruit and vegetables.
“Children develop a healthy taste preference in the school garden,” says Karlijn Meijerink of the School Gardens Alliance. “Because the home-grown carrot still tastes the best. Moreover, children now learn how much work it takes before fruit and vegetables are in the supermarket.”
Eight primary schools in Drenthe are participating, including CBS De Hoeksteen in Roden. They have even appointed an official garden teacher there, who dives into the vegetable gardens with the students every Tuesday. Because they have had school gardens in Roden for some time now. “This is now the second year,” says garden teacher Theresia Jager. “And it’s much needed, because many children often have no idea how their food grows and how you grow it.”
Research shows that only 1 in 5 teachers has a school garden with their class. The subject of school gardening is included in the curriculum of only a quarter of primary schools. Meijerink thinks that should be different. “A school garden should become as common as a gymnasium.”
The children of CBS De Hoeksteen will take care of their gardens until the end of the school year. Then they hope to harvest. Until then, carrots, potatoes, strawberries, onions and much more will be cared for with love. And that includes weeding. “Quite tiring”, sighs a girl from group six.
At the end of the School Garden Month, two Golden Roots are awarded to the municipalities that have shown themselves to be the most ‘school garden friendly’.