Gardens Of Knowledge

Now with schools starting across the country it's time for communities to think about another subject - gardening.Schools across the nation should think about adding it to their curriculum. It not only teaches kids about nature and sustainability but also about giving.The produce can be easily given to those families and fellow students  who need it.

Schoolyard gardens are here and there in several major cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Kindergarteners through high schoolers learn about how veggies and fruit is grown and produced. They learn about composting and the importance of bugs such as worms  for soil aeration. There's also the satisfaction of seeing produce ripening and harvesting it .  Having a school garden can also be inspiring. Kids will want to have a small home garden themselves and influence siblings and cousins to do the same. Another plus is that it will make them. want to think  about possible  futures   in     biology, cooking   or  even farming.  It will even show them how to be more generous and more aware of the less fortunate  around them when the produce is donated to food pantries.

Gardening will also teach kids about nutrition. This was the case at the Martin Luther King Jr Middle School in Berkeley California, It happened to be near where famed chef Alice Waters lived. She came in and helped start the Edible schoolyard plan.It helped inner city kids learn all about the science of growing  along with the importance of fresh ingredients in cooking.The program helped them make important choices when it comes to eating and snacking. There are even cooking classes where students solve math problems by reconfiguring recipes. The program them went to New Orleans and then Los Angeles. It is now employed in almost every big American city.and is helping a second generation of students learn how to cook and eat better.

If your school district  doesn't include gardening as part of its' curriculum, then protest It's important that students know the value of fresh food and how it can impact their lives. Fight to have a garden of knowledge in your town.