1. Creating a
Learning Garden
Teaching organic growing skills to Early Years students

2. Introduction
What can gardening in school achieve?
 Gardening can enrich a curriculum
 Teach children life skills
 Contribute to students emotional and physical
health
 Demonstrate a pivotal role in developing active
citizens of the future

3. How do gardens help our
children grow stronger?
As well as helping children lead happier, healthier
lives, research shows gardening helps them acquire
essential skills they need to fulfill their potential in a
rapidly- changing world and make a positive
contribution to society as a whole.
-Royal Horticulture Society

4. Gardening in schools
encourage children to:
 Become stronger, more active learners capable of thinking
independently and adopting their skills and knowledge to
new challenges at school and in life.
 Gain a more resilient, confident, and responsible approach to
life so they can achieve their goals and be positive members of
a community.
 Learn vital job skills such as presentation skills,
communication, and team work as well as fuel their
entrepreneurial spirit.
 Embrace a healthier, more active lifestyle as an important tool
for success at school and beyond.
 Develop the ability to work and communicate with people of
all ages and backgrounds.

5. How do I get my students
interested in gardening?
 Keep it simple
 Give children their own space
 Involve older children in the planning and design of
the garden
 Use lightweight, easy-to –use tools and equipment
 Encourage children to dig in the dirt
 Plant to attract butterflies, humming birds,
ladybugs
 Make a scarecrow
 View community gardens, farms, or botanic
gardens

6. Safety in the garden
To make a garden safe for children:
 Select the correct-sized tools
 Keep sprays and fertilizers out of reach
 Do not use chemicals. Garden organically!
 Provide safe storage for equipment and tools
 Secure fences and gates
 Provide shade
 Watch for animals and scat

7. What should we plant?
Take into consideration climate, time of year, and
what you want the outcome to be. Here are some veggies
that grow in the Las Vegas climate well.
 Beans *Kale
 Beets *Lettuce
 Broccoli *Onion
 Cabbage *Peas
 Carrots *Peppers
 Cauliflower *Potatoes
 Cucumber *Spinach
 Eggplant *Tomato

8. Activities for children in
the garden
 Watering
 Digging
 Picking flowers
 Planting vegetables, fruits, and flowers in the correct season
 Harvesting fruits and veggies
 Preparing healthy food from harvested plants
 Weeding
 Gathering seeds and dried flowers
 Preparing soil
 Deadheading flowers

9. How do I extend the
garden to the classroom?
Using classroom skills in the garden or bringing
gardening skills back to the classroom is fun!
Math
 Measuring space
 Counting seeds
 Spacing seeds or plants
 Comparing sizes of seeds or plants

10. Art
 Draw pictures or a series of pictures of fruit or
vegetables from seeds to full grown plant.
 Make row markers by drawing a picture of the plant
on card stock and laminating it.
Language and Reading
 Read books on gardening
 Look at seed catalogs and let children choose what
to plant.
 As harvest time gets closer, look at recipes to use
with harvested items

11. Where can I get help?
 Community or local gardening groups
 Plant store like Star Nursery, Cactus Joe’s, and Plant
World
 Co-op farming groups
 Ask at Farmers Markets

12. Things to remember:
 Gardening is a fun, healthy activity for children.
 Children develop new skills and learn about science
and nature by growing their own food.
 There is a variety of activities children can be
involved in, such as planting, mulching, weeding,
and cooking.
 Make sure your garden is a safe place with suitable
equipment, tools, fences, gates, and paths for
children to use.

13. Acknowledgements
Royal Horticultural Society- case study Gardening in
schools
Better Health Channel- Fact sheet Gardening for
Children
The Old Farmer’s Almanac- Planting calendar for Las
Vegas area
Sean Roszell’s brain