Did you know that gardening has many benefits for children and teenagers? On top of reducing stress and anxiety, it helps develop many personal qualities and psychosocial skills, such as self-control and open-mindedness.
Reduce stress with a school garden
Stress, anxiety and worry are not only reserved for adults. Unfortunately, youngsters can also be confronted by these feelings. A study reveals that 20% of children and adolescents will suffer from mental health disorders, the majority of which are related to anxiety. However, there is a way to reduce their stress!
The study also demonstrated that being only 10 minutes in nature reduced students’ stress levels. And the longer the time spent in nature, the greater the increase in psychological well-being! Also, simply spending 20 minutes contemplating vegetation (even seated) effectively decreases cortisol, a stress hormone.
By incorporating an indoor garden designed to grow plants all-year round in your school, your students will learn not only how to grow plants (vegetables, herbs and salads) and take care of them, they will also benefit from the opportunity to relax and enjoy the moment.
Following nature’s pace, every day they will be able to admire the colour and texture of the vegetables, breathe in the scent of the herbs, and taste the results of their labour, while sharing their thoughts with each other. This harmonious environment fosters calm and relaxation, while stimulating curiosity and the desire to experiment.
Qualities and skills developed with gardening
This reduction in stress enables your students to be more receptive to collaboration and learning. They are more able to develop various personal qualities and psychosocial skills:
- Attention to detail and concentration (to plant seeds and perform all the tasks to ensure their proper growth);
- Team spirit (gardening and participating in a team project means being open to each other’s ideas and compromising);
- Perseverance (success sometimes involves trial and error and experimenting in a safe space allows students to learn how to deal with challenges in a positive way);
- Consistency (to take care of the plants as they grow);
- Patience (to wait for everything to grow at its natural pace);
- Self-confidence (because effort pays off)!
What more, contact with the school garden improves your students’ mood: the happiness of seeing the plants grow and the joy of being able to harvest what you have grown is well worth all the effort invested!
The Vireo educational project
The Vireo hydroponic garden is an educational project that provides students with all the benefits of gardening, while allowing them to learn academic content through a hands-on project.
Many schools have already integrated the Vireo garden into their day-to-day. And more and more teachers are discovering how this dynamic tool fosters learning.
The Vireo garden without soil (hydroponic) is simple to install and maintain. It includes the following:
- Access to our digital platform that supports you at each step of the project;
- All the necessary material to start and maintain the indoor garden during the school year;
- Single-use consumables (such as seeds and substrates);
- A hydroponic growing guide;
- Support to ensure your project’s success.
Get more information!
If you would like to know more about this educational project which brings nature into school, we invite you to visit our website and try our digital platform at no cost (an essential tool so students can be independent in the project, and you can concentrate on other tasks)!
Your school could be eligible for financial aid to integrate the classroom garden. Request more information from our representatives; they will be happy to help you.