Garden Schooling – Nature Study for Spring, Summer and Fall
As spring begins and merges into summer, then summer slowly fades into autumn, it brings with it the bountiful garden and harvest season the perfect opportunity to immerse ourselves in the world of gardenschooling. Gardenschooling is not a new practice but it has fallen by the wayside in a lot of schools and homes. Whether you have a backyard garden, access to a community garden, or simply a windowsill for potted plants, now is the ideal time to connect with the earth, cultivate our green thumbs, and learn about the importance of sustainable food production as you and your kids incorporate garden schooling as part of your home education routine.
What is Garden Schooling?
Garden schooling combines, science, nature study and practical skills together in one cyclic exploration and development that you can do on an ongoing basis. It is so important for our children to know about gardening. It instils a deep appreciation for the earth and all it provides us with as well as important life skills. Understanding where our food comes from and what we need to produce enhances their respect for our planet and the Earth’s resources.
By gardening, children develop practical life skills, like planting, nurturing and harvesting. A sense of self-sufficiency, healthy lifestyle choices and connection to their food. It can even help your picky eaters to try more! It also provides them with opportunities to learn about sustainability, biodiversity and the importance of responsible land stewardship.
But, not only does garden schooling teach them about gardening it also nurtures patience, responsibility and a sense of accomplishment as they taste and harvest the fruits of their labour.
Throughout our home education journey, we participated in the RHS Campaign for Schools with my kids earning certificates for completing different stages. We really enjoyed it and found it a useful progression of skills and actions.
Ideas for Garden Schooling for Home Educators
Here are some of the activities that we have done in the past with our kids.
Harvesting Fruits and Vegetables
You don’t need to have grown your fruits and vegetables to be able to harvest them, head to a farmers market or pick your own and harvest them that way. Spend time learning about the foods that your kids enjoy, where they grow on the plants, and how are they harvested. Add notes and drawings to the nature journals and of course, try lots of them as you investigate these plants.
Seed Saving
Not just for Nature Study reasons but for sustainability seed saving is such a good practice. Your children can investigate the seeds from the fruits and vegetables that you harvest but don’t forget the flowers for the pollinators, wildflowers, tree seeds and more that they can draw, write about and photograph.
We have a great guide on getting started with nature photography with your kids. Check it out as it’s a great way to get reluctant artists to start recording their nature finds with a photographic journal.
Look at how these seeds are dispersed which methods do different plants use?
Investigate the importance of preserving heirloom varieties with your children you could even plan to grow some in your own garden and taste test against ones from the supermarket. Teach your kids how to properly collect, clean, and store seeds from the fruits and vegetables they harvested then you can grow them again.
It’s an ideal time to include a little science and explore the lifecycle of a plant, from seed to harvest.
Composting and Soil Health
Composting is such an important part of the garden ecosystem. It’s a simple way to replenish soils after crops. It’s a sustainable practice that every family can participate in no matter how smaller a garden you have. You can compost kitchen scraps, garden waste and leaves and return these to your soil to help more grow.
Investigate different types of composting, look at wormeries as well as investigate creating your fertilisers from plants that you can grow and harvest to help the soil and plants.
Garden Planning and Planting
Get your children involved in the planning of a garden, and what will you grow from season to season. They can research suitable plants for your area of the world and different parts of the garden.
It’s a fantastic time to learn about permaculture, companion planting and the importance of pollinators in the ecosystem meaning that you have less work to do.
Garden Journaling
Encourage children to keep a garden journal to document their gardening experiences. They can record planting dates, observations, growth progress, and any challenges or successes they encounter.
Use the journal as a tool for reflection and learning, allowing children to develop their observational skills and foster a deeper connection with nature.
Pollinators and Beneficial Creatures
We all know the importance of pollinators like bees in our gardens but they aren’t the only beneficial insects and creatures that work together to keep an ecosystem happy.
Look at ways that they can be used for pest control measures, balancing nature as well as pollination and explore ways that you can attract more and support them in your gardens.
Recipes
One of my favourite things about garden schooling is taking fresh produce and using them in recipes. Get your children helping to cook, experiment with different flavours and develop practical skills in the kitchen for the future.
Month-by-Month Garden School Ideas
We’ve put together some ideas month by month that you and your kids can do in garden schooling. Remember that you may need to adapt this for your region of the world.
January
Discuss and plan what plants you want to grow in the upcoming gardening season. Research different varieties (it’s an ideal time to investigate heirloom varieties and pick some seeds to grow this year), create a planting schedule and prepare a list of necessary supplies.
February
Begin sowing seeds indoors for plants that require a longer growing season. Set up a small seed-starting area with containers, soil, and adequate lighting to nurture the young seedlings. You could look at hydroponics, lighting systems and more as you nurture the first seedlings for the year ahead.
March
Help children understand the importance of soil preparation by clearing the garden beds of debris, loosening the soil, and adding compost or organic matter to prepare for the growing season. If you have grown crops before it would be a good time to look at traditional crop rotation systems or companion planting.
April
Get hands-on with planting! Start transplanting the indoor seedlings into the garden beds, ensuring proper spacing and depth for each plant. Teach children about proper planting techniques and care instructions. Remember to check your last frost dates as well as properly prepare the plants for outside by hardening them off.
May
Demonstrate the significance of watering and mulching to keep plants healthy and hydrated. Involve children in watering routines and explain the benefits of mulching in conserving moisture and preventing weed growth. This a great opportunity to look at water collection methods and involve some STEM activities to create automatic watering systems for your garden.
June
Engage children in regular weeding sessions to maintain the garden’s health and appearance. Teach them to identify common weeds and the importance of timely removal to prevent competition for nutrients and space. Some of the weeds may be useful – things like stinging nettles can be made into a rich fertiliser for the soil. There are others so take time and investigate the use to see if they aren’t as beneficial as we would be led to believe.
July
Introduce children to organic pest control methods, such as companion planting, physical barriers, and natural insect repellents. Monitor plants for signs of pests and discuss how to protect the garden without harming beneficial insects. You could look at some of the biological control methods that you can use – a great time to investigate the ladybird/ladybug lifecycle as you find aphids on your plants.
August
Celebrate the rewards of your hard work by harvesting ripe fruits and vegetables. Involve children in the harvest process and explore different methods of food preservation, such as canning, freezing, or drying. The kitchen and garden connect and valuable practical skills can be taught. Why not get your kids to keep recipe books of their favourite things so that when they journey off on their own they have all the instructions they need?
September
Teach children the art of seed saving by selecting healthy plants and properly collecting, cleaning, and storing seeds. Discuss the importance of preserving heirloom varieties and biodiversity. Plan add and add this to your garden planner to plant for next year.
October
Guide children in cleaning up the garden beds, removing spent plants, and adding organic matter or mulch to prepare the garden for winter. Discuss the role of decomposition in enriching the soil. Why not also investigate overwintering crops, or green manure that could be grown now if your area will allow it.
November
Teach children the basics of composting by collecting and layering organic materials such as kitchen scraps, leaves, and garden waste. Explain the process of decomposition and how compost enriches the soil. You could create leaf mould a very rich compost from the fallen leaves or start a wormery for the coming year.
December
Take time to reflect on the gardening year with children. Discuss successes, challenges, and lessons learned. Encourage them to create garden-related art or write a journal entry to capture their experiences.
Garden schooling is such a fantastic element to introduce into your home education journey. It’s part nature study, part science, part practical skills and forms a real connection to the earth and the food we eat. You don’t even need a huge garden to start, you can begin in pots on a windowsill or balcony just get started. Then look at community gardens, allotments and even space to grow in other gardens.
