School Garden Benefits: Health Promotion and Environmental Conservation

Abstract

Garden-based learning promotes environmental awareness, health, and wellness across the school community and beyond. In this article, we review the literature on the benefits of school gardening and describe firsthand experiences for garden success. By sharing lessons learned, our aim is to inspire school nurses to join forces with like-minded teachers and staff or take the lead to build capacity in their school for gardening and a green culture dedicated to the conservation of natural resources.

Keywords

school garden health promotion professional issues environmental health environmental conservation nature-based health promotion

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Alexander

G. K.

(2020). Supporting food literacy among children and adolescents: Undergraduate students apply public health nursing principles in clinical practice. Journal of Professional Nursing, 36(6), 616-624. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2020.08.018

Atchley

R. A.

Strayer

D. L.

Atchley

(2012). Creativity in the wild: Improving creative reasoning through immersion in natural settings. PLOS ONE, 7(12), Article e51474. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0051474

Brynjegard

(2001). School gardens: Raising environmental awareness in children. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED452085

Burt

K. G.

Koch

Contento

(2017). Implementing and sustaining school gardens by integrating the curriculum. Health Behavior and Policy Review, 4(5), 427-435. https://doi.org/10.14485/HBPR.4.5.2.

Collective School Garden Network. (2015). Edible gardening and harvesting. Western Growers Foundation. http://www.csgn.org/edible-gardening-and-harvesting

Harvey

D. J.

Montgomery

L. N.

Harvey

Hall

Gange

A. C.

Watling

(2020). Psychological benefits of a biodiversity-focused outdoor learning program for primary school children. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 67(February), 101381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2019.101381

Kuo

Barnes

Jordan

(2019). Do experiences with nature promote learning? Converging evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 305. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00305

Lackey

N. Q.

Tysor

D. A.

McNay

G. D.

Joyner

Baker

K. H.

Hodge

(2019). Mental health benefits of nature-based recreation: A systematic review. Annals of Leisure Research, 24(3), 379-393. https://doi.org/10.1080/11745398.2019.1655459

Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education. (n.d.). Green schools program. https://maeoe.org/green-schools-and-green-centers/green-schools-program

10.

McCormick

(2017). Does access to green space impact the mental well-being of children: A systematic review. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 37(November), 3-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2017.08.027

11.

National Association of School Nurses. (2018). Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents in schools: The role of the school nurse [Position statement]. https://www.nasn.org/nasn/advocacy/professional-practice-documents/position-statements/ps-overweight

12.

Ray

Fisher

D. R.

Fisher-Maltese

(2016). School gardens in the city: Does environmental equity help close the achievement gap? Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race, 13(2), 379-395. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742058X16000229

13.

Rethink Outside. (n.d.). Growing healthy communities in school gardens during COVID-19. https://rethinkoutside.org/growing-healthy-communities-in-school-gardens-during-covid-19/

14.

Rios

J. M.

Brewer

(2014). Outdoor education and science achievement. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 13(4), 234-240. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2015.975084

15.

Savoie-Roskos

M. R.

Wengreen

Durward

(2017). Increasing fruit and vegetable intake among children and youth through gardening-based interventions: A systematic review. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 117(2), 240-250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2016.10.014

16.

Selway

C. A.

Mills

J. G.

Weinstein

Skelly

Yadav

Lowe

Breed

M. F.

Weyrich

L. S.

(2020). Transfer of environmental microbes to the skin and respiratory tract of humans after urban green space exposure. Environment International, 145(December), 106084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.106084

17.

Tillmann

Tobin

Avison

Gilliland

(2018). Mental health benefits of interactions with nature in children and teenagers: A systematic review. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 72(10), 958-966. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2018-210436