Gardening 'makes children happy and teaches new skills'

The survey suggests children learn valuable skills through gardening

Taking part in gardening can make a child feel happy and boost their development, research suggests.

The study of 1,300 teachers and 10 schools was commissioned by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

It found children in schools that encouraged gardening became more resilient, confident and lived healthier lives.

The RHS says school gardening should be used as a key teaching tool, rather than as an extra-curricular activity.

Researchers at the National Foundation for Educational Research carried out the study and found teachers who used gardening as part of learning said it helped improve children’s readiness to learn.

They also said it encouraged pupils to become more active in solving problems, as well as boosting literacy and numeracy skills.

The report said: “Fundamental to the success of school gardens in stimulating a love of learning was their ability to translate sometimes dry academic subjects into practical, real world experiences.

“Schools which integrate gardens into the curriculum are developing children who are much more responsive to the challenges of adult life”

Dr Simon Thornton Wood Royal Horticultural Society

“Children were encouraged to get their hands dirty, in every sense. Teachers involved in the research said the result was a more active, inquisitive approach to learning.

“The changeable nature of gardening projects – where anything from the weather to plant disease can affect the outcome – forced children to become more flexible and better able to think on their feet and solve problems.”

Researchers also said that exposing small children to insects helped them to overcome their fears, while waiting for crops to grow taught children patience.

And gardening also helped teach about healthy living and healthy eating, with children more willing to try new vegetables if they had grown their own crops, they said.

Dr Simon Thornton Wood, director of science and learning at the RHS, said: “As the new coalition government considers a new approach to the primary curriculum, we hope they acknowledge the striking conclusions of our research and that gardens enable a creative, flexible approach to teaching that has significant benefits.

“Schools which integrate gardens into the curriculum are developing children who are much more responsive to the challenges of adult life.”

Reference Link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/10427338.stm

Courtesy
BBC News

Five minutes in the green can boost self esteem

(Reuters) – Just five minutes of exercise a day in the great outdoors can improve mental health, according to a study released on Saturday, and policymakers should encourage more people to spend time in parks and gardens.

Researchers from the University of Essex found that as little as five minutes of a “green activity” such as walking, gardening, cycling or farming can boost mood and self esteem.

“We believe that there would be a large potential benefit to individuals, society and to the costs of the health service if all groups of people were to self-medicate more with green exercise,” Barton said in a statement about the study, which was published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Many studies have shown that outdoor exercise can reduce the risk of mental illness and improve a sense of well-being, but Jules Pretty and Jo Barton, who led this study, said that until now no one knew how much time needed to be spent on green exercise for the benefits to show.

Barton and Pretty looked at data from 1,252 people of different ages, genders and mental health status taken from 10 existing studies in Britain.

They analyzed activities such as walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming.

They found that the greatest health changes occurred in the young and the mentally ill, although people of all ages and social groups benefited. The largest positive effect on self-esteem came from a five-minute dose of “green exercise.”

All natural environments were beneficial, including parks in towns or cities, they said, but green areas with water appeared to have a more positive effect.

Reference Link
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6401Y620100502

Courtesy
Thomson Reuters