Do you think "farming" should be a part of school curriculum?

corn coming up in early Spring in Oakland CA
@TheHorse (217941)
Walnut Creek, California
October 2, 2015 10:37pm CST
One of my fondest memories of elementary school is the little gardens we had in fifth or sixth grade. Each of us had a little plot, and we grew--I can't remember what--probably lettuce, green beans and other fairly hearty "crops." Since I've been working with kids, one of my favorite things to do is to teach them "farming." I like growing corn, green beans, snow peas, sunflowers and squash, and all of the kids I've worked with have enjoyed planting, watering, fertilizing, and harvesting. That includes kids as young as two or three and as old as 14. It also includes very poor kids (at a mother-and-child drug rehab where I worked in Oakland) and upper-middle-class kids (at the preschool where I currently volunteer in Berkeley). Gardening/farming teaches a lot of things, including patience, the value of hard work, science, and self-sufficiency. It's also just plain fun! Was gardening a part of your preschool or school experience? Do you think it should be?
7 people like this
7 responses
Anna
@LadyDuck (470823)
• Switzerland
3 Oct 15
What a beautiful photo! I lived in a big city, we had no gardens when I was in school, but I see that here in Switzerland the kids learn gardening in school when they are very young.
3 people like this
The Horse
@TheHorse (217941)
• Walnut Creek, California
3 Oct 15
I'm glad they're learning it early in Switzerland. I lived in Italy for a year when I was four, but I can't remember much from those days. My memories of our elementary school garden are from Chicago.
2 people like this
Anna
@LadyDuck (470823)
• Switzerland
3 Oct 15
@TheHorse No in Italy we had nothing similar and it's really a shame.
The Horse
@TheHorse (217941)
• Walnut Creek, California
3 Oct 15
@LadyDuck Perhaps some schools will start implementing it--if they have the space.
1 person likes this
scheng1
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
3 Oct 15
Not possible for us in Singapore. We import 90% of the food we eat, and there is simply not enough land for traditional farming. The farms here use technology to plant, such as vertical farming.
2 people like this
The Horse
@TheHorse (217941)
• Walnut Creek, California
3 Oct 15
Vertical farming sounds interesting! Are there stacked tiers of planters?
Koalemos
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
8 Oct 15
It would not be a suitable topic for basic education, which is geared to cover a range of subjects such as History, Mathematics, Woodwork and a foreign language etcetera. These are chosen due to being a good basis from which to prepare for further education. Students start to specialise in certain areas from that point onwards, making Farming more suitable as a subject for further education.
Koalemos
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
8 Oct 15
@TheHorse I can appreciate that, but the downside is that all students will spend time every week learning farming, which very few of them will ever have a use for.
The Horse
@TheHorse (217941)
• Walnut Creek, California
8 Oct 15
But there's a lot of science involved in farming/gardening, and because it is "hands on," it will appeal to younger students.
vanny
@vandana7 (100127)
• India
29 May 16
It was. Kitchen gardening. :) Never got to practice it. But it was. :) Is that you Pony? You look really happy with kids...and the kids are looking really happy with you too...by any chance the boy on extreme left pulling hair of the girl sitting down...trust little boys to do that..lol
Judy Story
@jstory07 (139354)
• Roseburg, Oregon
6 Oct 15
KIds learning to grew things will make them feel good about themselves when the food starts to grew and than they get to eat it.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (217941)
• Walnut Creek, California
8 Oct 15
That's what I found when I did it with very poor kid in Oakland CA. The kids were motivated the whole time we were growing things, and they were extremely proud when we harvested.
Sandy Elise
@SandyElise (49)
• United States
3 Oct 15
The most we ever did was grow a Lima bean in a cup of dirt. Although I'm not much into gardening, I think that's something that could benifit children in the long run. Even if they don't stick with it later in life...
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (217941)
• Walnut Creek, California
3 Oct 15
That's a pretty classic Kindergarten or early elementary project. But if there's some decent soil around, they can be transferred to the ground!
mommaj
@mommaj (23112)
• United States
17 Jan 16
It's good someone is showing kids how to be self sufficient. Gardening is becoming a lost art. I don't personally have a garden now. Growing up we did though. I think gardening should be taught in schools. It actually is here. You are right, it teaches many skills and science.