Our Greenhouse Adventures begin
Students’ faces are blooming with joy and possibilities at Roya, an international primary school in Jeddah. Early in the summer, Roya opened the doors on a new greenhouse. Our students are excited about gardening, while our teachers are already planning to use the facility as a teaching tool.
Any student can learn about plants in the classroom, but Roya stands out as an international school because it provides programs like the greenhouse. Students can use their classroom knowledge to help plants grow and get their hands muddy, which makes them very happy.
Exposure to Plants is Important for Primary and Elementary School Students
The benefits of a greenhouse and gardening at schools have been documented. There have been a number of studies that demonstrate the positives of exposing children to growing plants. If the plants being grown are vegetables, there are even more positive impacts.
In a 2023 study published by the USA National Library of Health, NIH, access to gardening is beneficial in many ways for children ranging from 2-years-old to 15-year-olds (the age range covered by the different gardening programs). Programs as short as 12-weeks showed benefits.
6 Benefits of Gardening at Schools:
- Studies show that children are more inclined to enjoy eating fruits and vegetables when they help grow them in a school garden.
- Gardening activities at school is a fun way to stay active and healthy.
- Children often develop a passion for gardening at home, taking their newfound skills and enthusiasm with them.
- School gardening creates a sense of belonging, bringing students, teachers, and parents closer together.
- Seeing their hard work flourish into something they can taste gives students a genuine sense of pride and ownership.
- Linking classroom lessons to the school garden boosts students' engagement and deepens their interest in academics.
Developing Critical Thinkers Through Active Learning
While these benefits are reason enough to start gardening, students also showed more social engagement and improved confidence. In addition, students showed an increase in knowledge and understanding in a variety of topics: nutrition, varieties of fruits and vegetables, and biology.
Year-Round Access to Gardening in Jeddah
In Saudi Arabia, the hot, dry summer temperatures make a greenhouse a practical way to access these benefits year-round. According to an article on Estidamah, greenhouses have the ability to decrease the amount of water used to grow plants, which is a great benefit to the environment and conservation programs.
For more information about the study, please visit the scientific article School Gardening and Health and well-being of school-aged children: a realist synthesis.
For more information about water efficiency in greenhouses, please visit the article Intelligent greenhouse design decreases water use for evaporative cooling in arid regions.
