Introduction |
Benefits
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Why School Greenhouses?
Considering greenhouse gardening
"The greenhouse is
a resource, much like the library," notes Joyce Harris,
greenhouse manager at Langley Elementary
and Middle School in McLean, VA. "It's also very magical."
She continues, "There's nothing like being in a greenhouse
in the winter, especially when it's snowing outside."
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Integrating greenhouse growing
into the school year and curriculum takes time and planning.
With all of the demands you already face as an educator, why
take on a greenhouse project?
When students step into a greenhouse, it is clear that the classroom
walls have disappeared, and the opportunities for investigating and
learning have begun. With so many senses stimulated, students can't
help but become curious observers and active inquirers. A greenhouse
is an ecological island separated from its surroundings, experiencing
its own seasonal and annual cycles, and featuring fascinating and complex
interrelationships. Your students can examine and adjust the climate
while exploring plants and other organisms.
 Even
in a small greenhouse, students learn about plants as whole
systems. They can experiment with water movement, pollination,
and nutrition, and explore relationships between plants and
insects. They can try to simulate different habitats, and understand
how physical factors and climate relate to plant type and growth.
Integrating a greenhouse as a learning environment offers boundless
opportunities for promoting student responsibility, and helps develop
students' confidence and pride as they display and share the fruits
(and vegetables and flowers) of their labors.
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© 2008
National Gardening Association