Ambleside Beach, Argyle Avenue, West Vancouver, BC, Canada
This week we were considering what opportunities children have to care for their environments. I took a moment to really learn the benefits of children caring for your environment. Often times, gardening is pitched as a hobby for adults but through reading an article on the blog “Montessori Nature” I came to learn about the real benefits it has for kids! I was so happily surprised to learn about all the benefits giving kids these opportunities are. I noticed that many of the benefits the blog listed are skills that also go hand-in-hand with the characteristics of community building. Gardening fosters reliability and responsibility, as kids care for their plants on a daily basis, checking it, tending to it with patience and love. As well, it teaches kids about cause and effect, what effect do certain actions have? what are the outcomes of making certain decisions? we must often take the time to sit and think about how our actions effect our surroundings. Further, it fosters teamwork as they work together with friends, family, community members, etc. Reflecting on the article also got me thinking about the environmental benefits to allowing kids to have chances to directly care for their environment. it introduces, from a young age, a deeper connection to land and their surroundings. When they are given the responsibility to tend to the environment they are more reflective on their everyday actions to protect it. community is not only made up of our relationship with other people but the environment that surrounds us.
The Importance And Benefits Of Teaching Gardening To Children (https://www.montessorinature.com/importance-benefits-gardening-children-toddlers-preschoolers/)