Theory Based Education is Not Enough

                                 Edutopia: How Gardening Enables Interdisciplinary Learning

 

 

My last child is almost “Kindergarten age” and the prospect of her future attendance looms in the near future. Not because I can’t let go, but precisely because I acutely grieve her impending loss of time outside with hands on play intrinsic to her being.

In the gray drizzle of the early morning after a warm breakfast of oats, my girls pull on little yellow rubber boots, rains slickers and waterproof pants. Today we decide to visit a pond where we typically encounter about thirty ducks. The girls toss cheerios exclusively for the excursion to the quacking confluence.

We take the trail home and collect pine cones, fallen leaves and moss all the makings of a fairy house. I am preparing lunch and I can see them out the window with bits of nature adorning the wee folk house. They rake leaves, inspect little creatures, and plant apple seeds left over from lunch with a child-sized spade. They talk about the changes they see in nature throughout our yard as we cut back rosemary and other plants for winter. This play develops their connection and respect for their natural environment.

 
The idea of primarily theoretical based education available in most schools does not appeal to me because of the lack of time outdoors and disconnection between subjects. I placed my children in a Waldorf school to experience an integrated curriculum that would be driven by their experience and would include time outdoors in play, gardening and community service. Outdoor studies and gardening are palpable memories for my older children and inspired an interest in a variety of subjects from geometry to botany and biology.

Many public schools are now seeking ways to bring gardening or farm to food programs to schools. One such story on the power of integrated learning stands out in a town in California where a student named Pierre built an Aquaponics system in his school greenhouse. This young man had to create a proposal for the school board, design the system, raise funds for its construction and manage the project development. To his success there is a beautiful greenhouse on campus generating fresh food for the cafeteria. He is now inspired to create small-scale Aquaponic systems with accompanying curriculum for use throughout schools or in home settings. Experiential education is far more than integrating new media, which is still entrenched in theory. We desperately need authentic interdisciplinary learning inspired by students and faculty geared toward hands-on, out-of-doors experiences.