The Kensington Organic Garden is a cornerstone of our Health and Happiness curriculum. Did you know every Kensington School has its very own garden and head gardener? Take a look into how our gardens grow.
How did the idea of the Kensington Organic Garden come about?
It is important to us at Kensington School to have our children outside and involved in nature – it’s part of our aim to bring health and happiness learning to young children. Gardening is the perfect teaching tool! The children are out in the fresh air, learning new skills every day by tending to the plants. All of our students enjoy using our garden bags, tools, watering cans, and spray bottles. We also update students and their parents about garden news through our new chalkboards which will be on view at pick up. We share with them what has been planted, watered, measured and harvested.
Specifically, what does gardening teach a Kensington child?
Gardening teaches more than just how to plant. Gardening creates magic and wonder, from learning how marigolds keep away bunnies, to harvesting fresh tomatoes in the summer to take home to eat. We never want the garden to be a chore and we keep it fun while educating a whole body philosophy. Gardening creates connections socially and emotionally for young children through attachments to the plants they are tending to.
We always say, the garden needs these things to grow – sun, soil, water and the secret ingredient, love! The children love to blow three kisses to the newly planted seedlings. Additionally, our gardens help to expand a child’s vocabulary and even help picky eaters find more choices of food! We have outside libraries next to our gardens where our children can find additional age-appropriate reading materials about gardening.
What can a child expect from the Kensington Organic Garden?
Every one of our 12 schools has a garden, so every student that comes through our doors can experience the joy of planting. Every garden has a planning map so the children can see and understand exactly what is going to be planted. We plant a variety of garden goodies like tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, snap peas, basil, zinnias, rosemary, thyme, dill, marigolds, squash, cucumber, zucchini, onions, and corn.
Our gardens are uniquely organic – no fertilizer or pesticides are used in the planting process. Students are assigned roles to tend to the garden, and they visit and water the garden every day. In fact, students even get to take home what they grow! Our gardens last until about October, so they are a vital part of our school lesson plans for a large part of the year. Kensington Organic Gardens are part of what makes a Kensington education unique!
