Digging into Gardening to Germinate Science Learning [Kathy Trundle, Design Institute 2017]

For decades agricultural extension agencies and horticulture organizations have promoted the integration of gardening into school curricula. Gardens provide an excellent context for teachers to engage students with science concepts like the basic needs of plants and animals and the life cycles of organisms among other related concepts. Through gardening experiences, students also have the opportunity to develop scientific ways of thinking and process skills through observations, recording of data, data analysis, and representation of findings. This presentation will provide a synthesis of the research on the integration of gardening into science teaching and learning (benefits and limitations), along with an example from a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) curriculum for preschool children.