The Organic Gardening Program at RBIS began in 2007 under the supervision of our science teacher, Ms. Hannah, and with help from Roots & Shoots Shanghai. RBIS students of all ages plant seeds and maintain the garden throughout the year as part of our science curriculum. Organic gardening is just one of the many efforts at RBIS to encourage students to explore the natural environment around them.
Why is organic gardening in school important?
One of our "Green Goals" at RBIS is to educate students about the importance of taking care of the Earth, and to foster active interest in the environment around them. We worked hard over the 2007-2008 school year building and planning three organic gardens that we use in the science curriculum. Through our work in the garden students put their natural curiosity about living things to work to ask questions, make predictions, hypothesize, plan, observe, and record data. Organic gardening in the classroom is environmental science at its best!
Learning in an organic garden gives our students the following opportunities:
- Plant seeds and watch them grow
- Learn about creating healthy soil through crop rotation, composting, and vermicomposting (worms!)
- Observe living things in the soil (worms, weeds, bugs, etc).
- Water and weed regularily to keep our plants healthy
- Chart the growth of our crops
- Learn about the parts of a plant and what they are used for
- Experiment with different seeds in different soil types, temperatures, and locations
- See how sun and rain can affect plants in different locations
- Explore by using the senses—touch, feel, smell, and most of all, taste!
- Learn about where our food comes from, and how what we eat affects our health
Why are our gardens organic?
Having an organic garden means not using synthetic products, including pesticides and fertilizers. Ideally, organic gardening replenishes the resources as it makes use of them—like feeding depleted soil with composted plants or table scraps. The bigger picture involves working in cooperation with nature. At RBIS, we view our gardens as a small part of the Earth’s natural system.
Using the following methods helps our gardens remain Earth-friendly:
- We use essential oils and natural soaps to deter pests (instead of harmful pesticides)
- We weed by hand (instead of using harmful herbicides)
- We collect rainwater for watering (gutters funnel the water into the fish tank in the greenhouse--this water is healthier for the plants than chemically-treated tap water!)
- We compost our kitchen scraps to create natural fertilizer
- We vermicompost in the classroom to create natural fertilizer
- We keep fish in the rainwater collection tank—the fish poop in the water is a great natural fertilizer!
- We use crop rotation to ensure healthy soil
Where are our gardens?
All together we have three gardens: the "greenhouse" is near the fish pond next to the three year old classrooms, the "back garden" is behind the school next to the parking lot, and the “tree circle garden” is at the center of the school. The toddlers, early years, preschool, preK, and kindergarten classes plant their seeds in the "greenhouse" next to the rainwater collection tank/fish tank. The elementary students plant and maintain the garden that is located in the parking lot behind the school (entrance from the school is at the end of the elementary hall). All parents and students are welcome to stop by our gardens for a look!