*School+gardens,+a+step+in+the+right+direction.

Benefits of a School Gardening Program


 * Research shows that: **
 * When children grow their own vegetables and fruit they are more likely to include them in their diets (Libman, 2007), and demonstrate a greater knowledge of proper nutrition (Pothukuchi, 2004).


 * Childern who eat fruits and vegetables are more likely to incorporate them into their diet as adults which in turn can prevent many chronic health issues such as diabetes and heart disease (Heimendinger & Van Duyn, 1995).


 * Children participating in gardening projects demonstrate greater levels of enjoyment and improved attitudes towards education and have been shown to score higher on science achievement tests (Dirks & Orvis, 1995; Morris & Zidenberg-Cherr, 2002).


 * Working together in the garden helps children to be more accepting of those who are different from themselves (Bell & Dyment, 2008).


 * Gardening programs increase life skills such as self-understanding, interpersonal skills, and ability to work succesfully in a group (Robinson & Zajicek, 2005).


 * Gardening projects have been shown to increase parental involvement (Dyment & Bell, 2006), which in turn has been shown to improve student's academic performance (Henderson & Mapp, 2002).

**How to start your own school garden:** For information on how to start your own school gardening project visit //The School Garden Wizard// at this link//:// [|http://schoolgardenwizard.org/wizard/keep] [|/]