Gardening for

Grade School
Senior Capstone
Project
By: Ashley Olvera
th
Sherman 4 pd
December 9, 2015

Gardening is the number one hobby in the United States. One may
assume that the majority of those who garden are among the older
population, however, people from all ages are drawn towards the hobby of
gardening. It is even practiced throughout the population of small children,
specifically small students. As an intern at the Arabic Immersion Magnet
School, Ashley Olvera has decided to step into the gardening boots of those
gardeners, in order to discover the process of what it really takes to start a
school garden. What is the purpose of having a school garden? What are the
benefits? A school garden contains a process with many different levels, from
planning to maintenance and from science education to social behavior
development.
To begin discovering the world of gardening she had to look for
resources in a number of places. Looking for a place to begin researching a
topic she knew nothing about, she branched out to two different databases,
Google Scholar and EBSCOhost, located in the Houston Community College
Libraries database. Ashley looked for secondary and primary sources such as
articles and book chapters that focused on guidelines for starting school
gardens and how to maintain them and get the best out of them. She found
plenty of articles of Starting School Gardens and Outlines of Instruction for
School Gardening and Agriculture in the Elementary Schools.
In her research Ashley found two distinct, yet important, perspectives
on the subject. In the article, Growing Minds: The effect of
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a school gardening program on the science achievements of elementary

students, science achievement of elementary students was studied using a
sample of 647 students from seven different elementary schools in Temple,
Texas. Students in the experimental group took part
in school gardening activities as part of their science curriculum in addition
to using traditional classroom-based methods. In contrast, students in the
control group were taught science using traditional classroom-based
methods only. Students in the experimental group (students who participated
and learned with the school garden) scored considerably higher on the
science achievement test compared to the students in the control group
(students who did not participate and learn with a school garden). Although
the experiment had such success in determining the significance of gardens
between schools, no statistical significance was found between males and
females in the experimental group, which meant that gardening was equally
as effective at teaching science for both genders. Once the data was looked
as an overview, it was broken down into specifics. The data was separated
into grade levels of third, fourth and fifth, the garden curriculum was more
effective as a teaching method in raising science achievement scores for
boys in third and fifth grades, and for girls in the fifth grade compared to
traditional classroom-based methods alone.
The Impact of hands-on science through school gardening in Louisiana
public elementary schools was shown as an informal education program
conducted by the volunteers at East Baton Rouge Parish Master Gardener
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and the students at Louisiana State University (LSU), in the fall semester of
2002, gardening curriculum was introduced to three different elementary
schools in the area. This curriculum would be taught once a week for two
hours of the regular school day. And the point of this class was to see if the
activities helped improve achievement scores. In order to see if the activities
helped the kids or not, they were given a test to take, both before and after
the gardening classes that were created by Texas A&M just for the Junior
Master Gardener Program. There weren't any significant differences that
were found between the pretest and the posttest scores. Overall, the
outcome showed that kids that did weekly gardening and hand-on activities
in class had improved science achievement test scores.
Schools and communities are beginning to pay more attention to
gardens, and specifically children's gardens. Gardening has many benefits
such as having organic fruits, vegetables and herbs. It educates children on
how to actually take care of plants; many people can plant a tree, but the
tree needs help defending itself until it reaches a certain height and if
someone just leaves it there after planting it and doesn't tend to it, it will die
and planting it becomes pointless. Gardening also provides beauty anywhere
with flowers and other plants. It is also proven that gardening can act as a
stress reliever and the gardener can gain other personal benefits. The
intention for this research study was to find out whether or not these
gardening activities are improving interpersonal relationships and attitudes
toward school. There weren't many significant differences found through this
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experiment but demographic comparisons provide interesting insight into the

matter. For example, the guys had a more negative attitude towards the end
of the gardening program than the girls, who had a very positive reaction to
it. The results also showed that there were big differences between children
depending on their age and grade and the kids' attitudes toward the school
was way more positive if the school offered more rigorous individual
gardening.
Although there is much to learn about how to prepare the area and
plant seeds, there are also deeper things to look for when it comes to
gardening, such as the effects gardening has on those who do it. Ashleys
eyes were open to see that gardening could influence our social behaviors,
such as our intrapersonal relationships and attitudes. Online research is
wonderful to do, however, how much can a book or an article say compared
to an expert? This lead me to dig a little deeper and find experts in school
gardens school administrators and teachers who have successfully created
school gardens and have run them for years. Ashley chose experts in
education such as Principal Kate Adams, Pre-Kindergarten teacher, Heather
Mattingly, and Kindergarten Teacher, Imene Mechkene, from the Arabic
Immersion Magnet School and gardening professional Ms. Aleyda Martinez.
These people are people who encourage and who were/are active
participants of (school) gardens- experts on the advantages and benefits of
having a school garden implemented and practiced in everyday education.

Along with online resources, there are also many experts who advocate
for school gardens and their positive effect on primary education learning.
Arabic kindergarten teacher at the Arabic Immersion Magnet School (AIMS),
Ms. Imene Mechkene, has had a past experience with a school garden and
speaks very passionately about the outcomes, every time we visit the
garden it was a teachable moment. She says that the kids would learn
lessons much better by actively participating in the school garden. It was a
hands-on activity for the kids you can incorporate everything. Math from
counting seeds, to connecting with earth, living and non-living organisms
vegetables, colors and the list goes on. She gave us a peek into what she
considered one of the most creative ideas she has done with a school
garden. The students would learn the basics of how to plant and grow fruits
and vegetables, such as strawberries, green beans, peas, carrots and onions.
Once the plants are ready for harvesting, the school plans a field trip with
the students to a supermarket that sells organic and healthy foods, such as
Whole Foods. They sell most of their produce throughout the day and the
proceeds would be reinvested into the garden. The money being reinvested
would be used for the replacement of materials like seeds, soil, and
equipment.
Agreeing with her is Ms. Heather Mattingly, an English Pre-Kindergarten
teacher, also at the Arabic Immersion Magnet School. She says, For prekindergarten specifically the kids are kinesthetic learners, they learn very
hands-on Four year-olds developmentally need to touch, to experience, to
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play with their world around them. Seeing and hearing doesnt quite drive
home whatever concept their being taught. They need to touch and to
experience. She also believes that the benefits from a school garden are
more than just science lessons and gardening education. They develop
mentally and socially, it teaches patience and consistency, even
intrapersonal skills, teamwork, sharing and also communication skills. It
helps on so many levels.
Before someone is able to bake a cake, one must have all the
ingredients: eggs, flour, milk, etc. The same goes for gardening, one must
have the means to get the materials to start a garden. Those means include
financial support and a financial system. In order to attain all of the materials
necessary, there must be a goal and a budget to have for the project.
Michigan State University advises, A plan for how the money raised will be
used is determined in advance and budgets for specific garden projects or
activities are created. Researching the equipment and materials necessary
in advance would give you an idea on where to begin. There are supplies that
vary from different price ranges that may alter the goal amount. It would
After setting a goal, one must have a system to track income and
expenses and someone to do it. Once the financial system is set up,
fundraising can be fully discussed. Fundraising ideas can be as creative as
possible, including, but not limited to: concession stands, holiday grams,
door prizes and donations. Once the goal is acquired, continue to fundraise in

order to keep up with the upcoming costs of maintaining the garden. After 23 weeks of having reached your goal, create a budget to abide by and
purchase the materials necessary to set up and begin the garden. After
purchasing the materials necessary, you need to have an enclosed space to
put the garden in, preferably a flat surfaced space with lots of sunshine. After
organizing the gardening space in any creative way, one can begin to grow
what they wish to garden.
Everyone knows that an important part of gardening is to plant,
however, there is another part of gardening that is even more important,
maintenance. You begin with the placement of the plant. You have to put the
plant in a certain place, for example, peas are best planted on a fence so
they can wrap themselves around as they grow. Strawberry bushes were
planted near other bushes, and carrots were planted on the gardening beds.
Watering, taking out the weeds, taking out ants and other insects without
harming them or the plants. Find a clean spot, dig a hole with your hands or
a shovel, place 2-6 seeds inside, and water it twice a week (once every other
day) for a minimum of 2-3 weeks. Once the plants are ready for harvesting
you can enjoy your plants, fruits, and vegetables.
As everyone does, Ashley has her own personal perspective of the
project, however, it is always helpful to have multiple perspectives.
Therefore, in order to get an all-around view of the project, she will attain
perspectives from the different people involved with or effected by the
garden. These people include her mentor, fellow co-workers, school
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colleagues, family, and even the community. This garden has an effect on
everyone, ranging from the people actually growing the plants and learning,
to the people who pass by to look at the progress. Each of these perspectives
is unique and each person may have different or similar views on the
benefits and positivity a school garden provides.
Although there is plenty of research and expert opinions on the
benefits of a school gardens and the positivity it has on education, there are
still some unanswered ethical questions. These questions can differ and
extend in many ways. There have been questions on whether or not
implementing a school garden is a way to sway kids into interest towards
STEM. Additionally, there are numerous amounts of other unanswered
questions, some disclosed and other not, however, it is believed that
everyone has their different perspectives and different opinions and that it is
okay to have these issues. Ethics is a very specific idea that is influenced by
our personal experiences and culture, therefore there is no sole answer to
these questions.
In everything, there is something to learn about. What did Ashley
Olvera learn from all of the research, meetings/interviews, and hands-on
experience? I learned that no matter how easy something seems, it is not
always that way. Starting a garden, specifically a school garden, is no piece
of cake. It requires tons of planning, before, during and after the gardening
process. For example, the financial managing before the garden is put
together, the maintenance and learning during the growth of the garden, and
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lastly, the instruction of how to pass down the garden when we, interns, are
gone afterwards.
This knowledge is very applicable to me now and in the future in many
ways. First, and most obviously, it helps with practicing planning skills and
planning major projects. This project has also prepared me for using my time
management skills on any project, organization, job and/or class. Doing your
work daily, whether it be research, interviews, or taking action in the project,
really teaches you that doing major projects and assignments is not as
ridiculous as it seems. Just as I learned so much about what it takes to be a
gardener, I also learned much about myself as a self-directed, life-long
learner. I learned that I could take initiative and leadership in a whole school
community and that it takes initiative and much more to make a difference.
There were many teachers and staff who claimed that having a school
garden was a dream of theirs, however, what really turns a dream into a
reality? Initiative, leadership, balance, passion, and determination, and
patience; all of these are concepts and characteristics that must live within
every person, with them so many incredible things can be done.
Another very important thing to keep in mind is that before August
2015 I knew nothing about gardening, nor did I know anything about
conducting a capstone project or the elements of a capstone project. I had a
lot of learning to do. I needed to learn how to prepare and manage funds,
how to structure a schedule for the daily upkeep, how to maintain various

plants, how to teach the kids new lessons related to the garden, so that
every visit to the garden, really is, a teachable and unforgettable moment.
I learned so much about myself in terms of my character, social skills
and emotional makeup. People are very complex, however I believe
everyone is their own individualized version of complex. In this case, I
learned that I am easily stressed under large amounts of pressure, however
my social skills relieve that stress by letting teammates and partners help
with the workload. Another thing I uncovered about myself is that I can be a
very good leader, but sometimes it takes being a follower to get the job
done. There are going to be circumstances where it is not my turn to lead,
but my turn to follow someone elses leadership. I am able to do both and I
feel very relieved knowing that working in a group will not be a problem.
After months of research, preparation, and practice towards completing this
project, I feel very passionately about going into the education industry. I feel
that this internship and capstone project has really given me an insight to
what it really means to work in education. What I have begun to comprehend
is that learning and growing alongside the kids is what education is all about.
One may not be the best teacher in the world, but ones ideas and actions,
no matter how big or small, can really impact children in a remarkable way.

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Works Cited
Clawson, Beth. "Growing Money to Support Your Community Garden and
Other Fundraising Ideas." MSU Extension. Michigan State University, 11
July 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
Klemmer, C.D., J.M. Zajicek, and T.M. Waliczek. "Growing Minds: The Effect Of
A School Gardening Program On The Science Achievements Of
Elementary Students." Horttechnology 15.3 (2005): 448-452. Agricola.
Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Mattingly, Heather. "Gardening for Grade School." Personal interview. 4 Dec.
2015.
Mechkene, Imene. "Gardening for Grade School." Personal interview. 4 Dec.
2015.
NGA Staff. "Starting School Gardens." Starting School Gardens. National
Gardening Association, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
Smith, Leanna L., and Carl E. Motsenbocker. "Impact of hands-on science
through school gardening in Louisiana public elementary
schools."HortTechnology 15.3 (2005): 439-443.
Waliczek, T.M., J.M. Zajicek, and J.C. Bradley. "The Effect Of School Gardens
On Children's Interpersonal Relationships And Attitudes Toward
School." Horttechnology 11.3 (2001): 466-468. Agricola. Web. 18 Nov.
2015.
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