Benefits and Criticism of Children Gardening: A Literature Review

This literature review delves into the historical and contemporary concept of children gardening, exploring the benefits, criticism, and strategies for implementing gardening in childhood education. It examines the impact of gardening on children's physical and cognitive development and highlights the importance of hands-on experiences with plants and the natural world.

Psychology
Early Childhood studies
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Psychology
Literature review
Over the years, Garden based learning has been considered beneficial to children physical and
cognitive development. However, the idea has faced a lot of criticism from various researchers.
Therefore, the literature review will mostly cover both the historical and contemporary concept
of children gardening looking deep into different criticism faced over this particular childhood
education aspect over the decades. The review will entail several benefits of this topic, cons and
the strategies that need to be followed if at all children gardening will be significant to their
childhood education in school setting (Bruce, 2012,p.56).
In the new era of environmental and health encounters, it appears timely that the growth of
children’s gardens since the early 1990s has concurred with a renewed interest in environmental
education. This has affected children’s physical and cognitive development in the natural world
and grassroots community spaces (Halverson et al., 2008). Halverson and colleagues (2008 p.
162) define a children’s garden as “an interactive outdoor environment, designed specifically for
children, which provides opportunities for learning and playful exploration through hands-on
experiences with plants and the natural world” such first-hand experience is an essential part of
the attraction of this new type of children’s environment (Maller et al., 2005).
Various studies overseas how children engage in play, physical participation needs and how
these outdoor activities impacts in their play experiences (e.g. Cole-Hamilton, 2002; Fjortoft,
2001). It’s evident that active participation in play acquires a great portion of their overall use of
time as a critical aspect of their physical development activity their physical activity levels.
According to Dietz, (2001) it is important to encourage children to play since it enhances
physical development and growth of cognitive abilities. Research has shown that encouraging

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children to play may be a key way of increasing their levels of physical activity (Burdette, et. al.,
2005).
Research indicates that gardening 'improves children' wellbeing. The school garden can help in
regulating health effects such as obesity. The findings indicated that consumption of fruits and
vegetables on daily basis will help to reduce cardiovascular diseases, the obesity disease and also
reduce the weight gain to children. Nilsson (2007) clearly argues on how fruits and vegetable
contain useful elements which helps in controlling diseases such as obesity. Fruits and vegetable
in real sense contains antioxidants which helps in reducing the non-communicable diseases such
as diabetes mellitus. In addition findings have indicated that those students in schools with
gardens have a few cases less than 2% of obesity and increased weight gain. Biological and
medical researchers have recommended on consumption of net less than six serving of
vegetables and fruits to children per day. Florez et. al., (2007) has also elaborated on importance
of fruits for development of bones in children.
Key research participants saw a few consequences for information about vegetables, fruit and
flowers. Children need to be well acquainted with new vegetables, fruits and flowers, become
mindful of the cause of them as they, figure out how extraordinary plants resemble, what they
have to develop, how to garden and how the diverse vegetable and fruits taste (Castro, Samuels,
and Harman, 2013, p.45.
The leaders in the garden had confirmed that no planting adjustments were to be allowed. This
was done so as to ensure all guardians fully cooperates and now one was supposed to go against
the plans of the garden. At this level children were excluded. Different explanations behind the
absence was that; most children in town centers do not know the importance of planting
vegetables and fruits. They should identify them merits of engaging in such garden practices

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(Duhn, Fleer & Harrison, 2016, p.378). Additionally, most of children detailed no changes in
their planting use and consumption. This aspect could have been improved if parents were
engaged actively and also children to acquire knowledge regarding the importance of handwork
and gardening.
General Perceptions
According to various research, children, guardians and teachers are quite positive about the idea
of having to use a particular school garden for learning purposes.
The key concepts outlined in the school garden shows how different schools would opt to control
their gardens. In addition the key concepts also elaborated some challenges experienced by the
researchers when investigating relevant concepts related to school greenery enclosure. Later on
the reports indicated that there was need to come up with apt solutions which will handle the
challenges experienced. The solutions were to be based on the role guardians in the school
garden. The school garden should be well expanded in order for the children to have a good
space for regular interaction with the garden.in this way they will have ample time to spend in
planting in the garden to acquire great products in future. This prompts their ability to appreciate
this particular gardening activity.
Research indicates that it was problematic to maintain as well as utilize the gardens amid winter
and school occasions like holidays.
It is evident that children literally enjoyed being in the garden and how it brought fruits and
greeneries enjoyed by every member of the school.In this way they acknowledge that hard work
pays and they can utilize this specific concept in the academic achievements to acquire positive
results. Thus planting progressively vivid vegetables, yummy fruits or colorful flowers or to

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paint the garden is crucial. The time spent in outdoor play and engagement in physical activities
such as gardening is more demanding to children since they highly needed it. (Fjortoft,
2004).conversely having les physical activities in childhood is associated with the increased
health problems such as osteoporosis. (WHO, 2008).This is bad condition which exposes
children to adulthood dangers. This condition developed could have otherwise be prevented if
the children engaged in these physical activities like gardening in school. (Andersen et. al., 2004;
Stratton and Mullan, 2005).
Most children were excited about being outside while working in the setting garden and
imagined that their guardians were certain about them being outside. However, other child
disliked to be outside, particularly in certain climate conditions (deluge, extremely chilly,
exceptionally bright) or directly after play time. Elsley’s (2004) study reports that children (aged
10 – 14) prefer wild areas and natural environment since it is quite interesting and fascinating to
play and observe the power of nature. This might include small animals, flowers and small
animals in which they can use to play with. Child perception of nature is therefore highly
positive (Walls, 1994).
Most children also prefers working in the garden with their bare hand since they see it as a fun
activity. As a key critique the research failed to uphold the report that other children did not
entirely like to make their hands dirty result to an early childhood learning problem (Hartig et al.,
2003).
In spite of the fact that children were certain about the setting garden, they didn't make reference
to the setting garden all the time at home or to companions since they didn't work enough in the
patio nursery and discovered it a cumbersome theme to discuss with companions. This is seen as
a negative attitude towards planting by children.

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Children additionally referenced a few issues with respect to the school garden: other children
here and there stroll or crus the vegetation.
Nimmo and Hallett, (2008) indicates that tending to gardens is important in teaching and
learning of children since it provides them with key knowledge and skills like critical thingn.it
also increases cultural diversity since other children from distinct groups do not have gardening
skills. They borrow the skills from those children whose background involves cultural practices
like gardening. This extra land diversity in school garden investigates prompts progressively
explicit proposals for schools in this circumstance, past the suggestions in the review of Nimmo
and Hallett, (2008). By and large, key individuals and children were certain about the gardens;
however a few discoveries ought to be offered special attention since its calls for criticism
(Garden, Marks, Almqvist, Simpson & Webb, 2011, p.454).
Research in different nations additionally demonstrated that current school gardens are basically
utilized for ecological training and not to affect children's wellbeing (Garden, Simpson, Marks,
2013.p.89). Conversely, the survey of Goodwin (2011) states that setting’s garden can affect
children's wellbeing and prosperity in fruits, vegetables and physically. Promising impacts of
school planting on physical action were likewise revealed in the investigations of Hermann et al.
(2006). As seen in the article Nimmo and Hallett (2008) key individuals in the present
investigation concurred that urging young children to eat more vegetables and fruits will boost
their health.
The literature does not indicate the problems present in integrating gardening in school
curriculum, which is in accordance with past research.

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This examination has a few implications for setting garden practice. To start with, it appears to
be critical to concentrate on the inclusion of children in physical activities and nature In any
case, the possibility to working on more healthy way of life like having to eat healthy vegetables
as food, cognitive and physical growth are part of the gardening benefits. It’s argued that,
because of constrained space in nursery settings, it is just conceivable to prevalently concentrate
on healthy diet rather than physical development tasks. The absence of spotlight on healthy way
of life appears a botched chance (Green and Duhn, 2015, p.60). it will be critical to include
guardians thus making the school garden more organized for children. Through the effort it will
be easy for children to access different services and also in position to work easily and smoothly
in the garden.
The significant presumption of this examination was that children have or will work in the
setting garden all through and that the data set gathered was base information. (Kernan &
Devine, 2010, p.371). Thus, it tends to be accepted that distinctions in discernments among
taking an interest and non-taking part schools are constrained.
The modern era children lack vast experiences with the natural ecosystem in a complex manner.
Taking all things together, 83% of the U.S. populace lives in metropolitan zones (U.S. Branch of
Agriculture, 2006). Therefore, field or wild is never again the standardizing standard for
involvement in nature. Two-laborer families who are worried for the wellbeing of their
unattended children must pick close supervision of afterschool and summer recess. TV, computer
games, and sorted out games have replaced unsupervised meandering and ecological
investigation on gardening (Moore, 1995). As childhood become increasingly organized, the
spots where children must play are open and do not have the intrigue of private spaces grounded
in the indigenous habitat for planting (Laaksoharju, Rappe, and Kaivola, 2012, p.77). According

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to McClintic and Petty, 2015) schools were viewed as protected territories. However
monocultures have restricted the environmental where children can use gardens for learning.
Ryan-Krause (2018) States that, as a result of the manner in which school gardens are regularly
translated and developed in our way of life, few contain private spaces, components of the wild,
or spots to delve in soil. Instructors must modify their standards for tidiness, play territory
supervision, and simplicity of open air support for school patio nurseries to contain zones that are
not perfectly planted or controlled, consequently making them accessible for children's
innovative play.
The overview was likewise constraining to certain children however not others, in view of the
time span they have thought about or been included with the school garden (Murakami, Su-
Russell & Manfra, 2018, p.24). The review solicited children to report their discernment from
demeanors and convictions that they hold toward science capacity, gardens, and friend and
network connections; as a result of the planning of the overview, a few may have considered
past involvement in the school garden.
There were a few shortcomings in the examinations that rose up out of this survey, related
basically to issues of sampling and validity. Albeit arbitrary task to experimental bunches is
every now and again unreasonable in instructive research, there was abundant chance to address
sample groups that were not found in a many of the past studies (Swank & Shin, 2015).one of the
significant difficulties in combining exploration, for example, this is in finding inclination,
particularly bias from those promoters enthusiastic about the topic (Natov 2014, p.56).Scientist
bias is essential to recognize. The individuals who both work and perform research about garden
based learning will in general be enthusiastic promoters of the teaching pedagogy, as is clear in
other studies. Yet the constraints that bias possesses research were not recognized. As depicted

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the article, Nimmo and Hallett (2008) this field needs to start to take part in purposeful, astute,
and critical analysis of their work. In the article, the research body regarding garden based
education lacked proper focus and clarity given the existing myriad results reported. In spite of
the fact that the development of school gardens, garden projects and exercises, garden
educational modules, and its learning is praiseworthy, the development misses the mark in that
there has not been a parallel spotlight on thorough research to comprehend the scholastic
learning results in an orderly way (Nxumalo 2016, p.78). School garden projects will probably
keep on being fortified since there is more extensive affirmation among teachers and
policymakers alike about corpulence and medical problems influencing kids and youth.
Moreover, this review has several policy implications on two approaches: (an) instructional and
curricular incorporation of childhood gardening and (b) centering child garden based learning
with respect to academic results (winters, Ring and Burriss 2010, p.151). This amalgamation
found a prevalence of positive scholastic results particularly in science, math, and language
expressions, offering assurance to gardens filling in as instructional and curricular methods for
covering scholarly material. Hands-on learning has been appeared to be a vital part in advancing
inspirational frames of mind toward learning, and including children in experiential learning is
additionally found to help advance more elevated amount learning. Results from this
combination bolster the possibility that for certain understudies, planting might be a viable
instrument to enhance, improve, or supplement existing conventional educational program
(Sharma, Hedberg, Skala Chuang & Lewis, 2015, p.93).
In conclusion, the outcomes of this literature review additionally demonstrate that garden
instructional exercises may require increasingly curricular advancement and joining with specific
branches of knowledge whether they are proposed to improve scholastic execution. Maybe

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garden-based learning could fill in as one setting to propel the ongoing enthusiasm for instruction
change advancing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) activities
(Skilton, et al 2013) and for vocation prospects in cultivation, scene plan, and design, just as
sustenance, nourishment, and wellbeing. However, these results require a plan that estimates
learning results.
References
Bruce, T. ed., 2012. Earlnmy childhood practice: Froebel today,7(23),134-167.
Castro, D.C., Samuels, M. and Harman, A.E., 2013. Growing healthy kids: a community garden–
based obesity prevention program. American journal of preventive medicine, 44(3), pp.S193-
S199.
Duhn, I., Fleer, M. and Harrison, L., 2016. Supporting multidisciplinary networks through
relationality and a critical sense of belonging: three ‘gardening tools’ and the Relational Agency
Framework. International Journal of Early Years Education, 24(3), pp.378-391.
Garden, A.S., 2011. Vulvovaginitis and other common childhood gynecological
conditions. Archives of Disease in Childhood-Education and Practice, 96(2), pp.73-78.
Garden, F.L., Marks, G.B., Almqvist, C., Simpson, J.M. and Webb, K.L., 2011. Infant and early
childhood dietary predictors of overweight at age 8 years in the CAPS population. European
journal of clinical nutrition, 65(4), p.454.
Garden, F.L., Simpson, J.M., Marks, G.B. and CAPS Investigators, 2013. Atopy phenotypes in
the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study (CAPS) cohort and the relationship with allergic

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disease: clinical mechanisms in allergic disease. Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 43(6), pp.633-
641.
Goodwin, M., 2011. The garden and the jungle: Burnett, Kipling and the nature of imperial
childhood. Children's Literature in Education, 42(2), pp.105-117.
Green, M. and Duhn, I., 2015. The force of gardening: investigating children's learning in a food
garden. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 31(1), pp.60-73.
Kernan, M. and Devine, D., 2010. Being confined within? Constructions of the good childhood
and outdoor play in early childhood education and care settings in Ireland. Children &
Society, 24(5), pp.371-385.
Laaksoharju, T., Rappe, E. and Kaivola, T., 2012. Garden affordances for social learning, play,
and for building nature–child relationship. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 11(2), pp.195-
203.
McClintic, S. and Petty, K., 2015. Exploring early childhood teachers’ beliefs and practices
about preschool outdoor play: A qualitative study. Journal of early childhood teacher
education, 36(1), pp.24-43.
Murakami, C.D., Su-Russell, C. and Manfra, L., 2018. Analyzing teacher narratives in early
childhood garden-based education. The Journal of Environmental Education, 49(1), pp.18-29.
Natov, R., 2014. The poetics of childhood. Routledge.
Nimmo, J. and Hallett, B., 2008. Childhood in the Garden. Young Children, 63(1), pp.32-38.

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Nxumalo, F., 2016. Touching place in childhood studies: Situated encounters with a community
garden. In Youth work, early education, and psychology (pp. 131-158). Palgrave Macmillan,
New York.
Others
Ryan-Krause, P., 2018. Gardening: A Path to Development and Health. Pediatric Nursing, 44(4),
pp.191-197.
Sharma, S.V., Hedberg, A.M., Skala, K.A., Chuang, R.J. and Lewis, T., 2015. Feasibility and
acceptability of a gardening-based nutrition education program in preschoolers from low-
income, minority populations. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 13(1), pp.93-110.
Skilton, M.R., Marks, G.B., Ayer, J.G., Garden, F.L., Garnett, S.P., Harmer, J.A., Leeder, S.R.,
Toelle, B.G., Webb, K., Baur, L.A. and Celermajer, D.S., 2013. Weight gain in infancy and
vascular risk factors in later childhood. Pediatrics, 131(6), pp.e1821-e1828.
Steedman, C., 2013. Bodies, figures and physiology: Margaret McMillan and the late nineteenth-
century remaking of working-class childhood. In In the Name of the Child (pp. 30-55).
Routledge.
Swank, J.M. and Shin, S.M., 2015. Nature-based child-centered play therapy: An innovative
counseling approach. International journal of play therapy, 24(3), p.151.
Winters, J., Ring, T. and Burriss, K., 2010. Cultivating math and science in a school
garden. Childhood Education, 86(4), pp.248-G.