School lessons in the field
Did you know that you can keep pests away from vegetables with perfume? The GemüseAckerdemie promotes sustainability and appreciation of food in schools and the revitalisation of old school gardens. We accompanied a primary 3 class as they worked in the field.
It is the first Thursday morning after the summer holidays when the newly qualified 3rd graders from the Im Gut school in Zurich gather in front of the school garden. The sun is shining and it is already hot at eight o'clock in the morning. Armed with snacks, dressed in wellies and dungarees, the children wait eagerly for the door to their "dream garden" to open.
What happened during the summer holidays? Which vegetables have grown?
As soon as class teacher Harriet Jenkins opens the door, the pupils rush in. They watch the sprawling plants in the four beds in amazement. "Wow, the pumpkins have grown so big!" exclaims one pupil. A lot has happened in the "Garden of Eden" over the summer holidays: the various coloured tomatoes hang heavily from their bushes, the chard presents itself like a lush bouquet of flowers and the huge pumpkins lie légère on the ground under their leaves, kissed by the sun.
"Let's all gather in front of bed one!" calls the class teacher. The little ones take a moment to gather in front of bed one. "Can I hold the spider too?" murmurs from the crowd. "You've already held it, now I want to!" The second shout from the teacher works. Everyone stands in front of bed one and answers questions such as "What vegetables grow here?", "Does it have enough water?", "What do we have to do here?", "How has the soil and the harvest changed over the past weeks and months?"
Farming with joy and learning about food
Fewer and fewer children and young people know where food comes from or have ever grown their own vegetables. The educational initiative, which was originally launched in Germany in 2013, aims to counteract this. "We want to familiarise children with sustainability and food production," says Xenia Meier from GemüseAckerdemie Schweiz. On the one hand, the aim is to revitalise existing school gardens and, on the other, to encourage children to approach the topic of food with joy and enthusiasm.
They learn where food comes from and how to use it sustainably. Up to 25 types of vegetables can be grown and cared for as part of the project. Through the educational programme, pupils learn about the entire production chain of vegetable cultivation and thus develop a greater appreciation for food.
"What's in the jar?"
There's a lot to do in the double lesson in the field
Once the children have inspected all four beds, it's time for the tasks. "What do we have to harvest today?" Harriet Jenkins asks the class. "Certainly the tomatoes!" shouts one pupil. The class splits up: one group harvests the vegetables, another works on the gaps between the beds and a third waters the bushes. A fourth group looks for insects, which are examined in small magnifying glasses during the double lesson. The class has also discovered its own method of pest control, with a few pupils spraying the plants with perfume: "That drives the pests away, they don't like perfume," explains one pupil.
"The change between frontal teaching and field work is obviously good for the children," says Harriet Jenkins and continues: "They are more focussed in the classroom afterwards." Children who find it particularly difficult to listen in class come to life in the field. It's also a welcome change for the primary school teacher: "I also learn more about vegetable growing and food production - there's a lot I didn't know." She appreciates the collaboration with the GemüseAckerdemie and hopes that the project will become an integral part of lessons at her school. Since the programme started in 2018, around 20 schools in Switzerland have been involved.
During the summer holidays, the school garden was open once a week for a few hours, so the children were free to work in the field under supervision during the school holidays.
They ploughed, harvested and watered.
Time flies outside
The lesson draws to a close. The table with the harvested vegetables on it is overflowing. It's unbelievable what the children have pulled out of the beds in such a short time: a colourful bouquet of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, chard, courgettes, beans etc. adorns the table. "What have we harvested today?" the class teacher asks at the end. "Beans!" exclaims one pupil. "Tomatoes!", another. They go through each vegetable again. Now it's time to tidy up. The shovels have to be taken care of, the floor mopped and the beds watered. The children set to work in a hurry, because whoever finishes quickly gets to go to the big break earlier.
What happens to all the harvested vegetables now? "We give them to the children to take home or use them ourselves and bring them back for the children as chocolate zucchini cake, bean salad or palm kale crisps," says Jenkins. But the vegetables are also eaten together as a class: "We use them as a snack with cress and radishes, salad for a snack, oven fries for lunch or tomato salad in between," continues Jenkins. "The parents' reactions have been positive; the vegetables have already been processed at home several times and then given to the children as courgette bread for the whole class, for example." Break is approaching, the school garden has been tidied up. In five minutes, the bells will ring for the big 10 o'clock break. "Paaaauuuuuseee", shouts the class teacher and in no time at all the "Garden of Eden" is empty of people.
"What kind of vegetables are these?" asks Harriet Jenkins
That's what the GemüseAckerdemie does:
The GemüseAckerdemie Schweiz association supports teachers in organising and implementing lessons in the field. How does it work? The field is planted directly on or near the school grounds. Used as an educational learning space, the children and young people spend an average of 80 to 100 hours on the field during the annual programme. The practical work in the field is accompanied by educational materials suitable for the different levels of the programme for the entire year. The annual programme is divided into three phases:
- The PreAckerZeit from January to April includes the organisational and content-related preparation: the teachers take part in the first training course and the school and kindergarten children gain an initial insight into the topics of vegetable cultivation, biodiversity and soil fertility.
- The AckerZeit from April to October is the heart of the programme: working in the field. After planting the school garden, the children spend one double lesson a week in the field as part of the Nature-Human-Society subject in the curriculum. The children plant, tend, harvest, taste and utilise their vegetables. In some cases, they also market them.
- The NachAckerZeit from October to December offers a look "over the edge of the field": here, further teaching topics such as food waste and preservation are explored in greater depth.
Books and links for farming at home:
- Spriessbürger - Das Buch, Eveline Dudda
The handbook for growing vegetables and salad in the garden, balcony, raised bed - Naturwerkstatt Samen und Gemüse, Andrea Frommherz, AT Verlag
Grow and sow seeds with children, grow vegetables and discover them through play - KinderGarten, Gesa Sander & Julia Hoersch, AT Verlag
Plant portraits, recipes, craft objects and experiments - also for balcony gardeners - It doesn't get any greener than this, Kirsten Bradley
The book for little gardeners - Looking forward to the growing season: growing vegetables indoors and on the balcony, tips for growing on the balcony for the whole family
Read more about gardening:
- No one is too small to be a gardener!
Is there anything better than watching plants grow? Harvesting your own tomatoes? Digging up crunchy carrots? And: to nibble on them right away after a quick swish through the well? Editor Florina Schwander thinks so: No. Here are her tips for gardening with children, on the windowsill, balcony or in your own garden.