Should Children Be Taught How To Grow Food As Part of Their Schooling?

If you are a parent, you should probably think about one good question: should your children be taught to grow food at school?

The modern era is marked by the constant advancements in technology, and the new inventions have provided the comfort and conveniences that we never even imagined to live in. 

However, we lost a large part of the needed real-world knowledge and skills to survive and take care of our families on our own. 

This poses a question: If the current system suddenly collapses, do we know the basics of life in order to survive? Natural disasters happen all the time, so this is not that unreal as we believe. 

Therefore, teaching our children to grow their own food would be a priceless lesson. 

Researchers have shown that when children grow their food, they develop “food empathy”, which is a deeper connection with food, which leads to a healthier life. These kids have better diets, eat more veggies and fruits, and understand nutrition better. 

People of all ages enjoy gardening, but children can get the most fun, and develop skills like:

• Responsibility –they care for plants
• Reasoning and discovery – learning about the science of plants, animals, weather, the environment, nutrition, and simple construction
• Physical activity – do fun and productive things
• Understanding – they learn about cause and effect )
• Creativity – discover new and exciting ways to grow food
• Nutrition – learn about where fresh food comes from
• Self-confidence – they achieve their goals and enjoy the food they have grown
• Love of nature – they learn about the outdoor environment in a safe and pleasant place
• Cooperation – their work includes shared play activity and teamwork

The chef Raymond Blanc has called for gardening lessons to be made compulsory in schools in order to help kids learn the value of healthy eating and organic foods. 

He says that it is a great opportunity to truly reconnect with food. In the ear of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and heavily processed foods, children will learn the simple magic of taking food from the seed, from the earth or from the rivers and then to turned it into something simple and delicious.

What do you think of this idea?

Sources:
offgridliving.net
www.thejournal.ie
www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au