Gardening therapy grows away from a, ‘just add water’ culture. Family gardening nourishes communication, respect for emotions, and builds resilience. The psychosocial connections that are nurtured when gardening will have a significant and positive impact on identity formation.
To be connected to the land seems to be a privilege and a rarity for a child growing up in the urban metropolis of London, with its labyrinth network of houses, streets, emerging apartment blocks, and high rise flats of the past. A bleak urban reality; only if you let it become one. Gardening is an effective tool for therapy and it is an effective vehicle for education. It is an activity that combines recovery and achieving educational goals. Subjects which can be taught through gardening are; biology, chemistry, history, and even literature.
The tree has a unique and revered place in English Literary culture. Its roots are found in biblical associations, legends and mythical tales. In a recent article by Alice Thomson in the Times, titled ‘For the love of Britain plant more trees’, Thomson highlights the importance for planting trees in modern Britain; ‘British nurseries should be encouraged to nurture trees that are pest free.’ The roots for debates about the conservation of British forestry stem to the early modern period. Simon Schama in his work Landscape and Memory explores the politics of tree felling in the early modern state as,‘the forester king was bound to be torn between exploitation and conservation.’ He also points how ‘Arguments over the true responsibility of a national forestry have not changed much since that time.’ Exploring the importance of archetypal symbols found in representations of nature raises important ethical questions about stewardship. Complex concepts that are often confined to religious and academic circles can be taught through the lens of gardening; thus altering the perspective of those taking part. This could lead to paradigm shifts that allow a child’s intellectual horizon to be broadened and developed.
Growing is an effective vehicle for educational therapy. A child’s learning weaknesses can be turned into strengths with the right intervention. This can be done in the following ways. The most suitable method would be bridging the gap between academic and vocational studies.
Currently educational resources for growing are limited to a number of programmes which are not ‘academic’. The debate between academic and vocational studies is an established one in the Education world. Teachers at every stage, either directly or indirectly, find themselves making choices about how they deliver the curriculum and at what pace. More often then not, teachers don’t necessarily agree with those choices. In more recent years, there is blurring of the demarcation between academic and vocational studies. In the wake of increased university fees, work based training and learning is becoming a more popular option for students. Furthermore the current increase of academies is fast changing the educational landscape in Britain today. Take for example the definition of a ‘grain’, a well known word that is little explored in a academic or vocational context.
The grain’s plurality of definitions reflects its versatility and depth. The intricacies relate to the various systems of production that occur within a grain and outside a grain, both in historical times and under the lens of modern science. In the Medieval times, ‘to be dyed in the grain’ was a luxury. This arcane historical terminology reveals cultural conceptions and social attitudes and can be used to challenge students’ views on wealth and luxury. Furthermore the plurality of definitions creates interdisciplinary links between subjects and schools of thought that can be linked to scientific concepts.
The granum is defined as a, ‘sight for photosynthesis within a chloroplast.’ The lifeblood of a plant is connected to photosynthesis; this is what converts sunlight into food for plants. A plant becomes a microcosm for the world and the metaphorical lending power that can be used to teach microorganisms is huge. A plant’s internal processes can be related to wider external processes; supply and demand, free market principles, and cultures of individuality. When a school student learns about the richness of the world within a plant; its definitions, its processes, its microorganisms, its history, and internal systems there will be a profound effect.
The material world and its free market forces which drive the youth to acquire happiness through the accumulation of capital; and present a glittering identity through a culture of commercial commodities will slowly be analysed and deconstructed. The race for validation that drains the mind of intellectual nourishment will be weeded out as students will be taught through science, history, and economics that, ‘to have less is to have more’. More importantly that a child should never be valued on what they own but for their ability to learn, analyse, and grow into better citizens. The free market forces that caused generations of children to be consumed in a wasteland of their own material insecurities will become fertile soil for educational attainment.