Young Espoo residents grow plants
When growing up in an urban environment, children may believe that food automatically appears on shop shelves. They may also be confused about which foods grow in the soil and which grow on trees if they have never seen them with their own eyes. To increase awareness, Espoo daycare centres and schools are able to order planter boxes for their yards.
Using planter boxes in early childhood education and schools was tested a few years ago. Thanks to the positive experiences, more boxes are ordered each year. This is a way for children and young people to learn about the different forms of growing plants throughout their education.
A reform or a long-forgotten tradition?
What did daycare centres look like decades ago; in the 1980s, for example?
“They had gardens in the yard with berry bushes and small herb patches. It is great to see these traditions come back,” says pre-primary school teacher and person responsible for the cultivation Maarit Hagelberg from Matinkylä Daycare Centre.
Matinkylä Daycare Centre received planter boxes five years ago. The children there have been excited about the plants and check their growth almost daily.
Planter boxes are an excellent way of educating children about nature. They can see through their own eyes what happens in the soil and what plants need in order to grow. At the same time, they gain an understanding of what it takes to cultivate plants and that plants grow rather slowly.
Everything done by hand
The children are actively involved in the gardening. They try everything themselves under the teacher’s supervision: they put soil in the boxes and watch videos of plants growing from tiny seeds to flowers or lettuce. Everyone participates in the planting process and takes turns sowing seeds in the ground.
“We do everything together with the children. They also like watering the plants,” Hagelberg says.
The planter boxes also help children become familiar with new flavours. Often, children who would otherwise not try unfamiliar foods can barely wait to taste the vegetables and herbs they have grown themselves.
Each group has its own box, but everyone is allowed to water and take care of all plants.
“We share the yard and the activities. At the same time, we help children learn about community and understand that the plants are a shared responsibility,” says daycare teacher Hanne Tikka.
In 2021, the boxes had beetroots, carrots, spinach, parsley, dill, peas and flowers in them. In early summer, the children were especially interested in peas and wanted to taste them.
In July 2022, the daycare was closed and no one was there to water the plants. This is why this year’s planter boxes only included flowers and lettuce that grew before July. By growing flowers, children can also learn about pollination.
Planter boxes have become children’s favourites in all daycare centres that have used the boxes. Later in life, the children and young people can grow plants at school as a part of biology classes, for example.