experiential education and gardening

I have been very interested in the ideas of Sir Ken Robinson, whom I discovered when I was looking at how to integrate school gardens into the curriculum of schools. Sir Ken is an English professor, who has moved now to California and he is an expert in creativity. He speaks about creativity in education all over the world. His basic premise is that education, like the world, is dynamic. He maintains that children are being educated for the world of the industrial revolution, but that the world has changed since then. He talks about how many children just can’t do well at school because their individualism and creativity are stifled because of the emphasis on math and English and standardized testing.

If this is the case, he argues, then we should adapt the education system for all children to do well, not just the ones who score high on the standardized testing.

This is where the link to experiential learning comes in. Learning in a garden is basically a hands-on method that teaches children based on experiences, not on sitting and listening to teachers talk from a book. As there are so many recognized ways of learning, teachers and the education system should adapt to include all students. Gardening is a way to enhance the creativity of students.


Experiential learning is grounded in research and many theories of educators such as Piaget, Dewey and Kolb. Paulo Freire suggested that education is a banking institution, in that children in schools are made to sit in linear rows and swallow all the information given to them by teachers. In the outdoor classroom, this changes and children learn for themselves and experience nature in their own way.

Gardening education is a proven success in educating our children. Children are empowered by their outdoor learning and behavioural issues inside can be lessened due to this. Teachers report that children who learn outside have better attention when they are inside and gain higher marks on the standardized testing. 

The other part of this gardening system is the way that children have become disconnected with nature. I recommend everyone to read Richard Louv’s fascinating book, Last child in the Woods. In the books, the author talks about how children in particular are not seen playing outside in nature as often as they did when the author was younger. I can attest to that too. I was left to wonder with my brother to local ponds and woods, playing in creeks and without adult supervision. As parents today we are shocked by this. There are always the “what-if’s” lurking round the corner in the parents minds. The author tackles these feelings head on and discusses why parents are not happy letting their children outside to play like they did when they were younger.

Richard Louv also discusses how we have become disconnected with nature. He uses the term, “Nature Deficit Disorder” Its an amazing concept, I hadn’t contemplated before, until I realised how right he is. If you ask the average inner city kid where their food comes from, chances are, they’ll answer the supermarket or McDonald’s. How sad it is that we are raising a generation of kids that doesn’t know how or where their vegetables and fruits grow.

Children’s lives have become so structured that every minute of every day is accounted for. From school to swim lessons to dance lessons and music recitals. To relax, children go to their Wii Fits or Nintendo’s. This disconnect with nature is affecting not only children’s knowledge of their food but also their environment. There is a lack of understanding and appreciation for the world outside. Richard Louv famously mentions a little boys response to being outside. He replied that he doesn’t like being outside because there are no electrical outlets.

The point being from all of this is that there is a whole world awaiting for our young people today and by recognizing the changing world and changing paradigm, schools and universities are in a place to assist in our relearning of our sense of belonging to the planet.