A Garden Curriculum

curriculum

The Earth Is Our Teacher

“We believe that the natural world — the marvelous interwoven communities of plants, animals and other creatures formed through the agencies of Fire, Water, Air and Earth — is truly our first Teacher, our first Classroom and Curriculum.

“We believe that academic, social and moral lessons appropriate to every age may be drawn from observing, experiencing, and working with the Earth and the natural world.

“There was a time when everyone’s first teacher was the Earth, when all of the world’s peoples and religions took their teachings from the Earth’s cycles, from observing her plants and creatures and moods.

“There was a time when our senses were alive and awake to the lessons of the natural world. Young children learn almost entirely through their senses. Yet today, in our predominantly urban American culture, the great majority of our children spend an average of three or four hours every day indoors, passively, their senses and curiosity, their imaginations and creativity being numbed and deadened by television and video games. And then, when at school they act out in accordance with the energies and images fed them by the electronic media, one tenth of our children are sedated with Ritalin and other behavior-modifying drugs, to make them sit still and listen passively to their teachers….

“We believe that our children — and we as adults — may be healed and strengthened by re-engaging our minds, our bodies, our senses and our imaginations in the natural world.”

~ Adele Seronde, Founder Gardens for Humanity

The Earth Is Our Teacher Garden Curriculum for Kindergarten – Third Grade.

Gardens for Humanity’s Kindergarden – Third Grade Garden Curriculum: click links below to download in PDF format.

Introduction

Table of Contents

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

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