| Their Garden | | | | particular section. This may be the most |
| From a strictly professional point of view, the | | | | convenient arrangement from an organizational |
| school garden would best be maintained by a | | | | point of view, but it is liable to encourage a |
| landscape gardening company. From an educational | | | | negative competitiveness between the groups, |
| angle though, this would be missing out big time. | | | | and effectively create a multitude of gardens. |
| On what lines then, should the children be | | | | After all, the most fundamental educational lesson |
| organized. | | | | to be learned from horticulture is that it is |
| | | | properly speaking, a co-operative activity and not |
| From an entirely visual angle, a team of | | | | a competitive one. |
| professional gardeners would best up-keep the | | | | *An alternative, the one I would suggest, is that |
| school garden. This however excludes the | | | | each group takes on responsibility for a particular |
| involvement of the children in the running of the | | | | garden task, whether it is irrigation, soil |
| garden, preventing it from being theirs. | | | | management, weed and pest control or pruning. In |
| Moreover, the tremendous educational potential in | | | | this way, a certain expertise develops, resulting |
| horticultural activity would be lost. Assuming then | | | | potentially at least, in greater interest, |
| that the decision has been taken that the children | | | | involvement, achievement and self-confidence in |
| will not only be helping in the garden, but largely | | | | the participants. Periodically, a group can present a |
| responsible for it, the question arises as to how | | | | mini workshop to the others, by which they |
| and in what way their involvement should be | | | | impart the knowledge and experience so far |
| organized. | | | | attained, while the co-operative nature of the |
| *Firstly, it is best to organize the children into | | | | project is emphasized. Every so often, probably |
| small groups. As it is most likely that the garden | | | | according to age, the children can move into a |
| will consist of various garden beds spread | | | | new specialty, culminating in pruning, which should |
| throughout the school grounds, one possibility is | | | | only be undertaken by the older children (and |
| that each group becomes responsible for a | | | | under strict supervision) in any case. |