Mental Health Gardening 101

Funded Feb 10, 2021

I just want to thank you for supporting my students and creating experiences for them that they get to keep and carry with them. Their plants provide joy, a reason to come to school to care for them, background in science, lessons in responsibility, and background knowledge of gardening in general- something my students do not get the opportunity to do at home. Many of them live in apartments or rental properties where their families could not have a garden and they don't have plants.

The day I pulled out the materials for the students to plant their seeds and receive their plants, they were so excited. It was difficult to explain the variety of seeds available because as soon as I showed them one, they would be talking to their friends and comparing it to the other seeds, and questioning, "What are you going to plant?" A few of them cringed at filling the cups with dirt, while others dug right in to fill their pots. I gave them a pinch of seeds, that they poked into the soil and then watered for the first time.

Every morning, their job was to go check their plant to see if the soil was still wet, and to water their plant using the watering bucket. I left the grow lights on for the plants, and in about a week and a half, the plants started growing.

One of my students had planted almost too many chamomile seeds, and hers was the first to sprout. One of the other students noticed the green in the morning, and the wonder and excitement were palpable as all 15 students crammed into the closeted space with the plants to see it.

By the end of the year, some of the students had to replant their pots because in their zeal to care for a living thing, they overwatered the seedlings they had started with, but were much more successful after gentle reminders to test for the dampness of the ground. They took their plants home with them over the summer to continue to grow, just as they continue to grow, and to have the comfort of caring for something as they left the safe and structured confines of our room. Some have reported to me this next year that their plant is doing well, sitting in the window in their living rooms, or close to them in their bedrooms.

Thank you so much for this experience with my students. It brought light to our classroom, both literally and figuratively.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Niehus