23/04/2026
Many thanks to our families who have donated plants or seeds. Planting has commenced and the children have been busy helping to plant, flowers, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, cucumber, peppers, Aubergines, herbs, lettuce and many more. 🍅🥒🍆🥬🫑🥕💐🌱🫘
It’s not just that gardening feels wholesome: We’ve got decades of research that suggests digging about in the dirt really is a great developmental experience for young children.
Here’s how a bit of gardening helps children connect with some of our most important early learning goals:
Gardening is an exciting sensory experience for little ones. The moist soil of the garden is a perfect place for children to explore new textures, smells and sensations. For toddlers, gardening gives a lot of the benefits we enjoy through messy play.
Playing in the dirt does a young body good. The physical activity of digging and planting engages children’s whole body, and helps them sharpen their motor skills. Plus, a study suggests that a bit of dirt helps boost children’s immune systems in big ways.
When we grow plants, we’re more likely to eat them, too. If you’re a picky eater, carrots don’t seem so scary once you know where they come from. Getting to know your greens in the garden can help us set children off with a better relationship to food.
There’s plenty of science learning in soil. It’s one thing to read about a beetle in a book. It’s another thing to play with the little guy you’ve just found in the dirt beneath your feet. When children play in the garden, they make a stronger real-life connection to the exciting organisms and natural processes in the world around them.
Gardening teaches children to care for the earth. When children spend time playing in the garden, they grow up with a stronger sense of stewardship for the environment, and with a greater appreciation for nature and green spaces in their lives.