Some 130 schools across the country have been planting the first crops from their garden kit as part of the GROW at School programme, an initiative bringing food education and outdoor learning into the classroom.
Earlier this year GIY launched a €3.2m fund to support GROW At School, with an ambition to see every primary school in Ireland granted a free garden, seeds, and the resources required for learning how to grow food, reconnect with nature, and develop healthier, more sustainable food choices.
“We are delighted to officially begin GROW At School," said GIY founder Michael Kelly. "This has long been an ambition for GIY and we are excited to be at this stage. Through this programme, we will enable 20,000 primary school children to learn about food growing this year. Getting their hands into the soil will be an invaluable learning experience.
"The best thing about GROW At School is that all the resources, from the learning guides to the practical tools, are delivered to each school for free, and this is due to philanthropic funds raised by GIY. We are calling on anyone with the means to support this programme to consider giving the unique gift of a school garden this Christmas season. This could be individuals, companies, foundations, or even members of a school community. Every €2,000 sponsors a full school garden and access to the GROW At School programme for a school on the waiting list, while smaller amounts will support additional materials, educational content, and a teacher training programme.”
Having run as a three-year pilot with 31 schools, the programme was deemed to be a huge success. Teachers declared that they found the garden to be an excellent teaching tool across most subjects of the curriculum, and that it also allowed them to get closer to the pupils and learn more about them in an informal setting. Children experienced better overall wellbeing and interest in eating more vegetables, outcomes that have been found in numerous other studies on the topic.
Food growing kits were rolled out in 132 primary schools nationwide last week; these kits include four raised beds with soil, 14 different vegetables to grow, a plan that works around the school year, and lesson plans adapted for all age groups. The first lesson, focusing on food systems, aims to teach children from junior infants up about the journey their food goes on from the very beginning, and is freely available on the GIY website.
“This year we have 132 schools taking part across 24 counties nationwide with one in four of those schools being DEIS schools," Mr Kelly added. "It is our goal to have at least 500 schools across the country participate during the 2023/24 school year - we already have 250 schools on this wait list. So, the interest is there, and we just need the financial support to back it.”
For further details on GIY and GROW At School see giy.ie/programmes/grow-at-school Registration for the 2023/24 programme is open and ongoing at www.giy.ie
