Eco-Gardening in the Big City | 大都市内的生态园艺

In March 2016, we were fortunate enough to be gifted an eco-garden from the Friends of Dulwich (a group of parent volunteers). Since then, we have had children between the ages of two and seven experience what gardening can be like whilst living in such a big city as Shanghai! Many of the children in DUCKS haven’t had the opportunity to get their hands into soil, see worms in their natural habitat, or eat fresh produce that they have grown from seed to plate. The garden has brought so much learning into the lives of the children and their teachers each year as we explore what an eco-garden looks like in Shanghai.

At the beginning of each school year, children who are in Nursery and Year 1take on the adventure of gardening. They are joined by some Year 2 children, a group of students from our Senior School, teachers, supportive parents, and ayis.

In September 2018, the Year 1 children decided to grow their own carrots. They started by de-weeding the planters, talking about worms and what effect they have on the soil, and planting the carrot seeds, making sure they were evenly spaced out.Every so often, the children would go out and water the carrots, but unfortunately they struggled to grow.The children were a little disappointed but are ready and willing to try again now that it is Spring.The Nursery children have enjoyed learning all about how to grow vegetables in the organic garden. The children spent time weeding and getting the soil ready for planting. As the children, parents, and teachers toiled in the soil, they found worms that the children learned are good for helping the plants to grow. With the help of the DUCKS community, the children planted vegetable seeds and created a garden bed, where they planted an array of common household vegetables like onions, garlic, carrots, and potatoes to see if they would grow.During the winter months, the Nursery children tried their best through the wind and rain to nurture the seedlings and hoped that they would grow. As the weather began to warm up, the children discovered that the lettuces and other vegetables had in fact grown and continue to grow. The children have shared their excitement with their parents and teachers, describing the lettuces that they have grown:

“The lettuces have got big, but we can’t eat them yet, we have to wait.” (Olivia, age four)

“We like doing the digging, and we want to see what it tastes like.” (Lucy, age four)

Over the next few months, the children in Nursery will be harvesting the vegetables that have grown in the gardens and making salads with them that they can then enjoy during snack times.The next step will be talking with the children about the concept of composting and collecting raw vegetable scraps to be placed in the compost bin to create great nutrients for the gardens.

In Year 1, two classes did research on how to increase the number of bees around the garden. The children had learned that, without bees, there would be no food for humans to eat. The children didn’t find many bees in January because of the weather, but decided to research which types of plants and flowers are good for bees, as the bee population is sadly declining.The children in Year 1 raised awareness about saving the bees by holding a ‘Save The Bees’ day, sharing with the DUCKS and Junior School communities why it is so important that we make changes in our daily lives so that the bee population can rise again. At the end of the term, the children were so happy to discover some bees in our garden, fueling their desire to keep ‘Saving the Bees’!For the remainder of the year, the Year 1 children will be planting ‘bee friendly’ plants to help attract bees to our eco-garden, putting the research that they undertook into action.The eco-garden has taught the children of DUCKS so many valuable skills and lessons. When seeds haven’t grown, it has disappointed the children but it has also taught them about perseverance, responsibility, and what they need to do to ensure that the garden does produce vegetables to eat and flowers for the bees. Planning a garden, planting the seeds, and watching them grow has given the children a sense of purpose. Making sure that the plants get enough fertilizer, water, and sun has fostered mindfulness. The concepts learned while gardening, like composting food scraps for fertilizer or using gathered rainwater, have also modeled deep respect and responsibility for taking care of our planet. Furthermore, studies show that when children have contact with soil during activities like digging and planting they have improved moods, better learning experiences, and decreased anxiety. Most importantly, the self-esteem a child gets from eating something they have grown themselves is priceless.

The DUCKS children look forward to continuing their adventures in the eco-garden, celebrating what they grow and embracing challenges when they arise.

Written by: Renee Wheeler DUCKS Sustainability Coordinator (with contributions from the Nursery children, teachers, and the Year 1 children and teachers).

2016年3月，“德威之友”家长志愿者团体向我校友情馈赠了一座生态花园。自此，我校2-7周岁的儿童便有机会在上海这座大都市里体验园艺之乐！很多孩子此前从未接触过土壤，也未见过原生态环境中生活的昆虫，或是品尝亲手种植的新鲜蔬菜。于是师生们开始对都市生态花园进行探索。这座花园寓教于乐，让大家在日常生活中学到了大量知识。以下是我们在这一学年中的收获。

学年伊始，幼儿园中班（3-4岁）和1年级（5-6岁）的孩子们就开始了园艺探索课程。同时参加的还有部分2年级儿童、中学部同学、老师，还有前来帮忙的家长和阿姨。

2018年9月，1年级的同学们决定自己动手种植胡萝卜。第一步是除草，探讨虫子可能对土壤造成的影响。他们种下胡萝卜苗，并确保间隔均匀。孩子们不时地外出浇水，但可惜的是，胡萝卜长势不佳。虽然不免失望，但好在恰值春日，他们信心满满地准备再试一次。中班的孩子十分享受在有机花园里学习蔬菜种植。他们花时间除草，为种植做准备。家长和师生们在地里忙碌地耕耘，后来发现，那些虫子其实对土壤有益，且有助于植物生长。在幼儿园社区的帮助下，大家种下了蔬菜幼苗，并制作了一个花坛，用以种植各种家常蔬菜，如：洋葱、大蒜、胡萝卜、土豆等，看看是否能顺利长大。

冬日里，中班的孩子不避风雨，悉心呵护着菜苗，盼望它们快快长大。随着天气逐渐转暖，同学们发现自己种的莴苣和其他蔬菜长势喜人。他们兴奋地与家长和老师分享自己的喜悦，一边比划着莴苣的成长情况。“莴苣已经长得很大了，但目前还不能吃，还得再等一阵子。”4岁的Olivia 说道。“我们喜欢在土里挖挖弄弄，迫不及待地想要尝尝菜的味道。”4岁的Lucy如是说。再过几个月，中班的同学们就能收获花园里的蔬菜了。这些菜将用来做成色拉，供孩子们作为点心食用。接下来，我们将与孩子们探讨堆肥的概念，以及如何收集蔬菜废料，集中到堆肥箱中以便制作花园所需的养分。此外，两个1年级班级就如何提高花园附近的蜜蜂数量共同展开了研究。他们了解到，如果没有蜜蜂，那么就不可能长出供人类食用的食物。由于天气原因，他们在1月份并未发现大量蜜蜂。而且因为蜜蜂数量的减少，他们决定对适合蜜蜂生存的植物、花卉种类展开研究。为此，1年级还特地举办了“拯救蜜蜂日”活动，来提高人们的蜜蜂保护意识。在这一天，他们向幼儿园和小学部开展宣传活动，提倡大家从我做起，改变日常生活习惯，从而提高我们身边的蜜蜂数量。学期末，孩子们惊喜地在花园中发现了几只蜜蜂，这更坚定了他们将“拯救蜜蜂”行动进行到底的决心！

今后，1年级的同学们还将种植一些蜜蜂喜欢的植物，吸引更多蜜蜂到我们的生态园中来，并将自己的研究成果付诸实践。这座生态园教会了孩子们太多珍贵的技能，给他们上了一堂又一堂别开生面的实践课。当幼苗停止生长的时候，虽然大家心情失落，但也同时学会了坚持与责任，以及如何做才能确保花园里长出可食用的蔬菜和吸引蜂群的花朵；在花园规划、幼苗种植、观察长势的过程中，孩子们开始有了目标意识；在确保植物获得充足养料、水分和光照的过程中，他们变得更加细心敏锐。园艺实践中所学到的专业概念，如：食物废料堆肥、雨水收集利用等，可以培养孩子们对地球保护的责任感与敬畏心。此外，有研究显示，当孩子们在挖掘、种植等活动中接触到土壤时，他们的心情会变得更好，学习体验更佳，内心的焦虑感也会有所减少。更重要的是，当孩子们吃到自己亲手种植的食物，他们从中获得的自尊与成就感是无价的。

幼儿园的孩子们期待着继续在生态园中学习和探索，分享收获的喜悦，勇敢地克服学习路上的每一个挑战。

作者：Renee Wheeler，德威幼儿园可持续发展协调员（感谢幼儿园中班全体师生及1年级师生为本文提供素材）