By Thilini Wijewardana

A garden is a collection of plants, animals and nonliving materials. Even though we think a garden is a space for cultivation, it is beyond that. We can observe the characteristics and processes of plants and animals and their interaction between different organisms. Thus, the garden is a living laboratory where students can have hands-on experience by fostering their critical thinking, creativity and curiosity. By incorporating gardens into STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) teachers can enhance students’ learning experience by transforming abstract concepts into concrete concepts for all ages.

The garden provides a rich context for teaching science, technology, Art and Mathematics subjects. Here are a few ways you can use the garden for teaching STEAM.

Science

Gardens offer numerous opportunities to explore science. Students can observe plant growth, life cycle, pollination methods, the effect of light, water or soil pH on plant growth, biological processes in plants such as transpiration and guttation and identify the diversity of flora species. Furthermore, from the garden, students can observe the life cycle of animals, mode of nutrition, interactions between living and non-living organisms and identify the diversity of fauna species.

Technology

Garden-based learning can be used to teach technology, allowing students to use tools and software for monitoring, data collection and analysis. Students can use digital cameras or smartphones to capture the growth of plants, pollination and interaction between living and non-living organisms. Then students can create photographs or videos by using technological tools such as Lightroom and Abode Photoshop.

Engineering

The garden is an ideal place to learn engineering which encourages problem-solving skills and creativity. Students can design sustainable water systems to harvest rainwater and greenhouses using recycled materials, develop a structure to protect plants from extreme weather conditions or pests and build a compost bin as an organic waste management system.  

Art

Using a garden for learning art can enrich students’ creativity and senses about nature. Students can draw plants and insects by observing their features and colours. By collecting flowers, leaves and twigs, they can design collages or make a flower bouquet by selecting matching colors. By adding many ornamental plants students can decorate the garden and can use different shapes of pots and attractively arrange the garden.  

Mathematics

Students can learn real-life applications to understand mathematical concepts by conducting activity sessions in a garden. They can measure the plant height and then draw a graph to illustrate the plant growth rate and make future predictions of the plant height. Students can calculate the area of the garden and convert it into different units. To learn about geometry, students can use different shapes of plant pots and to study volume students can calculate the volume of water that needs to be added to the plant. When mixing fertilizers, students can have practical experience in calculating ratios.

In summary, a garden is not just a space for plants but a dynamic environment where students can engage deeply with STEAM subjects, enhancing their learning and understanding of the world around them.