The Hennessy School 4-H Garden Project
4-H After School

• The Hennessy School Garden offer benefits to the students that go beyond the classroom.
• Gardens provide opportunity for students, teachers, and members of the community to interact. This interaction can allow for an improvement of interpersonal social skills and can teach students how to work cooperatively with each other and their elders.
• Gardens require students to become responsible for the plants growing in the garden. Without proper care and maintenance gardens can die or become overgrown. This gives students the responsibility to water and care for the plants they grow and can instill in them a sense of accountability.
• Gardens promotes pride that can help bolster self-esteem and allow students to take pride in the beautification of their school. In this age of urbanization, children's contact with nature is diminishing. This school garden will allow the students to work in a non-threatening outdoor environment where they can interact and learn about nature.

What learning takes place in a school garden?

• School gardens are used to teach practically every subject covered in an elementary school classroom setting.
• The garden is a perfect place for students to learn about plants, insects, weather, and many other science related lessons.
• Math lessons, such as measuring, addition and subtraction have ideal applications in the garden.
• Students can learn about other cultures and how they grow their food, what they eat, where their own food comes from.
• The school garden is a canvas of art created by Mother Nature herself, which gives students many ideas to create their own works of art.

The list of applicable subjects and possibilities of the garden is endless.

4-H Teen Leaders are utilized and trained in gardening practices

• Teenagers are extremely effective "teachers" of younger children.
• Children respond well to teenage teachers. Moreover, teens benefit greatly from delivering the program.
• The teens are also a positive role model for younger children.