By Pamela A. Keene
As educators search for ways to make reading more interactive and fun, some communities are building Literacy Gardens. These are interactive environments that encourage children to read while introducing them to nature and gardening. There are places for youngsters to read aloud to garden characters, to listen to storytellers and to take part in interactive and craft activities.
At a Literacy Garden in Georgia, two master gardeners and former educators brought the concept to their north Georgia community after attending a workshop hosted by the American Horticultural Society a couple of years ago.
“We’re very much aware of the crucial need to develop ‘pre-reading’ skills and of the positive effects that nature experiences can make in a child’s life,” says Master Gardner Lee Lovett, also deputy superintendent of the Hall County School System. “Giving students experiences in the garden can help them learn about health and teach them healthy eating habits, but it is also helping them with reading readiness.”
Activities include a section where children can compose sentences from words painted on stones. They can flip through a book of children’s stories to read out loud. A library of popular preschool books is available on site for kids and parents to read together.
“We’ve already seen increased participation from the students who visit here, whether on class trips or with their parents,” Kathy Lovett says. “It’s an amazing thing to watch children become engaged in learning while having fun.”
Journalist Pamela A. Keene is a photographer and an avid lifelong gardener.