Kinder gestalten ihren Naschgarten (Children make their own garden)

//Kinder gestalten ihren Naschgarten (Children make their own garden)

Kinder gestalten ihren Naschgarten (Children make their own garden)

Kinder gestalten ihren Naschgarten (Children make their own garden)
Brief Description This initiative is a public-private-partnership which was initiated in 2007, and is still successfully running today. The program aims to involve children between the ages of 3 and 12 along with their kindergartens, schools and families nature experience in planting natural fruit and vegetable. Alongside creating the garden, the program also hopes to provide outdoor experience, exercise and game rooms and get the children more interested in being involved in the process.

The “garden” is an 8,000 square metre plot located in the centre of Holzminden in the living environment of the target population. The residential area consists mostly of small apartments without gardens. In this project, the children are actively involved in planning and designing their living environment, thereby learning and acquiring new skills. Not only are the ideas and the planning of the “garden” up to the children, but also its maintenance; they were responsible for tasks like cultivation and harvesting of fruit and vegetables. The implementation began in 2008 with a children’s party, which also consisted of action planning with joint brainstorming among the children supported by the city council of Holzminden. Each participating institution was given their own garden plot in April/May 2008. The design and planting of plots began following the principle that “Ideas are generated while doing,” leading to a constantly evolving and changing plan for the garden as it was being constructed. Among other plants, berry bushes, fruit trees, herbs and pumpkins were planted in the garden.

Since then, different crops (pumpkin, potatoes etc.) have been planted in the garden. For funding, the project was sponsored between 2007 and 2009 by the University of Fulda. There is also a decision-making committee that meets twice a year that plans and examines all of the activities regarding the garden.

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European Country/Countries Germany
Field Living/Green spaces: Urban (food) gardens, Living/Green spaces: Improving availability, quality and use, Consuming: Sustainable Production, Consuming: Healthy and Sustainable Consumption, Consuming: Healthy Consumption
Type Intervention
Impact Health, Environmental sustainability
Status Ongoing
Target Group General population
Evaluation Yes
Level Local
INHERIT Perspective This initiative has a potential to improve children’s health by changing their eating patterns through learning to plant vegetables and fruits. In the long run, it influences the individual behaviour and lifestyle. Children make their own garden is a practice combining two primary interventions 1) involving children and families to combine their nature experience with planting of natural fruit and vegetable and provide open experience, exercise and game rooms and 2) developing spaces in green spaces.
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Relevant links http://www.gesundheitliche-chancengleichheit.de/good-practice/kinder-gestalten-ihren-naschgarten/
Contact Stephanie Schluck Fenskeweg 2 30165 Hannover (Niedersachsen) stephanie.schluck@gesundheit-nds.de
2018-11-25T22:18:03+01:00April 26, 2017|practices|Comments Off on Kinder gestalten ihren Naschgarten (Children make their own garden)