The Importance of School Gardening for Urban Children : A Case Study in Milan, Italy

Contact with plants has become, in modern society, a rare experience for children and many horticultural programs concerning environmental education have been set up either for children with psycho-physical problems or simply to stimulate knowledge and respect of nature. The research carried out on this topic has underlined an increase of self-control, a deepening of the concept of nature, a better comprehension of the meaning of work, an increased sense of pride and accomplishment, an improvement in care-taking and nurturing behavior and, in general, a notable contribution to the mental development of the involved children (Adil, 1994). In this way, these children do not perceive themselves as passive subjects in the scolastic environment. In Italy, nursery or elementary schools that include alternative programs as plant care are very few and participating in horticultural activities is not really encouraged. Thus the aim of this paper was to propose a solution for a school in Milan that could stimulate a multi-disciplinary approach to fill the lack of programs and structures