Have you ever considered agriculture as a teaching tool in your child's education? Probably not, especially if you live in the city, but when we study the principles of true education found in books like 'Education' by Ellen White, we see that all types of useful work that can be done in family life, such as cultivating the land, offer countless learning opportunities. It not only develops physical and mental skills, but especially spirituality.

Joshua White, an American speaker specializing in child education, gave a lecture on the benefits of educating children through agricultural activities, based on numerous scientific studies. Check out the summary of his lecture below and enrich your child's education. To access the full lecture, see the link at the end of the text.

“For the first eight or ten years of a child's life, the field or garden is the best classroom, the mother the best teacher, Nature the best textbook. Even when the child is old enough to attend school, their health should be considered of greater importance than book knowledge. They should be surrounded by the most favorable conditions, both for physical and mental growth.” Education, p. 208.

Benefits of gardening:– Improves self-confidence, self-worth: the child plants and sees the results. It's a great opportunity to perform small tasks.– Perseverance/Patience: the child plants and needs to wait for germination and production.– Better understanding of science: they have the opportunity to experience true science and be a part of it.– Better learning, better academic test scores: working with the soil puts the child in contact with the microbe *Mycobacterium vaccae* found in the soil, which research proves is beneficial for mental development.

“Living in the country will be beneficial to them; active outdoor life develops the health of both mind and body. They should have a garden to cultivate, where they can find pleasant and useful occupation. The study of plants and flowers tends to improve taste and discernment, while familiarity with God's beautiful and useful creation has an ennobling and refining influence on the mind, leading it to the Creator and Lord of all.” Adventist Home, p. 142.“In connection with your home, have a garden if possible, where your children can work and you can work with them. Instruct them and organize their tasks so that their free time is not spent idly. Give them something definite to do, and let them feel that they are doing something to help father and mother support the family. Let the older ones feel the responsibility of setting a good example for the younger children. Let everyone play a part according to their age. When children trained in this way attend schools, they will have a clear mind. They will be able to reason for themselves, and will not accept what this or that person says without some proof.” Review and Herald.

Working with the earth helps children to:– Develop non-verbal communication– Develop an awareness of order– Form partnerships– Relate to adults– Reduce stress levels– Improve health

Practical learning in the garden teaches:Mathematics: Counting seeds or plants– Measuring rows, distance between them, seedling height– Counting the yieldScience: Observing and predicting – how tall the plant will grow– Plant parts and their purpose– Meteorology – how weather affects the garden, studying clouds– Solar system – when to plant what– Insects, ecology, entomology– Plant life cycle – composting

Testing ideas – which methods work best or notThinking cause and effect – if you plant carrots, you'll harvest carrotsInventions – provides opportunities for children to invent tools, insecticides, fungicides, and other pest control products.Planning – how to preserve food for winter

Cultivating the land aids in a child's physical, mental, and intellectual development. It develops reasoning, something essential not only for success in this life, but also for eternal life; it is a source of useful employment and one of the best sources of physical culture, in addition to bringing us closer to the Creator. Let's take advantage of this blessing God has given us and use it in our children's education.

Listen to the lecture audio (English): https://www.audioverse.org/english/sermons/recordings/6981/back-to-school-theabcs-of-agriculture-in-childhood-education.html

‍