Benefits of Gardening

The American Horticulture Therapy Association defines horticultural therapy as, "a process utilizing plants and horticulture activities to improve social, educational, psychological and physical adjustments of persons, thus improving thier body, mind and spirit."  Recent research has shown that simply being in an urban environment can impair our mental processes.  The garden club will allow children to be in touch with nature and instill a sense of responsibility and a sense of self in them.  Other benefits include:

Physical - increase muscular strength and body mechanics, stretch muscles and increase range of motion, improve fine motor skills, tone underused muscles, improve coordination and balance

Mental - increase autonomy and independence, outlet for stress, anger and emotional expression, increase self esteem, increase observation skills, provide choices and ability to use problem solving skills, increase attention span

Social - reversal of dependency, opportunity to interact with other, commitment to a living thing, cooperation and team working skills, dealing with success and failure, learn to be inspired by others