Getting Ready for the New School Year
I’m always looking for ways to make our classroom space more welcoming and visually appealing. A few years ago I transformed my classroom using calming colors and accessible space design. I did this not only for my students, but for my own sanity. We spend a majority of our time in the classroom. Therefore, it should be a space that promotes a relaxed and engaged environment.
This summer I moved to a new classroom. During my move, I began thinking about my next steps in improving the classroom environment. A magazine article that I scanned over while waiting in a doctor’s office came to mind. The article described the benefits of adding plants to hospital areas and office workspaces.
Benefits
Hospitals and offices have researched and noted the impacts of adding plants to their spaces for decades. Although many began using plants as a way to create a warmer, more professional, and less clinical environment, they soon became aware of even more benefits.
Hospitals have cited the following as advantages of adding plants:
1. Plants in waiting areas and patient rooms reduce stress and decrease feelings of unease.
2. Plants remove toxins from the air, including mold, dust, and bacteria.
3. Plants promote healing and increase mood and morale.
Offices have found the following as benefits of adding plants:
1. Plants in office buildings reduce the amount of dust, bacteria, and mold levels that employees and visitors inhale.
2. Plants can increase memory retention by up to 20%. (See link for research at the bottom.)
3. Plants can help concentration by reducing background noise. The stems, leaves, and branches can all absorb sound.
My Plan
After reading the various articles that described all of these benefits, I came to a very simple realization: These are benefits we need in schools!
I am planning to integrate the plants into our classroom design. I have already planted 6 succulents in small pots. I have inquired at a local nursery regarding a few of the plants that were mentioned for their specific benefits: English Ivy, Lemon Balm, Snake Plant, and Azalea. So obviously, this is a work in progress.
My hope is that incorporating plants into our classroom will improve classroom performance, combat stress, reduce sickness and absenteeism, and build a sense of community. If in the end we do not see a huge difference, at least we can say that our classroom felt more like home.
Resources:
The benefits of plants in schools and educational facilities
http://www.kidsmartspaces.com/blog/7-benefits-to-plants-in-the-classroom
https://www.kidsdiscover.com/teacherresources/greenscaped-classrooms/
