Are school gardens in early childhood education a reality or an educational innovation? Study of schools in the city of Córdoba (Spain) and proposals for change from the University

Abstract

The present article aims to assess if early childhood education schools of the city of Córdoba have a school garden, the reasons why they have not (in its case), and if they know the planning design and implementation techniques. To analyse the existence of school gardens, 93 telephone surveys were carried out. Results show that more than 50 % of schools have no gardens, as a result of the lack of space, of knowledge or just for not having thought of that possibility. Almost 70 % of the schools without gardens claimed not to know the techniques. Thus, the objective of training the students of the Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood Education is more than justified. In this case, the educational initiative presented consisted of the preparation of portable or reproducible orchards in any outdoor space.