SCHOOL GARDEN: A SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE TO BE APPLIED IN SCHOOLS Leonardo de Oliveira Casadei, Cristiane Ramon Sampaio, Fernanda Ribeiro de Freitas, Ursulla Pereira Souza

Abstract

Interdisciplinarity aims to streamline the teaching-learning process, in which knowledge is constructed. Environmental and food education are already part of the curriculum of many elementary and preschools, but in practice, teachers still have difficulty dealing with these topics. The school garden, which at first seems to apply only to the teaching of Science and Biology, is a cross-cutting theme in an interdisciplinary manner, interacting with all other subjects in the school curriculum. This study aims to show the development of the School Garden project at the José Júlio Martins Baptista Municipal School located in Praia Grande, São Paulo. The methodology was divided into stages and could be applied to all grades and age groups, adapting the content and approaches according to the age of the students. The sustainable practice occurred throughout the 2011 school year, with students from the 6th to 9th grades of Elementary School. Contents such as the natural water cycle, plant reproduction, zoology of various animal species, soil studies, the action of decomposers, seed dispersal and several other natural science topics were covered on site in a light and relaxed manner. Students were able to experience, observe, work with the earth, and come into contact with nature and the diversity of life.