Qatar: Project Greenhouse teaches kids about healthy food

Making a change from routine books, notes, pens and exams, young students have grown tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, onions and a variety of other fruits, vegetables and herbs as part of learning about the benefits of healthy eating, the importance of sustainability and the need to build a healthy nation.

The young students took part in Project Greenhouse, an initiative run by the health campaign Sahtak Awalan: Your Health First, itself a programme of Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q).

As part of the initiative schools received a greenhouse, soil, seeds and growing instructions and were challenged to cultivate the best crop. All greenhouses have now been visited by representatives of the Project Greenhouse and the winning students with the ‘greenest fingers’ have been named as the students of Moza Bint Mohammed Independent Elementary School for Girls. Al Khor Independent Preparatory School for Girls came second, and Al Shafallah Center third.

Project Greenhouse has allowed students to work independently and in small groups and has taught them a whole range of skills. Along with learning about healthy eating, sustainability and horticulture, the project feeds directly into classes about science, the environment and even mathematics; students at the winning school regularly measured their plants to record the growth.

Significantly, teachers have said that the children have really enjoyed the project, so they have been broadening their knowledge – as well as their diet - while having fun.

Read more at The Peninsula Qatar