Written by
Sanne Sips
During the Dutch National Education Week (6–10 October), we are calling on children across the Netherlands to make their classrooms greener with plants. An experiment involving 150 primary school pupils from 8 schools in the Netherlands has shown that plants help improve concentration, create a calmer atmosphere, and boost positive feelings. Yet many children still don’t see these benefits in their own classrooms. With the Green Poster Campaign, children in the Netherlands can make a difference themselves: by colouring in a poster and putting it up on their classroom window, they invite parents and neighbours to donate a plant for their class.
Plants often missing in classrooms
The Dutch National Education Week highlights the importance of quality education, but the role of plants in this is often overlooked. Plants contribute to pupils’ wellbeing and concentration, thereby improving the overall learning environment. Still, many classrooms remain bare, meaning children miss out on the benefits of a green space. That is why we are encouraging children to take action together with their parents and neighbours.
Green makes a difference
Classes that took part in the Jungle Classroom project had the chance to win a fully greened classroom and a lesson about plants from the GreenBee Foundation – including care tips. The experiment shows that plants in the classroom are far more than just decoration: they actively support children’s wellbeing and learning outcomes. Pupils reported feeling more at ease after the greening (from 7.1 to 7.6), working more calmly (from 7.5 to 8.0), and being able to concentrate better (from 6.4 to 6.9). Nevertheless, plants are still missing from many classrooms, even though they are a simple way to enhance the quality of the learning environment.
Call to action: Donate a plant
Through our (Dutch) website, pupils and/or teachers can download a colouring sheet, colour it in, and hang it on their classroom window to collect plants for their class. Parents and neighbours can then donate a plant – new or second-hand – to the classroom. Classes that share their results via klasvolplanten@gmail.com will have the chance to win an educational trip to a greenhouse or a plant care workshop from the GreenBee Foundation.
