Outdoor gardening develops our vestibular system, which has a HUGE impact on our physical, emotional and indeed learning skills.
Our vestibular system is the most connected sensory system in our body. It works alongside our other sensory systems (including the proprioceptive sense), enabling us to use our eyes effectively and process sounds in our environment.
We use vestibular input and the vestibular system to support our balance and muscle tone—something we need for all movement and even to maintain our posture when we are sitting still. If you have ever had an inner ear infection, you know how important this sense is and how important balance is to all activity and our experience of the world.
In addition to balance, the vestibular system supports the spatial awareness we need to move about without stumbling, falling or bumping into other things or even other friends.
We also rely on the vestibular system to coordinate our eye movements. We can look down at a book, then look up to speak with someone and adjust our focus back and forth thanks to the vestibular system. Eye and head coordination also help us use both visual, proprioceptive, and vestibular input to navigate successfully as we move.
Perhaps surprisingly, our vestibular system also plays a central role in attention and focus. These increases in focus are due, in large part, to the extra vestibular input your brain has received from movement. Because vestibular input helps us to become and stay alert, it impacts our use of all other senses and our ability to learn.
Movement, balance, co-ordination and core strength are also developing through outdoor gardening activities. Laughter, excitement and achievement add to the learning experience, as working in teams children communicate and learn from each other.
