Funding from the province will bring more gardens to schools.

The government is spending $250,000 to hire 4 mentors to help bring the program to schools.

Jess Ross with Nourish Nova Scotia says gardening is great for young kids.

“It teaches measurement skills people have to learn about seeds, depth and spacing, so it’s like a really hands on way to learn math skills,” said Ross.

Jess Ross stands next to plants grown at a school in Dartmouth. (Jacob Moore/Acadia Broadcasting)

Ross said it also helps teach them about big issues like climate change.

“If we plant a milkweed plant, we say, ‘This brings a monarch butterfly, and the monarch butterfly needs this plant to survive, and it’s a bug that has lived here for millennia, and we want it to keep living here, because it’s an important part of the biodiversity of Nova Scotia,’” she said.

Being outside helps kids feel more free, she said, with just a little bit of chaos.

Since last year, the project has grown from 10 schools to 40.