An aerial photo of a rooftop garden in a school in Shanghai’s Minhang District [Photo/Kankanews.com]

Shanghai’s schools are now going green, with those in Minhang District taking the lead. Over the ten years between 2008 and 2017, 100,000 square meters of vertical green spaces have been built in 64 schools in Minhang, and more than 80 percent of them are rooftop gardens, according to the authorities. 

A photo of a rooftop garden in a school in Shanghai’s Minhang District [Photo/Kankanews.com]

The rooftop gardens, apart from making the schools greener, have become an integral part of school education. The natural ecological environment in the gardens offers an ideal place for teaching. Based on the cognitive features of different graders, some schools in Minhang District have designed a number of educational activities, in which students get to know a wide range of plants in the gardens. In the green spaces, students are able to explore the structures of the plants and the functions of vegetative organs. They can also plant a seed in the garden and record its growth for further studies.

However, the benefits of the rooftop gardens are not limited to raising school students’ interest in botany and their awareness about environmental protection. The green landscape is also helpful in developing children’s interest in fine arts. For instance, by observing the plants’ leaves in different shapes, students can discover the beauty of life and develop their sense of aesthetics.