Children in the garden, with the right tools

This fall, planting took place in the playgrounds of primary schools De Achtbaan and De Spits in Utrecht. Not by a gardener, but by the students themselves. They worked with Sneeboer garden tools. The activities are part of GreenBee Outdoor, a project by the GreenBee Foundation that introduces children to plants and a green environment.

From paving to border

The playground at De Achtbaan still largely consists of paving slabs. The school is working on plans to change that, and the fifth graders took the first step. Frank Timmerman of the GreenBee Foundation first gave them a lesson about garden plants. After that, they got to work themselves and planted a border with, among other things, violas, Skimmia, Helleborus, heather, Gaultheria and small conifers.

They were helped by Wilco Boender and Jan Jacobsen of VDBH West from Stolwijk, a company specializing in the construction and maintenance of green spaces. There is a memorial tree in the playground in remembrance of a student who passed away. That tree will remain and will be given new planting around it.

It rained that day. The children simply carried on working, and the plants didn't need any extra water afterwards.

Why in fall

The planting activities deliberately take place in fall. The soil is still relatively warm at this time, and there is generally more rain than in spring and summer. This allows plants to root well before winter and grow on quickly in spring. If you plant now, you'll see the result in April. Read more about what to do in the garden at this time of year in our fall garden tips.

What greenery does for children

Research also shows that greenery at school matters. A 2025 study by Hasselt University and Maastricht University among children aged 7 to 12 showed that they can concentrate better in a green environment. Earlier research by, among others, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the University of Groningen found that children experience a green school playground as attractive and that it can contribute to their social wellbeing.

Doing it yourself

What makes these activities valuable is that the children do the work themselves. Digging a planting hole, loosening a root ball, pressing down the soil. You only learn that by doing it. And for that you need tools that sit well in the hand and go easily through the soil. With good tools, gardening feels as it should.

That's why Sneeboer made the tools for these activities available. It fits with what we find important: more children in the garden, with the right tools. A hand-forged spade lasts for years and can be passed on. The tool a child learns to plant with today may still be used in the same garden in twenty years' time.

A patch of garden to call your own

The school gardens in Utrecht are a pilot for a nationwide GreenBee Outdoor project. The idea is that students adopt their own patch of garden and become responsible for it themselves. This teaches them not only about plants and biodiversity, but also what it means to look after greenery, throughout the season and year after year.

Several schools have already been scheduled for this fall and the coming spring. Each student also takes home a garden plant and a booklet about fall plants, so that the gardening can continue there.

Tools for life and generations to come.