Horta escolar e feira verde como mediação educativa e interdisciplinar no processo de aprendizagem de estudantes no ensino fundamental no município de Toledo/Pr

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the school garden and the Green Fair as pedagogical mediations in Environmental Education, articulating sustainability, interdisciplinarity, and inclusion in the teaching and learning process. The problem addressed in this study arises from the need to implement educational practices that integrate theory and practice, contributing to the formation of critical, reflective, and socio-environmentally responsible citizens. To this end, the research is grounded in current legislation and in the frameworks of Environmental Education, as well as in the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC), the Toledo Curricular Framework, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in addition to engaging with authors who study this topic. As instruments for data collection, questionnaires were administered to 3rd-grade elementary school students (early years) and their families, along with field journals and the students’ participation in science fairs. Thus, the study is based on a qualitative and quantitative approach, with data obtained through participant observation, pedagogical records, and the analysis of activities carried out in the garden and at the fair as the main methodological procedures. The results show that, by planting, monitoring the growth of seedlings, using natural pesticides, harvesting, packaging, and selling food at the Green Fair, children developed competencies related to cooperation, entrepreneurship, and protagonism, in addition to understanding, in practice, interdisciplinary concepts from Mathematics, Science, Geography, History, Portuguese Language, and Religious Education. It was also observed that practices such as seedling production using eggshells, the use of natural pesticides inspired by indigenous culture, and the commercialization of products contributed to reducing plastic use, promoting conscious consumption, and valuing traditional knowledge. Another relevant result was the inclusion of students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), who found in the garden and the fair a differentiated form of learning, achieving greater focus, concentration, and socio-emotional development. It is concluded that the school garden and the Green Fair constitute transformative pedagogical practices, capable of integrating theory and practice, tradition and innovation, science and culture. In addition to fostering meaningful learning, they strengthen environmental, ethical, and social values, bringing the school community closer to sustainability and reaffirming Environmental Education as a fundamental axis of citizenship education.