What does using living things mean?
We use organisms in many ways. Plants give food, shade, medicine and flowers. Animals give milk, eggs, work and company. Here we look at one more use: health and wellbeing, meaning a healthy body, a calm mind and good friends.
Horticulture is the growing of garden plants such as flowers, vegetables, fruits and herbs. Companion animals are animals we keep for company, such as dogs, cats and rabbits, and not mainly for food or work.
Green environments and horticulture: features and benefits
A green environment has trees, plants, grass and gardens around us.
- Calm mind: green sights and quiet help lower stress and help us focus.
- Active body: digging, watering and picking use our muscles and give light exercise.
- Cleaner air and cooler place: leaves give oxygen, catch dust and give shade.
- Learning and patience: we wait for seeds to grow and learn to care.
- Together: a school garden lets friends and neighbours work as a team.
- Food: home-grown vegetables and herbs are fresh.
Companion animals: features and benefits
A companion animal lives with us and cares for us in its own way.
- Company: a pet makes a person feel less alone.
- Exercise: walking a dog is daily movement.
- Routine and duty: feeding at a fixed time teaches responsibility.
- Comfort: stroking a calm animal can slow the heart and relax us.
- Social help: people talk to each other more when they have pets.
Remember: the animal also has needs, so we must care for it well (see the lesson on raising companion animals).
Horticulture, companion animals and healthy living
A healthy life has three parts: a healthy body, a calm mind and good relations with others. Gardening and pets help all three. They get us outdoors, give small daily jobs, and let us care for something alive. For old people and people living alone, this can give a reason to wake up happy.
Activities and therapy using organisms
An activity is something we do: sowing seeds, watering, flower arranging, feeding a pet, walking, playing or brushing. When a trained helper plans such activities for a person with a health need, with a clear goal and a safety check, it is called therapy. Horticultural therapy uses plants. Animal-assisted therapy uses trained animals. The helper watches how the person feels and writes down progress. Therapy is explained in its own lesson.
Try it: your green minute
Try it. Before you start, rate how tired or worried you feel from 0 to 10. Spend ten minutes watering plants or walking outside. Rate again. Write both numbers. Then open the 3D and press the buttons to compare it with the model stress bar.
Limits: plants and pets help, but they do not replace a doctor. If someone has allergies or fear of animals, choose another activity.
Key formulas and definitions
- Healthy living = healthy body + calm mind + good relations
- Horticulture = growing flowers, vegetables, fruits and herbs in gardens
- Companion animal = animal kept mainly for company
- Therapy = planned activity + trained helper + goal + safety check
Worked examples
1. Give three benefits of a school garden.
Calm mind and less stress; light exercise for the body; learning to care and work as a team. Also fresh air and food.
2. Rina walks her dog for 20 minutes every day. Name two benefits for Rina.
She gets daily exercise, and she gets company and a happy routine. It also teaches her responsibility.
3. Is watering a pot at home therapy? Explain.
Not by itself. It is a healthy activity. It becomes therapy only when a trained helper plans it for a person with a health need, with a goal and a progress check.
4. A stress bar starts at 80%. Plants lower it by 25 points and a pet by 20 points. What is it now?
80 − 25 − 20 = 35%.
Common mistakes
- Thinking plants and pets cure every illness. They support health, they do not replace doctors.
- Forgetting that the pet also needs food, water, a clean home and love.
- Calling any gardening "therapy". Therapy needs a trained helper, a goal and a check.
- Ignoring allergies or fear: not everyone is comfortable with every plant or animal.