Over the years, I’ve made a few feeble attempts at keeping plants in my classroom. Students seemed to like it, but the few times I had them I took them out at the end of the year and just forgot to bring them back.

An article I just read about, though, is making me wonder if I should make having them more of a priority, and I’d be interested in hearing feedback.

Jonah Lehrer writes in The Psychology of Nature about some studies on the effect of nature on increasing attention and working memory. In fact, one study showed a positive effect on just looking at a nature picture. He suggests that “it’s a good idea to build a little greenery into our life.”

I’m going to make a more serious attempt at bringing “a little greenery” into my classroom this year.

Do you have plants in your classroom? If so, why? If not, why not? If you have plants, do you believe it has an effect on students?