This coming school year, GreenBee Foundation and Plants & Flowers Foundation Holland (PFFH) will bring more green into one hundred elementary school classrooms across the Netherlands. The initiative is aimed at students in grades 5 and 6 (kids aged 8-10), giving them plants, teaching materials, and a practical classroom experience that connects plants, nature, and well-being.
The two organizations are also calling on professionals from the floriculture sector to join as guest teachers. Growers, traders, suppliers, and other people working with flowers or plants can visit a classroom and share their own story from the field.
From 30 to 100 Classrooms
GreenBee Foundation has been working for years to make classrooms greener and to bring children closer to nature. In 2024, GreenBee Foundation and PFFH started working together. In both 2024 and 2025, they helped green more than thirty classrooms in several Dutch provinces.
This year, the plan gets bigger. The partnership is growing into a national program that will reach one hundred classrooms.
The idea is simple and very direct: let children experience what plants do. Not only how they grow, but also how they can support concentration, calm, and a better feeling in the classroom. According to the press release, students themselves have said they feel more comfortable and can concentrate better in a green classroom.
The program also connects with seven required core learning objectives in Dutch primary education. That makes it more than a nice classroom moment. It links theory with practice, which can be especially valuable for children who find traditional classroom learning more difficult.
A Guest Lesson From the Floral Industry
During a guest lesson, someone working in the ornamental horticulture sector visits a grade 5 or 6 classroom. The guest teacher shares a personal story about plants, greenhouses, flowers, logistics, and the route from grower to living room.
Children are naturally curious. A real story from someone who works with plants every day often lands differently than a textbook. Each child also receives their own plant, giving the lesson something tangible to take care of afterward.
Guest teacher Freek Jansen from Plantanious:
“A special experience! It is wonderful to see how curious and enthusiastic children are when they are introduced to plants and everything around them in a playful way. At Plantanious, we work every day toward a greener future. That is exactly why I believe it is important to show children at a young age what plants can bring. Together, we make sure plants continue to contribute to a green learning and living environment full of well-being and happiness, because when you do green, you meet green!”
The Sector Is Invited to Take Part
GreenBee Foundation and PFFH are looking for people who work with flowers or plants and enjoy talking about them. A guest teacher can come from a nursery, a trading company, a supplier, or another part of the floriculture chain.
No one has to build the lesson from scratch. Guest teachers receive a ready-to-use presentation, practical materials, and a short online briefing. The main thing they need to bring is their own story and enthusiasm.
Professionals who want to join as guest teachers can sign up through GreenBee Foundation: www.greenbeefoundation.org/groenestart.
Helping a New Generation Discover Green
With this initiative, GreenBee Foundation and PFFH want to contribute to a greener learning environment for children. At the same time, the program helps a new generation discover the value of plants and nature in daily life.
For the floriculture sector, it is also a chance to show what the industry does in a very real, human way. Not from a stand, brochure, or campaign, but in front of a classroom full of children who are just starting to understand how much green can do.
Get more joy from plants in the classrooms by watching this short video by the GreenBee Foundation:
