
Indoor plants are becoming the staple of every millennial’s home and a ‘must have’ on any interior decorator’s shopping list. The Google search, ‘how to keep your indoor plants alive’ is trending (okay the last one I made up, but I am sure it is up there).
The point is, indoor plants are popular right now, and their presence is even extending to a regional Victorian primary school. And with over 20 plants in some classrooms, their role is more than just for aesthetics or their ‘cool’ factor.
In fact, their purpose is quite significant as they contribute to creating a positive and calming learning environments.
“Having indoor plants in our school’s classrooms has been common for many years,” Buninyong Primary School Teacher and millennial, Katie Adamson, tells Mamamia.
Yet it wasn’t until a recent professional development course held for staff at the school that a proactive approach to ‘greening’ the classrooms was undertaken.

“The PD outlined all the beneficial impacts having plants inside the classroom can have, whether they are real or fake," the 25-year-old says.
"Their effect in reducing anxiety has been quite remarkable, so utilising this within the classroom as a part of the ‘Calmer Classrooms’ initiative seemed like a great idea."
The ‘Calmer Classrooms’ program, an initiative based upon three theories: Attachment Theory, Trauma Theory and the Child Development Theory. It seeks to create the most positive and calm environment for learning within the classroom.
It is quite a widespread approach throughout Australia; especially with a rise in anxiety in children being reported. Utilising indoor plants as a part of this though however, is something that's just starting to becoming popular.
“After explaining why, we asked all parents of our Grade One students to help by purchasing a plant for their children to bring in. Our aim is to have each student in our classroom have one plant and we are nearly there,” Katie says.