say yes! to a garden in every school: green thumbs growing kids
TRANSCRIPT
Say Yes! To School Food GardensSay Yes! To School Food Gardens
Feb. 18/2015
Ontario Edible Education Network Webinar
Green Thumbs Growing Kids
Sunday Harrison, Founder and Program Director at Green Thumbs Growing Kids
Collaborator in the Imagine a Garden in Every School campaign
Contact:[email protected]:www.kidsgrowing.cahttp://agardenineveryschool.ca
Our vision: Healthy Communities and
Learning Gardens Everywhere!
Our Mission: To empower urban children, youth and
families to learn about, grow and prepare fresh foods, cultivated in an
environmentally sustainable manner, in hands-on programs
timeline
ALSO:•Monthly garden education workdays for volunteers•Partners at new Regent Park greenhouse (nearly completed)•2015 starting social enterprise, youth gardening for wages
School-Community garden model
Curriculum-focused from Sept-June.Produce goes to lunchroom/classrooms
All-ages engagement in summer (day camps, youth groups, youth jobs, family drop-in evenings)
Surplus produce to farmers market or food bank/ community kitchen
Who does the work?*• Paid staff hired through grants and wage subsidies – one
program leader for the Children’s Program and one for the Youth Program (Urban Roots Youth), 4-6 youth in summer. Programs rotate through gardens.
• Volunteers – trained, police-checked• Interns & practicum students from various college/university
programs; secondary Co-op students*besides the children
Winchester PS: SK-8. 11,000 sq. ft. Full sun, outdoor classroom, rainwater catchment, food beds, naturalized beds, fruit trees and shrubs, composting, shade trees
Rose Ave PSShady unused corner transformed!
Less than 6 hrs sun/day, but produces a high volume of greens & herbs.
Sprucecourt PSLean-to greenhouse extends the growing season
Salad Celebration in June at each school
Building raised beds from Earth Blocks, a low-carbon alternative to wood and concrete. Students from grades 4-8 built 9 raised beds in 3 schools in this project funded by Live Green Toronto.
projects
Kinder-GARDEN!
• 8 teachers in 5 schools involved in pilot project – we supplied materials & lessons, teachers ran weekly programs on their own/with volunteers
• Teachers met twice to share their learning. Result is 70pp book available on our website
composting
Environmental High-Skills Majors Co-op students (Grade 11 & 12) help maintain and teach composting
Summer arts, gamesFlower pounding, Stick Passing game
Spring HarvestGarlic, salad greens, peas, sorrel, red currant
Fall HarvestPotatoes, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, melons, squash, sweet potatoes, herbs
Indoor programs:Stone Soup,Seed Packaging,Design your Own Garden
School Garden Day
• May 22, 2015 (4th Friday in May)• Launched at Castlebridge PS in Mississauga in 2013• 26 schools in 2014, representing over 2,000 students• Register on website, receive certificate for
participating
Local school garden entrepreneurs
Leila Mireskandari has started a small business using her own indoor/outdoor curricula developed at her daughter’s school. She plans to expand to new schools. See this video and visit kidsgrowingcity.ca for more details.
Elin Marley runs multiple school food garden programs in downtown east-end schools. She’s developed her own curriculum, and schools pay her for her time. She explains more in this video and check out her blog at seedlingstories.wordpress.com