Vision

Our vision as a school community is to research and practice the skills associated with creating a sustainable environmentally friendly garden. We believe that our students should be knowledgeable on how to plant, grow and use the variety of vegetables and herbs in their home gardens. Developing those skills in the young generation would reduce the waste that people generate and help decrease the pollution of the planet. We would like to create a welcoming environment where students can explore, learn and achieve life skills that are going to help them be responsible and respectful members of our community.

Action

The grant money was used to purchase soil, planters, vegetable, fruit, and herb seeds. As a school community staff will guide students on the necessary processes to grow and maintain these plants. At year end students will be able to take home individual plants to keep in their own gardens. Through our school kitchen program students will have opportunities to use similar vegetables, fruits, and herbs to prepare nutritious meals. The goal is to provide students with the tools to manage all the aspects of growing produce at home and transferring it to the dinner plant. Ultimately this reduces the environmental impact of buying fresh produce from the grocery store and reinforces the benefits of healthy food choices.

With the winter fast approaching, we wanted to get the outside garden ready for use in the spring. We knew that we would not be able to plant vegetable plants outside by the end of May 2024 or beginning of June, but we wanted to use the garden in early spring. We cleaned the garden and planted some bulbs such as tulips, crocus, daffodils and snowdrops. We learned how deep the bulbs need to be and the space that needs to be left in between. There was quite a lot of time spent on designing the garden and determining the location of each bulb.

In March we started with planting vegetable seeds to get our own plants for tomatoes. We covered the planter with a rapping foil to keep the moisture in the soil. We noticed that not all the seeds came out. We are not aware of the reasons for this. We would say that only about one third of the seeds came out. We kept them covered for about 2 weeks or until the plants were tall enough to touch the cover. We were watering them once a week with lukewarm water. The planter was placed on a big window on the south side of the school. The plants received maximum possible sunlight.

In April we decided that the tomato plants are too close to each other and we replanted them in small individual pots. We were hoping that we will do everything very gently so we do not destroy the roots of the plants. We were extremely happy the next day to see that all the plants were alive and doing well. As of the moment we have a variety of plants, some are about 15 cm tall and some are about 5-6 cm.

By the end of the school year students are going to take the plants and plant them in their own home garden. The goal is for every student to take one plant at home. If they do not have a backyard garden we are going to provide them with a big pot where the tomato plant can continue to grow. We are going to connect again in September of the next school year to discuss the success and the difficulties that each student has witnessed. We are hoping to learn and do better in the following season.

During the school year we were cooking and baking in our kitchen. Students were responsible for selecting a recipe, placing an order for the necessary ingredients and cooking/ baking during school time. The entire process was a lot of fun and students mastered their measurement skills, following instructions and communication skills. We find that work in the kitchen contributed to the team building in our school community. Students share their final meal with staff and friends. Any left over food was given to the students to take home.

Reflection & Celebration

Our goal for next year is to further develop the program. We are going to build an inside garden where students can plant and grow vegetables and herbs all year round. The herbs, for example mint, parsley then will be used in our kitchen for the cooking recipe. We are going to continue to have flowers to decorate our classrooms. We are going open for new ideas and improvement from anyone in our community.

Students enjoy hands-on learning activities and they are receptive to continue to engage and contribute to building a sustainable environmentally friendly garden.