Vision

Our vision was to work together as a school to create a sensory garden that would support good mental health and wellness (especially to support our students with special needs) while also helping to create Identity affirming outdoor spaces. By creating a sensory garden from native plants and plants that serve as food, students would be able to learn about ways to promote sustainability and help mitigate climate change. We hoped to create a community garden with the support of many teachers and students around the school. Staff, students and community partners were asked to choose plants that reflected their identities, cultures, and interests, in hopes that we would collectively create identity affirming spaces.

Action

The students, staff and teachers were interested on learning more about sustainability and climate change through the creation of a traveling sensory garden for mental health and wellness based on plants chosen by the students that represented them and their identities in order to help create identity affirming spaces. Many native plants, including pollinators and plants that provide food and vegetables and spices were chosen through input via google form, class activities and active participation from the Green Inc environmental school club. Also, many meeting with the Student Services team were held to understand what the students with special needs would want in this garden. The intensive class, DD class and other specialized classes helped to plan, order and create the garden. They helped to plant the garden.
This project related to sustainability and climate change because it provided multiple opportunities to discuss climate change and ways to mitigate climate change. Students discussed food security and how growing food would help with this issue. Moreover, being part of the process inspired students to take an interest in plants, gardening and actions to help mitigate climate change. Students were inspired by this issue for many reasons. Some were active members of Green inc and have been learning about these topics from our club. Others were interested in sensory gardens and how they help with mental health and wellness. Also, a community partner who is Indigenous and focusses on indigenous science brought many science students on a nature walk where students ate Sumac, garlic mustard and dandelions. This further inspired students to want to make use of the school grounds as a source for food. Because the students and staff were interested to learn more about how a sensory garden would help with mental health, they helped to plan and order plants that showcased their interests (favourite scents and colours).
The sensory garden was called “travelling” because the plants were not all planted immediately so that they could be accessible for everyone. For example, some students are in wheel chairs and cannot reach the ground. Moreover, this Travelling set up was also placed in the library temporarily to be enjoyed by all students. The teacher librarian incorporated the native plants on display on her lesson on butterflies.
Finally, Student Services and science classes, along with Green inc and any volunteers from the school helped to plan and plant the plants in planters and around the school pond by working as a team. First, volunteers from the school community as well as science and Green Inc students helped to prepare the planters and beds to help assist students with special needs (and make it easier for them to plant). The students and their teachers helped plant many of the plants. Next, many other classes helped to plant the rest of the plants. They chose plants that that reflected their interests and cultural backgrounds.
Thus, the travelling Sensory garden became incorporated into the school environment as a permanent Sensory Garden.

Reflection & Celebration

This was extremely important to our school community because it focused on student voice and choice and created Identity affirming spaces. It taught and encouraged students to take tangible steps to help mitigate climate change. It focused on good mental health. It brought many departments together to plan and produce a garden. This nurtured community building and helped students develop skills needed to help combat climate change.
Students learned skills necessary to help them live healthier, such as how to grow and harvest fresh food. They also learned how to order, plan and plant a garden. Teachers learned how to help create a community garden and nurture community connections.
Identity-Affirming indoor and outdoor spaces were created. A focus on Good Mental health was also supported by the creation of the Sensory Garden.