Growing Schools

The Growing Schools Program is one of LifeCycles' many projects that educates about food security, urban agriculture, the environment, community development and health through the creation of an organic food garden on the school grounds. Our program has a solid reputation of working in partnership with schools and the District Facilities Department to implement long-term garden projects.

Our vision is a garden in every school. Our Program offers an inspiration and a successful model for schools to implement gardens on the school grounds to use as an out-door classroom.

The garden is an educational tool to engage students, teachers, parents and school community members in the learning of how to grow food and a classroom for these topics. This classroom supports the different learning styles of all students.

The Growing Schools Program offers partnering schools the delivery of our model workshop series. Our team educates the participating students hands-on in the classroom and outside in the garden. The program offers participating students and teachers a minimum of three integrated hands-on workshops throughout the course of the school year:

1) In-Door Spring Planting,
2) Out-Door Spring Planting and
3) Fall Putting the Garden to Rest

These workshops fulfill the major activities of the garden during the cycle of a year in the food garden. Our program matches the hands-on garden activities with small group curriculum based learning. Our model curriculum supports the Learning Outcomes of the Ministry of Education and addresses subjects such as Science, Social Studies, and Math, exploring topics such as: Where Our Food Comes From, Pollination and its Pollinators, Environmental Education, Global Food Systems and our role in contributing to these issues.

For more information email growingschools@lifecyclesproject.ca