Resources and Services
LifeCycles Growing Schools Program recognizes and responds to the need of Services and Resources to provide school communities with step-by-step guides to school garden projects. We offer consultation, training, a manual and curriculum to ensure the success of these initiatives. Our Resources and Services are offered to a certain number of schools each year with the support of our funders or can be provided at fee for service
Consultation
Our consultation includes raising school support for the project, developing the design, creating the application, liaison with School District Maintenance Department for the successful approval, implementation and long-term success of the garden.
Through our consultation we recommend and train teachers and parents involved in the garden project to provide all the skills to ensure the framework for sustainability of the project at each school. Our training series offers the following workshop series:
Adult Professional Development Training Series
This workshop series provides school community members the techniques required to ensure the success of any school ground initiative.
Getting Started Workshop
Offers new schools interested in creating a school garden project the ABC's to Getting Started. The workshop covers school garden history, creating a vision, a school garden timeline, who to contact and what to ask. These areas are the preliminary steps for a successful school garden initiative.
Partnerships Workshop
This workshop provides schools with the techniques for establishing partnerships with School District Maintenance, Steering Committees, Volunteers and clarifying roles and responsibilities. Building partnerships provides capacity for busy teachers and schools interested in creating and sustaining a school garden project.
Capacity Building Workshop
This workshop provides school with the techniques to develop funding, budgets, and Media outreach strategies. These examples and techniques will support schools in building funding capacity and community recognition for their school ground projects. This workshop series is an asset to new schools and schools interested to stabilizing their year round planning and project intentions.
Site Design Workshop
We will explore the design and location best suited for the garden and the school grounds. Attendees will have the opportunity to create techniques on how to design the garden beds and have the whole school participate in the process. Schools will also be provided templates to approach School Board Maintenance in acquiring site maps and location considerations.
Planting and Garden Maintenance Workshop
We will explore how to have a healthy garden, soil and compost, what to plant, caring for the garden, pest management, summer care and year round gardening. This workshop series offers school community members the training and knowledge to ensure a successful year round school garden project.
Curriculum Integration Workshop
Works with teachers and school community members to explore techniques of integrating the school garden into the classroom and using the out-door classroom. This workshop series offers themes and hands-on workshop curriculum examples which meet the Ministry of Education's Integrated Resources Plan requirements.
Resources
In 2000, our program created a basic manual to getting a garden project started and what is involved. This manual provides many answers to the commitment and how to for any school teacher or parent interested in starting a garden on the school grounds. "Creating an Outdoor Classroom-A Resource Manual for How to Run a School Garden" offers step by step implementation, design, maintenance, curriculum ideas, resource lists and templates for $30.00CAN. To purchase a copy of this manual contact our office.
Our program is publishing our school food garden curriculum activities delivered in our model programming from the past decade into an easy to use module that fulfils the Learning Outcomes of the British Columbia Ministry of Education Integrated Resource Plan and the year round activities in the garden. Stay posted for updates on our website or contact our office.
Our program was documented and compiled into a manual to share and support the development of satellite programs. This special resource is only available through the consultation of the Program Manager; please contact the office for more information in starting up a similar program or strengthening like work from our experience over the past decade.
