Connect with Nature

School food gardens help us to deepen our appreciation and understanding of our physical, emotional, and spiritual connections with nature. School food gardens promote cooperative learning and stimulate students’ curiosity about the natural world, helping them to become stewards for whole and healthy ecosystems and the people that live in them. Additionally, participation in outdoor and garden activities have been shown to contribute to cognitive development, psychological growth and social skill learning, positively affecting physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

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Resources for Connect with Nature

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Vegetable Garden Colouring Book

This colouring book is a great way for young children to begin naming and recognizing objects, food, critters and more that they might see in the garden.

Understanding Organic Curriculum (Grades 6-12, Web)

Roving Reporter: What's in a Garden?

This is a great video to show students to help them learn where their food comes from.

Roving Reporter: Time for a Snack

Not only are gardens fun spaces to learn but they are fun spaces to snack! Nourish Nova Scotia’s Roving Reporter visits a school food garden to talk about healthy snacking and growing.

The Nature Playbook

This online book is a great resource to support your teaching of the impact of nature on health and well being.

"How to Save Your Own Seeds" & "Every Seed Tells a Tale" by Seeds of Diversity Canada

This handbook has all you need to know to get out in the garden and inspire students by exploring the power of the seed and the starting point of all of our produce.

Agriculture in the Classroom (Web)

Did you know each elementary school in Nova Scotia can receive a windowsill garden kit at no cost?! This will allow you to grow lettuce at your windowsill.

"Edible Schoolyard: A Universal Idea" by Alice Waters

Story of a successful school food garden in California and is a visionary model for sustainable farming and childhood nutrition.

“Groundbreaking Food Gardens” by Niki Jabbour

Expert advice on garden keeping such as creating pollinator-friendly beds, controlling critters, teaming with microbes, and much more! (Amazon)

Garden Tips by Month (Web)

This web page gives garden tips and tricks that are region-specific every month.

Indoor Gardening Resources (Web)

Find blog posts that can assist you in growing herbs, greens, and more indoors!

Guide to Vermi-Composting for Beginners

You can set up your own vermi-composter using readily available materials, and can start harvesting nutrient-rich compost after only 4–6 months.

Compost Creators Lesson (Grade 3)

This hands-on lesson teaches students about the properties of soil and how composting is important to the environment.

Local Waste Educators (Web)

Find a list of contacts of local waste educators in your area.

Pest Identification Guide (Web)

Identify pests via pictures and follow through the link for more information.

Curriculum Connection

Exploring Ecosystems: Foster care and understanding of garden ecology.Have students explore, describe and report on biotic factors and conditions for growth. Gardens provide an opportunity to study structures and interactions in a natural system.

Nurturing Exploration in Nature: Many poets and writers draw inspiration from nature, as can students. Provide opportunities for reading and creative writing in the garden, or bring the garden to the classroom! Through classic and contemporary literature, students can explore themes of the natural world and be encouraged to reflect, meditate and nurture their own spirituality and creative potential.

Story from the Field: Connect with Community

The vegetable beds at our school are a great addition to the natural playground. The students get to see the connections between the growing, harvesting, and eating firsthand. It becomes part of their daily experience-right at our backdoor! The students’ hands-on contributions inspire their ownership of the project. The connection between the community kitchen at our school and the garden creates a positive synergy that is rooted in stewardship-taking care of ourselves, taking care of others and taking care of the world.- Principal