Strengthen the School Community
School Food Gardens are collaborative by nature and bring communities together. School food gardens provide ideal opportunities for community development and engagement in an experiential learning environment. Gardens can support cross-aged buddies programs and function as intergenerational bridges, creating important opportunities for older adults and children to socialize and transfer ideas from one generation to the next. School food gardens provide a perfect opportunity to apply this good practice to strengthen school communities, enhance food literacy across generations and cultures, and celebrate the contributions of all.
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Curriculum Connection
Valuing Volunteers: Explore the ideas of volunteerism and community with the class. Students can engage in a range of creative and purposeful writing activities, such as creating invitations and recruitment letters, writing volunteer role descriptions and penning thank you cards or poems to the community members that give their time to helping the garden grow.
Story from the Field: Growing Together
When we were finished doing the work and the kids were taking a break on the grass, we got a visit from a lady who lives across the street from the school. She came over with cherries and sliced watermelon for the kids. It was so wonderful, we sat on the grass and chatted, and had an impromptu picnic! She was a member of the local garden club and said she would keep and eye on the garden for us over the summer. We had left over manure and told her that we would leave it there for any of the members of her garden club to help themselves! - Community Volunteer
Explore other Guiding Practices
Plan, Evaluate and Share
Learn in the Garden
Connect with Nature
Co-Create Welcoming and Inclusive Spaces
Create a Safe Environment
Sustaining School Food Gardens