Are you teaching or a student in a course in the BEd program? Have you noticed how schools throughout the lower mainland and around the world are re-creating their schoolyards as outdoor classrooms? Are you wondering how to integrate gardens into your curriculum & pedagogy?
Well, spring has arrived, and it’s time to come to The Orchard Garden for rich, experiential, embodied, place-based teaching & learning opportunities across the curriculum.
Student teachers performing teaching in the outdoor classroom installation
Our team is largely comprised of undergraduate and graduate students in the Faculties of Education and Land & Food Systems (LFS) and supported by a strong network of community partners (see http://thinkeatgreen.ca). We work closely with instructors to develop one-class or multiple-class educational experiences with the garden that connect to relevant curricular and pedagogical issues at hand in your course.
The Orchard Garden is a unique outdoor classroom located behind the MacMillan Building, a short walk from Scarfe and Ponderosa (see map).
This student-run, inter-faculty garden project grows food for the Agora Cafe, for community sales, and to help connect students, staff, faculty members, and teachers (pre- and in-service) with growing food and garden-based education. Here are some ways to connect with The Orchard Garden on your own or with a class:
- Request plants to be grown for art projects (e.g., dyes), musical instruments (e.g., gourds), science experiments, math projects, etc. à advance notice required
- Come for a tour and/or work day to make tangible the pedagogy and curriculum of garden-based learning à 1-2 week notice
- Plan an assignment or project around the garden à 2 weeks + notice
- Develop an Inquiry Project, research project, or Enhanced Practicum à advance notice required
- Have class, meetings, or lunch outside and enjoy the beautiful setting! àNo notice, simply email theorchardgarden.educ@gmail.com for our records after your visit
- Attend special events and workshops in the garden (e.g., Arts in the Garden, April 6, 2013)
Examples of class visit themes include: math, critical thinking, history & social studies, biology, art, philosophy of education, indigenous education, language education, and so much more!
For more information or to plan a visit or project in the garden, please take a look at our website and contact us:
