My Community Field Experience (CFE) was completed at UBC Farm. UBC Farm offers educational tours, however few secondary schools choose to do a trip to the farm. To help promote these tours at the high school level, I was tasked with creating a short curriculum to be used with a high school tour, with a specific focus on Home Economics.

This experience was a great experience because it highlighted both the advantages and disadvantages to learning in an outdoor setting. It provides learning outside of a classroom environment which I believe help with student motivation. It is also a time for students to reconnect with nature and be present in their surroundings. Disadvantages included the lack of indoor space should weather be disagreeable and the lack of materials and resources available at the Farm. Being able to communicate with several members of the Farm definitely helped in the completion of this project.

Working in the Intergenerational Health Research and Education Garden (IHREG)

I was also given the opportunity to explore many of the different programs offered at the farm, many of which are Indigenous initiatives such as the Tu’wuscht Project, The Feast Bowl and the Intergenerational Health Research and Education Garden. There are also many children’s programs such as the Landed Learning Project and Farm Discover summer camps. Observing these programs really show how learning outside is beneficial; everyone gets a chance to explore and learn about their surrounds and themselves in a non-traditional setting, all the while keeping everything fun.