Upper Canada College Learning Garden

The UCC Learning Garden began in 2005, based on an initiative among the students, staff, teachers and community.  Our mission in the garden is to integrate food, culture, curriculum and culture.  We are an urban, all-boys independent school, from sk-grade 12.  Our 35 acre campus was filled with manicured green spaces, but there were no places for children to explore and connect with earth.  While our student population is affluent, conversations about food revealed that most boys only saw food coming from groceries stores.  To address this issue, we formed a team and together we designed and created a space where students could grow, harvest and enjoy vegetables right outside their traditional classroom spaces.  This outdoor Learning Garden has become a cornerstone in our inquiry-based Primary program.  While there is no formal role to oversee the garden, for the past 11 years, we have been in teacher-gardener roles; working with classrooms, students and teachers to help develop programs where students can be outside and learning.  It began with a Green Club and a healthy snack workshop, and now has blossomed into a learning space where all students in Primary get outside to experience the garden.  Members of the surrounding community help care for the garden, and in the summer, we host workshops for the inner-city youth on gardening.  We also donate a portion of our harvest to local food banks.