Orchard Garden CFE Day 8

And so we have passed the halfway mark at the UBC Orchard Garden CFE!

Today we spent an exciting and interesting day at the UBC Botanical Garden, guided by Tamara Litke and her own CFE group. I was a little late due to my thinking the garden started on the north eastern side as opposed to the south western side, but all the same I figured it out just in time to get our pizza order arranged. 

Tamara and her summer student Ilan greeted us at the entrance, and took us first to a viewpoint overlooking the ocean. Tamara spoke to us a bit about the history of the botanical garden, and the many different kinds of plant species within it (apparently there are over 50 000! I found that astonishing). 

After that, our group headed into the garden itself, and our first stop was beneath a MASSIVE cedar tree that looked to be at least 70 feet tall. It turns out that rotting cedar bark that has fallen onto the ground can actually help other plants grow - I'm constantly fascinated by how well nature works together to grow and thrive as a community. 

The group spoke a lot about land-based learning, and Tamara told us about how so many kids in and around Vancouver don't get the chance to spend time outdoors and simply experience nature. Having grown up in Montreal, where there is far less nature and fewer opportunities to spend time outside (winter is brutal over there), I could relate to Tamara's stories very closely. 

 After a couple more stops, the group headed through the tunnel that runs beneath Marine Drive and emerged out onto the north eastern side, which felt very different from the south western side. The latter was much more like a canopy, with high-reaching trees and lush plants, while the former seemed more practical and food production-based. Tamara told us that this was a great place to bring students, and I frankly wish I could have taken my kids to see all the varieties of vegetables growing in that garden.

We took a little break and sat down in the shade, while two of the Botanical Garden CFE students showed us the presentation they were preparing for next week. They had displayed two huge pinecones that were prickly and fun to touch, as well as some plants and a seed guessing game. What I really liked about what they had prepared was that it will give students the chance to touch and experience the materials, which they will certainly have been dying to do all day. 

Finally, before the pizza arrived, Tamara and her colleague took us to another section of the garden tucked away in the back, and this garden was dedicated especially to healing plants. We discussed how before there were things like doctors and hospitals, people who were sick sought out those who were knowledgeable about plants and natural medicines. It's interesting to think about how much the industrial world devalues natural, organic lifestyles, and how there is so much knowledge that nature contains that has been either forgotten or simply pushed aside. It's sad, in a way.

The pizza was GREAT! We started chowing down around 1:20, and it was really nice to just sit, eat and talk with the teacher candidates in the botanical garden CFE (two of whom are in my practicum). Overall, I thought it was a really great day, and despite having visited the Botanical Garden once before, I left today feeling like I learned a lot and definitely want to apply some of that knowledge in my future classrooms!