Hello! It is Lexie and Caelan here again. Today the Orchard Garden CFE took a trip to Richmond to visit two different school gardens.
Our first stop was at McMath Secondary, where Ms. Philpots and the CFE students at McMath showed us around their awesome garden and learning spaces. On the property, they have a settler veggie garden, an Indigenous garden, lots of outdoor learning spaces, and more plans in the works. It was very inspiring to see how much they have done to create a variety of functional outdoor learning spaces.
The school Indigenous garden is an educational space dedicated to supporting plants that want to be in the ecosystem. There are placards with the plants’ names in English and French, and they are in the process of consultation to record the hǝn̓q̓ǝmin̓ǝm̓ names as well. We were impressed with the amount of place-based decisions going into the learning and outdoor spaces at the school. Ms. Philpots showed us activities that integrated the histories of the specific land the school is placed on.
The Indigenous Garden at McMath
Ms. Philpots explained the value of having different types of learning spaces for students and teachers outside. Some spaces may lend themselves well to group work, while others are more suited to lecture-style instruction, or independent reflection. McMath has a tremendous instructional area in front of one of their gardens with seats made out of logs and even a whiteboard! This space is similar to one inside the classroom, so it helps to break down potential perceived barriers to learning outside.
One of the outdoor learning spaces at McMath Secondary.
After our trip to McMath, our group visited Tomekichi Homma Elementary where Ms. Regan gave us a tour of their garden and outdoor learning space. We also got to observe her teach a class outdoors on healthy eating!
One thing that we really noticed was how structured the chaos of learning outside was. The students clearly knew their routines and expectations. They listened respectfully when it was time to listen and enthusiastically explored their outdoor classroom when it was time to explore!
Before it was playtime, each student got a pak choi seed that they could plant in the garden. This small and simple act made them co-gardners and it was so cute to see them get excited about planting something themselves. It was exciting to see that even though the students don’t yet know about the more complex aspects of gardening, they are still learning the basics that can develop into a practiced skill as they get older. As Secondary teachers we hear the word “scaffolding” a lot, however, in our age demographic the beginning step usually requires some degree of background knowledge which is then developed upon (such as reading or writing). It was eye-opening to see scaffolding happen at this age when the building block is as simple as putting some seeds in the dirt. But knowing how deep to plant a seed, the difference between plant and weed, and that weeds need to be pulled up for the root at an elementary age is more than I knew, and is such a great and simple foundation they can take with them into the future.
A chalkboard that teachers can use when teaching outside at Homma Elementary.
Ms. Regan had set up many choices for students as a part of their class. She had tables set up for journaling, drawing, reading, and playing with toy food. She also gave students the option to weed, and we were pleasantly surprised to see that weeding was the most popular choice! As teachers, we know that choice is an important aspect of giving students autonomy in their learning. It was great to see how choice can be structured in an outdoor learning environment.
One of the Garden boxes at Homma Elementary.
Stations that were set up for the students in Sarah’s class to explore healthy eating.
Loose parts that students can play with in the outdoor classroom. Students seemed to particularly love the rubber tires.
At the end of our visit with the students at Homma Elementary, they had the opportunity to tell us about what they do outside in their class. The students were excited to tell us about how they play, learn how to garden, and eat lots of great produce. It was apparent how much the students enjoyed their time outside.
One question that came up several times throughout the day was what do you do when the weather is not cooperating? The overall response we got from Ms. Philpots and Ms. Regan was to set the expectation for the students that they will be outside rain or shine, and have extra weather-appropriate gear available. Homma has a lending library where students can take and leave outdoor gear to share. Ms. Philpots said that she keeps rain ponchos available in her classroom for students. This is a great suggestion for teachers who are trying to get their classroom outside even when it is wet or cold!
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