Rain can't keep us down! Planning and Garden time

Happy happy Friday everyone! Today we have Andrea and Kathleen taking over the blog, and we’re so excited to share what we’ve learned! It is the end of our first of three weeks in the Orchard Garden and it has flown by. The brilliant sunshine of the past couple days has been taken over by some clouds and drizzling rain this morning, keeping us inside. This worked out well though because we had a busy morning planning the lesson we will be facilitating for a grade 3/4 class at Norma Rose Point Elementary  near UBC campus. The draw of this school is their focus on embedding cross curricular connections with the land and gardening. As a group we are excited to see the ‘rain garden’ space the school community has built, cares for, and learns from. The group quickly decided on an idea to do with the students, in which students will use clay to create ‘garden guardians’ that they will place throughout the garden. We collaborated and discussed how this could engage students in thinking about ways they can act as good stewards and develop a reciprocal relationship with the garden, both as individuals and as a school community.

After making our plan, we moved on to learning about bees. More specifically, Susan shared with the group the importance of various types of bees to garden ecosystems and how we can put different types of homes and plants to support their pollination. Based on the research of a previous student, the UBC Orchard garden is working towards planting a multi bloom garden including many native plant species, in hopes of increasing the productivity of the bees and garden working together. The group discussed how this research and pedagogy could be implemented in schools to encourage students to develop positive attitudes, stronger connections, and deeper learning about bee populations and pollination. By integrating these concepts into the curriculum, educators can foster a greater appreciation for bees and their crucial role in our ecosystem. Hands-on projects, such as creating bee habitats or participating in citizen science initiatives, can enhance students' understanding and commitment to environmental stewardship. 

The collaborative discussions we partook in highlighted the potential for these initiatives to inspire a new generation of environmentally conscious individuals dedicated to preserving and protecting pollinators. It was inspiring to hear different perspectives on how students can take ownership of hands-on projects, such as ADST initiatives like building bee hotels, which can integrate learning across the curriculum. We are also encouraged by the resources and grants available to new teachers, offering exciting experiential learning opportunities for students. Many members of the CFE group are particularly interested in exploring and learning more about self-created garden resources, such as grow-your-own mushroom kits and self-sustaining indoor garden systems. 

In the afternoon, the sun began to peek out from the clouds, making for another pleasant wee afternoon in the garden with Madi. We spent time weeding the delicate beet and chive garden beds—those thistle weeds sure grow quickly! Sadly the rain eventually pushed us out of our happy weeding but we made sure to do a little rain dance.

We've thoroughly enjoyed this week, finding the garden to be a place of peace and reflection. Many of us have commented on how calming and comforting it has been, offering a much-needed respite from our busy lives. The sense of community and connection we've built through our shared efforts has been so lovely. As we look forward to future garden adventures, we are excited! We're eager to continue learning, growing, and nurturing this beautiful space together.