Manitou Elementary School

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About our Garden

What grade levels worked in the garden and did you or another teacher link some of your curriculum outcomes to the garden?

Grades 3-6

Yes, we do environmental topics, healthy eating leadership and with the vegetables and fruit we baked for our "Breakfast Club". As well, we made soup for our students.

What vegetables/fruit do you grow in your garden? What do you have a difficult time growing in your school garden?

-beans, potatoes, carrots, beets, lettuce, tomatoes, peas, pumpkins, cucumbers. (apples from our apple tree)

-Although things start off well in dry years our gardens require a lot of watering as they may not receive enough rain in the summer months.

What classes participate in the garden, what subjects are taught in the garden?

Grades 3-6. Environmental topics, healthy eating leadership and with the vegetables and fruit we baked for our "Breakfast Club". As well, we made soup for our students.

Who manages the garden day to day? Who manages the garden over the Summer break?

Students in the garden club are grades 3 -6. Mrs. Seymour, for the most part, works with the students. (planting and upkeep) Mrs. Morrow helps too. Over the summer, Mrs. Seymour and occasionally community members assist. Some even as they walk by our gardens will pick weeds and take items to use at their homes.

What do you do with the harvest from your garden? Do you have a harvest celebration? Do you use it in the cafeteria, or culinary classes? Do you donate some of the produce?

-Bake and cook with the produce. Although we do not have a formal celebration, we gather as a club to celebrate and share our harvest. We do not donate our produce as our gardens are only big enough to support our school groups.

Do you have community involvement? Do you have parents and volunteers? Have been able to source other funding to help your garden grow?

There are some volunteers from the community and it varies as to how many are able to give their time.

What are your future plans for the school garden?

Maintain and continue to produce veggies. As well it is our hope that with the new equipment that we begin growing all year. Both vegetables and flowers. We are becoming more independent with our annuals as we grow our own from the seeds that are donated from Mackenzie Seeds.