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Grandview Garden

Grandview¿uuqinak’uuh Elementary Garden Happenings

At Grandview¿uuqinak’uuh Elementary School, we are in full swing with spring growth. This is the perfect time to look back at the seeds we’ve planted since the beginning of the year to get to this point where the students are harvesting, cooking, and connecting with the native plants growing.

We are fortunate to receive funding from Vancouver Coastal Health which allows for me to spend two days at the school teaching and cooking with the students. Every student at Grandview¿uuqinak’uuh Elementary School spends at least 30 minutes a week learning outdoors in the garden. Many more spend even more time helping out in the garden at recess!

I’ve been learning right alongside the students. In fall, we learned alongside the school’s Indigenous Education Enhancement Worker how to harvest and dry medicinal tobacco and sage leaves to share with our local community. We noticed how the seasons changed and that nothing is better than raking the biggest leaf pile and jumping in it (teachers included!) We learned that plants make seeds, which we can harvest and save for future years. We celebrated the harvest season by learning to cut apples with knives and making pumpkin granola bites.

In winter, we learned about the water cycle and that we can create creeks and lakes in our schoolyard. We learned what creatures live in the garden and how they store food for the winter. We reintroduced the beloved salad bar and cooked kale chips, delicate squash, and many salad dressings. We shared pride in cooking and sharing a meal together and found joy in trying new foods. We celebrated Lunar New Year by cooking dumplings and thinking about how other cultures ring in the new year.

Class taco lunch! Every student helped make this lunch possible by chopping vegetables, shredding lettuce, grating cheese, and setting the table.

And now, here we are in spring. We’ve planted our garden with old and new favourites. We’ve cared for our worms, making them many houses, and learned to conserve water. Right now, we’re in the midst of watching our strawberries get pollinated and begin to grow their new fruit. We’re learning about our local native plants by making medicinal teas. Soon, we will wrap up our school year with a month of harvesting for salads, spring rolls, and pesto which we will cook outside.

Medicinal plant teas, complete with chive straws and dandelion umbrellas. Tea includes flower red currant flowers, oregon grape leaves, Nootka rose petals, lemon balm, and mint.

Spending time in the garden connects us with the land. Many students share that the garden is their favourite place at school. It’s the place they can get messy, make “candies” to share out of leaves and flowers, care for the plants and animals, and learn hands-on. We’re grateful for the opportunity, time and funding to fully give back, connect, enjoy and engage with the land.

One class is participating in FarmFolk CityFolk’s citizen seed trial. They are growing, observing and collecting data on different types of peas, turnips and radishes. Soon we will do our taste tests to share with scientists which varieties are the yummiest and healthiest.

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Farm Fresh Cooking

On every Fresh Roots farm this summer, children and youth are harvesting fresh veggies and cooking up a feast! So what are we cooking? 

 

Salad Mondays

Or any day! We love a hearty ginormous salad to kick off our week. Sometimes we make it in a bowl, other times in a tote bin the size of a small bathtub. Add in heaps of salad greens, swiss chard stems, chopped hakurei turnips, and sprinkle on edible flowers. Then we top it all with our Fresh Roots Famous Salad Dressing. Bon appetite!

 

Snack Attack

We love our snacks. It’s hard not to snack as you farm. Throughout the week you’ll find us in an indoor or outdoor kitchen whipping up batches of beet brownies, flower fritters, pesto, and the well-loved smoothie. 

 

Community Eats

After cooking all morning, nothing beats sitting down to a fresh meal with friends. Every week there is a new community eats menu. We’ve had tacos, chana masala, soba noodles, and more!

 

Test out the black bean taco recipes for your next group meal!

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Field Trips | Bringing Learning to Life

By Crystal Mai, Community Education Facilitator

Hello everyone! My name is Crystal, and I’m entering my fourth year and studying Food, Nutrition, and Health at the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC. I am very grateful for the opportunity to volunteer with Fresh Roots this summer – learn more about me in my previous blog about the Norquay Sharing Garden. I’m very excited to take you on a virtual tour of our field trip today!

Fresh Roots field trips allow students to embrace the farm and nature in an outdoor classroom setting. Through the 2-hour-field trip, students will be engaged with a farm work experience and taste farm-fresh veggies when available, and the benefits are more than beyond. 

 

Youth connection with the food, the land, and each other

Educating youth about the origins of their food can take numerous forms, ranging from essential agricultural work to fun tasting journeys. All of these activities benefit youth by teaching them the importance of nutritious fresh food and boosting their food literacy skills. 

Food literacy skills gained from our field trips contribute to youth food security by achieving the food planting and utilization dimensions. I hope to educate youth on essential farming skills, sustainable food selection and eating behaviours, and long-term food budget-stretching by improving food literacy.

 

Youth Development Through Agriculture

By using urban schoolyard farms as classrooms, youth can connect and learn about food and the food system on a practical level, while introducing them to urban farming as a means to improve local food security. Alongside the food and farm work, students will also gain critical thinking, public speaking, and leadership skills. 

Let’s take a virtual tour of one of our field trip sessions at David Thompson secondary schoolyard farm. The MicroFarm on June 10 was one of the most enjoyable sessions I’ve ever hosted, as we had a group of lovely kindergarteners joining. 

 

Activity 1- Tiny Treasures Hunting 

Our students explored the farm and collected 12 small objects in an egg carton to closely observe the farm’s tiny plants. This activity taught children about the various types of plants that grow on the farm and allowed them to compare and contrast their textures. 

Activity 2- Tasting Journey 

Students got to taste the seasonal foods growing on the farm, such as radishes, sweet chards, and sage flowers. With the tasting, students better understood the concept of seasonal food, sustainable food selection, and how an urban farm is cultivated to nourish the community.

Activity 3- Tiny Creatures Hunting 

By digging in the soil, children explored and learned about different tiny friends living on the farm, such as worms, rolly-pollies, ladybugs, and spiders, while understanding how they interact with and contribute to the farming. 

Activity 4- Design a Mini Farm

Students were given wood pieces, strings, rocks, and plants to build their own mini-farms to strengthen their understanding of how each portion of the farm interacts with one another and the ecosystem as a whole.    

SUMMER DAY CAMPS & FALL FIELD TRIPS – COMING SOON!

We would love for you to join us on the schoolyard farms!

Spots are still available for selected camps, check out the webpage for more information: https://freshroots.ca/education/camp/

More field trip sessions will be coming back in fall, stay tuned on the website: https://freshroots.ca/education/field-trips/

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What to do this Earth Day?

By Andrea Lucy, Experiential Learning Program Lead

Hip hip hooray for Earth Day! On April 22nd, over 1,000,000,000 people around the world will take action to protect the planet. This 52nd annual Earth Day is a reminder to treat the planet with respect, kindness, and care for our current and future communities.

There are many ways to participate in Earth Day (and every day) digitally and in-person:

Great Worldwide Cleanup

Like Hansel and Gretel, humans leave a trail of breadcrumbs in the form of trash. It’s a very material reminder of our collective impact on the planet. All around the world, neighbours get together on Earth Day to clean up beaches, parks, rivers, and more. Or, try “plogging”, the popular new exercise started in Sweden of picking up trash while you jog. Bonus: you help clean up plastic pollution. Double Bonus: you get added stretching and strengthening.

Cleanups Near You

 

Restore Our Earth Lessons

Calling all teachers: Learn about restoring our earth while restoring our hope! This is a great learning resource created by the Earth Day Network covering, five opportunities for restoration over five days. The lessons include the topics: ecosystem services, carbon cycle, food sustainability, ecosystem restoration, and civic engagement. There are activity suggestions for elementary and secondary grades.

Restore Our Earth Education Lessons

 

Letters to the Earth

What world are you dreaming of for your future? What are your fears and hopes? Letters to the Earth offers community and education toolkits to create your letter in whatever way feels powerful to you, then share it with those who need to listen. Their education toolkit includes prompts, science experiments and drama activities to help classes get started. Send your letters out in a letter-writing campaign to politicians to let them know why they should care, what you want (like a wishlist), and what they should do now. 

Letters to the Earth Toolkit

Celebrate with Food, Art & Activities

Celebrate Earth Day with experiential activities created by Fresh Roots. Try our famous salad dressing, learn how food and climate change are connected, contribute to scientific research, and create art with food waste.

Fresh Roots Earth Day Activities & Recipes

Feel Empowered by Soil

It’s stressful and scary to learn about and experience climate change. Looking for a shimmer of hope? Some of us at Fresh Roots have been learning more about sustainable agriculture practices that care for the soil ecosystem. The neat added benefit? Healthy soil sequesters (removes) carbon dioxide from the air and stores it. Scientists estimate that if more farmers care for their soils with sustainable practices, climate change can actually be reversed. Care for the soil, and it will care for you!

Soil Carbon video by Soil Food Web School

What are you doing to celebrate Earth Day today and every day?

 

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6 Vegetables Kids Will Love

By Andrea Lucy, Experiential Learning Program Lead

With planting season upon us, we’re prepping our farm beds with vegetables kids love! The farm is a place to experiment and experience. Kids are introduced to the wonderfulness of vegetables in a low-pressure environment through taking “adventure bites” of new veggies, making art with crops, playing games, and planting seeds. Vegetables can bring us joy in many different ways.

Over the years, we have found kids have a special liking for some specific vegetables. Whether you’re planting your own garden or looking for new vegetables to introduce to the dinner table, here are some favourites to try:


Peas

Peas of any colour and shape are well-loved! We plant a number of varieties, including Parsley Pea, Sugar Ann, Dwarf Grey Sugar, and Purple Mist. Now is the perfect time to begin planting them for a late spring harvest, and we can replant them in late summer for a fall harvest. Enjoy the crunchy pods and the tender new leaves.

 


Tokyo Bekana

This mustard crop was a huge hit amongst campers last year! The leaves and buttery and the stems are crunchy. A perfect addition to salads, spring rolls, sushi, and even blended-in smoothies. But if we’re being honest, the kids’ favourite way to eat it was straight from the ground in handfuls.

 

 

Hakurei Turnips

These Japanese-bred turnips are a huge hit! The circular white root is smooth and sweet. While they can grow quite large, kids seem to like them best when they are young and bit size. We love cutting them up raw and eating them with a yummy greek yogurt dip.


Carrots

There is nothing kids enjoy harvesting more than pulling a carrot out of the ground. We like surprising them with a purple or yellow carrot. Depending on the variety, carrots can be planted year-round on the coast. If kids are impatiently waiting for the carrots to grow to size, have them try the carrot-flavour leaves.


Lemon Cucumbers

Although it’s still a little early to plant lemon cucumbers, they are a treat worth waiting for. They are small, round, yellow cucumbers with a juicy and crunchy lemon flavour. It’s the perfect summer treat. We grow them draping over the side of a raised bed so all the kids can reach them. Wipe the little prickles off the cucumber’s peel with a towel, and it’s ready to munch and crunch.


Sorrel

Like sour candies? Then this is the plant for you! The leaves contain an acid that makes them sour and tart like a lemon. Nibble raw or add them to salads, sour soups, or a layer in spanakopita. This may be the most citrus-tasting leaf you ever try.

Taste them on the farm!

Come visit our farm to taste and grow these delicious veggies and more!

Sign up for a spring Vancouver Farm Field Trip for your class

Grow, harvest, and cook all week-long at Camp Fresh Roots this summer

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Meet the Flame Weeder: Why We’re Using Fire on the Farm

By Andrea Lucy, Experiential Learning Program Lead

Last year, we wrote about how weeds can be used as food and medicine. Now I’m about to tell you that at Fresh Roots we remove most of our weeds. Surprised?

We’ve got a problem. It’s as thick as weeds out there on the farm. Whether you view weeds in a good or bad light, we have WAY too many! From February to October, our farmers spend the time planting. From February to February, our farmers weed, over and over and over again. It’s a losing battle, nature has a leg up on us. And it’s a shame. Not only does it mean it’s more difficult and time-consuming for us to grow beautiful, large produce to share with the community, but it also means students spend less time planting, caring for sprouts, and harvesting because the time is consumed by weeding.

But, we have a solution. Introducing the flame weeder!

Fresh Roots farmer with a flame weeder in July. The flame weeder is burning all the weeds in the carrot beds, helping our little carrots germinate and sprout without competition for nutrients and water.

Did your jaw drop? Mine did too at first when I heard we use this. After last year’s wildfires that wreaked through interior BC, the last thing we want is fire on the landscape. Right? Not necessarily. As our farmers have shown, the difference here is that the flame weeder is a very controlled fire. We choose where the small fire goes, and have all the resources at the ready to put the fire out when we want to.

Here are a few reasons why a flame weeder is a beneficial tool on our farms:

  • Helps us grow food organically without the use of pesticides.
  • Reclaim farmland we can’t use otherwise due to the forest of weeds
  • Increases efficiency (eg: less labour weeding = more food to market)
  • More time for education, less time weeding
  • Learning with plants year-round. During the winter many classes visit our farms, but because of our issues with weeds, we have to cover all our rows with black tarps to try to smother the weeds during winter. Therefore, visiting classes can’t engage with any winter crops or plants.
  • Can practice no-till method with the flame weeder, meaning we don’t destroy the delicate network of bacteria, fungi, invertebrates, and nutrients built up in the soil. The no-till method also reduces soil erosion.

We’ve got a plan, now all we need are a couple more flame weeders to add to our toolkit.

 

Using controlled fire on the landscape is nothing new, but it’s something we’ve forgotten in the last 150 years of colonization. Dr. Amy Christianson’s and many other Indigenous scholars and firefighters’ work on “Good Fire” is bringing this sustainable tradition back to light, during a time it’s desperately needed. This Ologies podcast with host Alie Ward and guest Dr. Amy Christianson is an eye-opening introduction to Indigenous Fire Ecology . The Good Fire podcast goes even deeper, with an emphasis on the BC context.

To learn more about the good, the bad, and the ugly of weeds, try out some of the hands-on activities here:

Needy Weedy Activities

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A Day at Camp Fresh Roots

Fresh Roots campers come back year after year to join us in games, veggie snacks, learning activities, and caring for the diversity of plants and animals on the farm. Here’s a glimpse into what a day at camp is like:

 

Good Morning!

After camp check-in, we start the morning together. We may start with a game to get to know one another better. Or, we may begin with a morning stretch, song, or colouring activity.

 

Caring for the Farm

The farm feeds us, so we nourish it with time, attention and care. You can find us planting seeds, watering sprouts, and weeding. We learn how to use tools big and small to get the job done! This time often turns into discovery and observation of the critters calling the soil home. And yes, we love to get messy in our exploration! 


 

Run and Play

It’s hard to stay still when there is so much room to play! We love playing games together. During our games, we pretend to be fruit salad, decomposers, or plants chased by farmers.

 

Lunch and Munch

After a busy morning, we all sit down together for lunch. We love to read stories while we eat. Wait until later this week when we all prepare a lunch meal together, dessert included!

 

Art and Imagination

The farm is full of inspiration for arts and crafts. We may make a bug hotel for our little friends, a collage, paint a pot for our new little seed. Each day we create something different. 

 

Snack Time!

What’s the best part of farm camp? Getting to harvest fresh vegetables and turn them into delicious snacks, all in the same place! We learn how to harvest plants, and only take what we need. Camp staff lead us through how to cut, chop, measure, and mix ingredients together into a colourful meal. Washing up is faster when we all lend a helping hand. 

 

Closing Circle

That’s a wrap on a day at Camp Fresh Roots! We finish like we started: together as a group. We close off camp with circle games and sharing our favourite moments of the day. 

 

Join Us for a Summer of Fun!

Every day at camp is a little different, with new critters to discover, games to play, and veggies to taste.  Click here to learn what past campers have enjoyed the most!

Will you join us at Camp Fresh Roots this summer?

Registration opens February 18th at https://freshroots.ca/education/camp/

 

Here’s an example schedule of a week at Camp Fresh Roots:

A table describing activities campers participate in at Camp Fresh Roots. Each column is a day of the week, from Monday to Friday. The rows describe the activities throughout the day, listed from morning to afternoon. On Monday, the activities are: Opening Circle; Welcome Games; Make Snack; Lunch; Farming (planting); Arts & Crafts; and Closing Circle. On Tuesday, the activities are: Opening Circle; Farming (weeding); Arts & Crafts; Lunch; Games; Make Snack; Closing Circle. On Wednesday, the activities are: Opening Circle; Arts & Crafts; Farming (insect observation); Make Snack; Games; Closing Circle. On Thursday, the activities are: Opening Circle; Make Snack; Games; Lunch; Arts & Crafts; Farming (harvest veggies); and Closing Circle. On Friday, the activities are: Opening Circe; Cook Lunch (appetizer, main and dessert); Eat Lunch; Digging; Games; and Closing Circle.

Note: our 3-day sampler camps do not participate in a field trip

 

We hope to see you at camp!

-Andrea Lucy, Experiential Learning Program Lead

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New Spring Field Trips on the Farm!

Eager for April flowers, May showers and sunny June hours? We’re celebrating the coming of spring by introducing a new line-up of outdoor, hands-on field trips, along with bringing back some tried-and-true favourites. All of our field trips include the chance to participate in the work of our small-scale, sustainable farm, taste the foods we grow, and dig deep into learning activities. This season, we’re learning about the small beings that make a big impact in sustainable farming!


MicroFarm (Grades K-1)

Micro plants. Micro flowers. Micro bugs. Micro students? There are so many tiny things to see on the farm! We’ll practice using magnifying glasses and getting close to see how little things on the farm have a big impact, and practice caring for the smallest members of our living world.

Connections to the science, social studies, and physical and health education curriculum.


Bee Sense (Grades 4-5)

Can you see ultraviolet light? Can you sniff out flowers from afar? Do you communicate with family members through dance? If so, you must be a bee! Join us in celebrating how bees’ senses help pollinate many of the crops we depend on for food.

Connections to the science, career, and physical and health education curriculum.

 

21st Century Farming (Grades 10-12)

Climate change and biodiversity loss are major threats to our food system, and unjust labour practices in the food sector contribute to poverty and oppression in our communities, but there is a way forward! See how regenerative agriculture and projects like Fresh Roots can improve the food system by supporting both the ecosystem we are part of and the people who grow our food, and help build a truly sustainable food system!

Connections to the science, social studies, ADST, and physical and health education curriculum.

 

Learn with Us

Our Experiential Learning programs help students connect to food, the land, and each other through hands-on farm experiences. Our curriculum-aligned field trips help students and teachers connect classroom learning to the real world. Discounts are available for VSB schools!

Sign up for a Vancouver Farm Field Trip

 

Volunteer with Us

Do you love working with kids and want to help them grow on the farms? Whether you’re looking to gain experience or put your years of wisdom to good use, our Experiential Learning Team would love to have you! More information is on our Volunteer page

 

Photo Attribution
Photo to the left of “Bee Sense”  is a derivative of “Crocosmia sp. (Montbretia) flowers Vis-UV-IR comparison” by David Kennard is licensed under CC BY 3.0. 

 

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Winter Celebrations Bingo

By Andrea Lucy, Experiential Learning Program Lead

Tis the season for celebration! Many holidays are celebrated with unique symbols decorations, foods, and even plants!  You see them, and you immediately think of the holiday. For example, you will spot many Christmas trees, poinsettias (cuetlaxochitl), holly, and wreaths around this time of year.

Take a walk around your neighbourhood and search for these plants and other holiday decorations. My family and I had a great time doing this last year, and it encouraged us to get outside even in the cold! Feel free to share this and add your own squares to search for.

Which plants are part of your traditions? Think about the festive food and decor that remind you of this time of year. You can add them to this bingo sheet.

Plant fact: Poinsettias are one of the most popular purchased plants in Canada, especially around the cold Christmas season, but they are native to sunny Mexico. There’s a movement to reclaim its Aztec name “cuetlaxochitl” and Mexican heritage, long before U.S. Ambassador Joel Poinsett brought this plant north and gave it an English name. For more on the cultural history of poinsettias read Mike Kohfeld’s blog or watch a tour with a horticulturist at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers.