Fresh Roots in Vancouver
You don’t have to travel far to give your students a farm experience in our outdoor classrooms. Situated at Vancouver Technical and David Thompson secondary schools, our schoolyard farms are a short walk from many elementary schools and community centers. Our standard field trips are 2 hours long and include a short farm work experience, as well as a tasting of farm-fresh veggies when available. Longer or shorter versions of some programs as well as custom themes may be available – just ask.
Cost & Group Size
Cost is based on grade/group size. We strive to make our programs accessible to all groups. If cost is a barrier, please send us an email.
Click for cost and group size details
Class Type | VSB Cost | Non-VSB Cost |
Small class (15 or fewer students) | $120 | $150 |
Grade K-3 (16-22 students) | $176 | $220 |
Grade 4-12 (23-30 students) | $240 | $300 |
- Grade 3/4 splits: choose the grades K-3 option if you have 22 or fewer students or grades 4-12 if you have 23 or more students.
- Grade 4-12 classes with 16-22 students: select the K-3 size option
We can host up to 22 grade 3 or younger students, or up to 30 grade 4-12 students at one time. This is due to the hands-on nature of our programs and the need to have adequate staffing to ensure a safe and educational program for all students. We require 1 teacher/chaperone for every 8 grade K-3 students and for every 10 grade 4-12 students, plus any needed one-on-one aides. Required adults do not count toward the group size. If your group needs more adult assistance, please let us know on the registration form.
Scheduling
Spring field trip bookings will open in January for programs in April-June. If you’re not already receiving our mailing list, please click here to join and be the first to know when bookings open!
More Info
Click here for more information about our field trip policies. Click here to get a glimpse into what experiential learning on the farm looks like. Got questions? Email our Experiential Learning Team at education@freshroots.ca or call 778-764-0344, ext 100.
Multi-Visit Programs
A Year on the Farm
Full for 2024-2025
Annual Cost: $528 for VSB classes, $660 for non-VSB classes. Discounts for small classes (12 or fewer students) available upon request. Classes must register individually.
Program includes:
3 Fresh Roots-led 2 hour field trips (October, April, and June)
One classroom workshop (February/March)
Teacher-Led Visits (November/December, January/February, and May)
A Year on the Farm helps your students develop deep connections with the land through the cycles of the seasons as they explore how plants grow and how weather and seasonal changes affect life on the farm. Classes in the program will have the opportunity to plant in their own plot on the farm and visit the farm nearly monthly through the school year. Please see the Fact Sheet for more details.
Farm Observers
Limited space for spring programs
Annual Cost: $600 for VSB classes, $750 for non-VSB classes. Classes must register individually. Discounts for small classes (less than 23 students) available upon request.
Program includes:
Three Fresh Roots-led 2-hour field trips (October, April, and June)
Four Teacher-Led Farm Visits (November/December, January/February, March, and May)
Farm Observers helps your students develop long-lasting connections with the land and its cycles, and to slow down and really observe and enjoy the world around them. Classes will practice a variety of naturalist and observation skills on their farm visit throughout the school year. The program is perfect for classes within walking distance of the farms. Please see the Fact Sheet for more details.
Single Field Trips
ALL AGES
Welcome to Fresh Roots
Get a taste of what Fresh Roots is all about! Activities will vary, but you can expect to learn about how Fresh Roots came to be, learn about food and food systems through play, participate in farm work, and try some farm-grown food!
ALL AGES
Get Creative
Get a taste of what Fresh Roots is all about! Activities will vary, but you can expect to learn about how Fresh Roots came to be, learn about food and food systems through play, participate in farm work, and try some farm-grown food!
ALL AGES
Custom Field Trip
If you are interested in a field trip longer than two hours, or would like to work with our Experiential Learning team to craft a program to meet your learning objectives, fill in the registration form and we will get in touch to figure out how we can help make it happen! A uniquely designed program will be priced accordingly. Custom programs require at least four weeks notice.
GRADES K-1
MicroFarm
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 member of our living world.
See BC Curriculum Big Ideas
Arts Education
- K, 1: Engagement in the arts creates opportunities for inquiry through purposeful play.
- K, 1: People connect to others and share ideas through the arts.
ELA
- K, 1: Through listening and speaking, we connect with others and share our world.
- K, 1: Curiosity and wonder lead us to new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us.
Physical and Health Education
- K, 1: Daily physical activity helps us develop movement skills and physical literacy, and is an important part of healthy living.
Science
- K: Plants and animals have observable features.
- 1: Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment.
GRADES 2-3
Flower Power
Flowers are more than just pretty decorations. Work together to solve our Flower Power Puzzle, learn why flowers are important to plants, pollinators, and our food, and maybe even get to taste some!
See BC Curriculum Big Ideas
Careers
- 2,3: Effective collaboration relies on clear, respectful communication
English Language Arts
- 2: Through listening and speaking, we connect with others and share our world.
- 2: Curiosity and wonder lead us to new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us.
Physical and Health Education
- 2, 3: Daily participation in physical activity at moderate to vigorous intensity levels benefits all aspects of our well-being.
- 2: Learning how to participate and move our bodies in different physical activities helps us develop physical literacy.
- 3: Movement skills and strategies help us learn how to participate in different types of physical activity
Science
- 2: Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment.
- 3: Living things are diverse, can be grouped, and interact in their ecosystems.
GRADES 3-5
Decomposers!
Bugs, mold, and bacteria are things we want to keep as far away from our farm as possible, right? Wrong! Join us to explore the (slightly gross) world of Decomposers, and discover why there’ be no farm without them.
See BC Curriculum Big Ideas
Physical and Health Education
- 3: Movement skills and strategies help us learn how to participate in different types of physical activity
- 4, 5: Personal choices and social and environmental factors influence our health and well-being.
- 5: Daily physical activity enables us to practice skillful movement and helps us develop personal fitness.
Science
- 3: Living things are diverse, can be grouped, and interact in their ecosystems.
- 3: Thermal energy can be produced and transferred
4: All living things sense and respond to their environment. - 4: Energy can be transformed.
- 5: Multicellular organisms have organ systems that enable them to survive and interact within their environment.
GRADES 4-9
Unexpected Eats
“You can eat that???” Yes, you can! Explore often overlooked foods on our farms and in our indigenous plant garden as you learn about ethical foraging and some of the traditional food and medicine uses of common plants.
See BC Curriculum Big Ideas
Physical & Health Education
- 4, 5: Personal choices and social and environmental factors influence our health and well-being.
- 4, 5: Understanding ourselves and the various aspects of health helps us develop a balanced lifestyle.
- 5: Daily physical activity enables us to practice skillful movement and helps us develop personal fitness.
- 6-9: Healthy choices influence our physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
- 7: Learning about similarities and differences in individuals and groups influences community health.
Science
- 4: All living things sense and respond to their environment.
- 9: The biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere are interconnected, as matter cycles and energy flows through them.
Social Studies
- 5: Natural resources continue to shape the economy and identity of different regions of Canada.
- 8: Human and environmental factors shape changes in population and living standards.
- 8: Changing ideas about the world created tension between people wanting to adopt new ideas and those wanting to preserve established traditions.
- 9: The physical environment influences the nature of political, social, and economic change.
GRADES 6-12
Student Team Build
Team Builds are a chance for students (and teachers and chaperones!) to get their hands really dirty helping our farmers grow Good Food for All. This program includes an introduction to Fresh Roots and the many things we do, and plenty of time to work on projects around the farm, from weeding to building. Exact projects will vary depending on the group and the needs of the farm.
See BC Curriculum Big Ideas
Career Education
- 6, 7: Safe environments depend on everyone following safety rules.
- 6, 7: New experiences, both within and outside of school, expand our career skill set and options.
- 8: Reflecting on our preferences and skills helps us identify the steps we need to take to achieve our career goals.
- 8: The value of work in our lives, communities, and society can be viewed from diverse perspectives.
- 8: Adapting to economic and labour market changes requires flexibility.
- 8: Our career paths reflect the personal, community, and educational choices we make.
Career-Life Connections
- Lifelong learning and active citizenship foster career-life opportunities for people and communities.
- A sense of purpose and career-life balance support well-being.
GRADES 8-9
Farming Then and Now
From the invention of crop rotation to the industrial revolution to the creation of Genetically Modified Organisms, agricultural technology is always changing. See what technologies, modern and ancient, we use on our farms to grow delicious food, and even give some of them a try!
See BC Curriculum Big Ideas
ADST
- 9: Social, ethical, and sustainability considerations impact design.
- 8: Design can be responsive to identified needs.
- 8: Complex tasks may require multiple tools and technologies.
Career Education
- 8: Reflecting on our preferences and skills helps us identify the steps we need to take to achieve our career goals.
- 8: The value of work in our lives, communities, and society can be viewed from diverse perspectives.
- 8: Adapting to economic and labour market changes requires flexibility.
- 8: Our career paths reflect the personal, community, and educational choices we make.
Social Studies
- 8: Human and environmental factors shape changes in population and living standards.
- 8: Changing ideas about the world created tension between people wanting to adopt new ideas and those wanting to preserve established traditions.
- 9: Emerging ideas and ideologies profoundly influence societies and events.
- 9: The physical environment influences the nature of political, social, and economic change.
GRADES 10-12
21st Century Farming
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!
When you book this program, please let us know in the Notes if you would prefer and ecosystems or human/food systems focus!
See BC Curriculum Big Ideas
ADST
- Design for the life cycle includes consideration of social and environmental impacts. (Multiple)
- Social, ethical, and sustainability considerations impact the culinary arts. (Culinary Arts 10)
- Social, ethical, and sustainability considerations impact design. (Food Studies 10)
Physical Health and Education
- Spending time outdoors allows us to develop an understanding of the natural environment, ourselves, and others. (Outdoor Education 11 & 12)
Science
- Energy is conserved, and its transformation can affect living things and the environment. (Science 10)
- Organisms are grouped based on common characteristics.(Life Sciences 11)
- Scientific understanding enables humans to respond and adapt to changes locally and globally. (Science for Citizens 11)
- Complex roles and relationships contribute to diversity of ecosystems. Human practices affect the sustainability of ecosystems. Humans can play a role in stewardship and restoration of ecosystems. (Environmental Science 11)
- Sustainable land use is essential to meet the needs of a growing population. Living sustainably supports the well-being of self, community, and Earth. Human activities cause changes in the global climate system. (Environmental Science 12)
- Climate change impacts biodiversity and ecosystem health. Biodiversity is dependent on the complex interactions and processes between biotic and abiotic factors. (Specialized Science 12)
- Natural processes have an impact on the landscape and human settlement. (Physical Geography 12)
Social Studies
- Historical and contemporary injustices challenge the narrative and identity of Canada as an inclusive, multicultural society. (Social Studies 10)
- Social justice initiatives can transform individuals and systems. (Social Justice 12)
- Decision making in urban and regional planning requires balancing political, economic, social, and environmental factors. (Urban Studies 12)
- Human activities alter landscapes in a variety of ways. (Human Geography 12)