Grace Centre gardens provide hands-on education to Sydenham students

Jonathan Davies | Jun 04, 2015

The gardens and greenhouse at Sydenham's Grace Centre are doing well, with leafy greens covering much of the greenhouse floor, and volunteers in a flurry of planting in the outdoor beds as the summer approaches.

Coordinated by Janette Haase, the project has been supplying produce to food bank users over the past two years, filling a much-needed gap in the Sydenham-area’s nutrition picture. But its effect on the community, and on food security matters, has gone beyond the immediate task of feeding people in need.

One such success is the opportunity that grade 7 and 8 students in Sydenham have had to learn about food production and contribute to better food security.

The students, who attend Loughborough Public School, have been active in a number of ongoing projects, including an inter-generational exchange of knowledge and mentorship with seniors who volunteer, sharing their experience and wisdom.

Haase sees a new generation gaining an understanding of the merits of self-sufficiency, as well as a hobby that is healthy and productive. She notes, “More and more of the kids go home and have a garden with their families.”

With many of the start-up projects out of the way, such as establishing beds, building compost spaces, and setting up irrigation lines, Haase anticipates a greater focus on education going forward.

The north section of the greenhouse, which is less exposed to direct sunlight, and so is suitable as a work area for seedling preparations, and also a potential field classroom setting. A whiteboard is already up and there is floor space for an audience.

Students have already taken in volunteer-led discussions on topics such as beekeeping, seed saving, and gardening knowledge, and, as Haase sees it, these talks could be expanded upon and formalized into a curriculum, giving students further opportunity to learn about the many facets of food.

All of this is a big change from the way thing

Loughborough teacher Alan MacDonald has been introducing concepts around food to the students currently involved in the greenhouse activities. He leads them in a challenge curriculum, designed to foster curiosity on concepts like the complex web of environmental, technological, historical and social factors that create our food system.

MacDonald's interest in these issues has aligned with Haase's vision for the Grace Centre's garden space.

He notes that the learning that happens at the gardens complements core subjects such as the natural sciences and plant physiology, physics and design as they pertain to a greenhouse's structure, and socio-economic forces that create the commercial food system and the inequalities that create a need for food banks.

Students also have opportunities back at school to learn from guests about cooking and budgeting for nutritious, balanced meals, and as well, for site visits to local farms to better understand farming as a livelihood.

MacDonald recognizes the importance of educating students on the realities of their generation: rising obesity; declining food security; and the overall social and environmental impacts of our choices.

There are many daunting challenges ahead, yet MacDonald notes that there is much around food that remains fundamentally positive. “I want to share the simple joy of growing and harvesting and cooking food with my students,” he says.