Students learn responsibility "from seed to salad"

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

"Imagine...indoor gardens in classrooms where children work together to grow vegetables, learning responsibility and co-operation, from seed to salad!" That's the mission of a project called Little Green Thumbs, which has been adopted and promoted by Saskatchewan's Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) program.

"This past year, we piloted the Little Green Thumbs program and helped to set up indoor gardens in a handful of schools across Saskatchewan," said Sara Shymko, Executive Director of AITC Saskatchewan.

The program was offered at St. Maria Goretti and Cardinal Leger schools in Saskatoon, as well as schools on the Whitecap and Chief Poundmaker First Nations.

Growing vegetables was added to the regular curriculum of reading, writing and arithmetic. The students grew tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and peas. "It was pretty amazing to see. The tomato plants grew to touch the ceiling. They were over 14 feet tall!" Shymko noted.

"The students were very excited to be a part of the agricultural gardening process."

Shymko says the Little Green Thumbs program has several benefits for the students who participate in it. "This particular project allows students to be a part of the entire growing cycle. They actually plant the seeds themselves, water, fertilize, and watch the plants grow. Then, they get to harvest the vegetables and eat them," she stated.

Shymko believes the hands-on learning experience the initiative provides allows the children to understand the effort that goes into what they eat, as well as the hard work and dedication it takes to make our food products.

In terms of nutrition, the program also benefits the children by getting them excited about eating vegetables.

The goal of the Little Green Thumbs project is to generate excitement among students about agriculture and food. "The program gets students to start thinking about what is involved in food production. Then, when they are eating something that their moms have packed in their lunches, they will recognize that someone has put a lot of work into getting that product on the table for them," Shymko noted.

Plans are in the works to expand the program to more schools across Saskatchewan in the coming years. "It's definitely one of my favorite projects. The results have been so fantastic," Shymko said. "I am currently looking for funding so that I am able to expand the program to at least 10 more schools this year. Ultimately, I would like a garden in every school."

The Little Green Thumbs initiative, which originated in Calgary, is built around a kit that includes a 1,000-watt growing light, seeds and a watering system. A teacher's manual for the project is currently in the works.

"I sourced the kit from the Little Green Thumbs organization in Calgary, where they are currently running the program in a number of schools. I know that Manitoba Agriculture in the Classroom is also looking to start the program this year," Shymko said.

The Saskatchewan version of the initiative is sponsored by AITC Saskatchewan, Heifer International, the First Nations Agricultural Council of Saskatchewan and the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan.

AITC Saskatchewan was incorporated in 1994 with a mission to "assist Saskatchewan learners in the K-12 system to increase their awareness and understanding of the complexities and importance of agriculture, through partnerships with educators, agribusiness and agriculture organizations."

The group fosters a number of innovative programs, including an Agricultural Roadshow during the summer which provides professional development opportunities for teachers. "We take a group of teachers on a traveling tour of the agriculture and food industry in Saskatchewan. It gives them ideas on how to incorporate agricultural concepts into their classrooms," Shymko said. "This year, we had 14 participants."

The organization also supplies and distributes resources, such as lesson plans and videos, to teachers through their website, http://www.aitc.sk.ca/. It is a regular participant in the Agriculture Education Showcase and the Career Expo at Canadian Western Agribition, in addition to four major agricultural shows through a partnership with the Prairieland Park Corporation School Tours Program.

For more information on the Little Green Thumbs program or the Agriculture in the Classroom organization, contact Sara Shymko at (306) 933-5224, or visit the websites http://www.littlegreenthumbs.org/ and http://www.aitc.sk.ca/.

For more information, contact:
Sara Shymko, Executive Director
Agriculture in the Classroom Saskatchewan
Phone: (306) 933-5224
Website: http://www.aitc.sk.ca/