The days are getting shorter, the air is getting cooler and back to school is literally right around the corner. As I reflect on my summer, working as the education assistant with EGP, I can’t stop thinking about just how MANY kids we had come visit the farm! It is truly a beautiful thing how many young members of the North Vancouver community get to experience and learn in a local farm setting. There is something so special about a child’s excitement when tasting fresh picked kale or discovering that some flower petals are in fact edible! The garden creates a more inclusive classroom where children of all learning styles are given the opportunity to connect. The experiences they have on the farm is how you develop a sense of care and connection to how we nourish ourselves, which I believe an essential part of raising future advocates for our food system and the environment.
Not only was this a summer of learning for the kids but for myself; leading some of my first farm lessons I gained a whole new level of respect for all the teachers out there. I never thought that I could get so intimidated speaking in front of a group kids–they ask big questions, want to tell their own stories and get easily distracted, all while you are trying to keep the focus on your lesson. They aren’t kidding when they say one of the best way to learn is to teach!
Thanks so much to the team at Edible Garden Project; Thanu, Micheal, Haydn, Claire and Mikaela, the summer would not have been the same without all of you!