Classroom Gardens - Ottawa Network for Education - Réseau d’Ottawa pour l’éducation

At ONFE, we believe that nutrition doesn’t stop at a healthy breakfast – it is enriched and empowered by an understanding of where food comes from, and through encouraging engagement with fresh food from seed to plate.

Kids learn best when they can see, feel, touch and fully experience the subject matter they are studying. That being true, can you think of a better way to teach children about plants and nutrition, and to support healthy eating, than to grow vegetables in the classroom?

Classroom Gardens brings indoor gardening into classrooms across all four Ottawa school boards. Throughout the school year, and even through the cold winter months, these students are growing plants from seed, and learning in a hands-on way about plant life-cycles, nutrition, and entrepreneurship. Most importantly, students have the opportunity to eat the food they’ve grow, which is a proven way to get kids excited about eating healthy, fresh vegetables.

We work with the aeroponic (no soil) Tower Gardens as well as soil based Garden Towers, which include a build-in vermicompost.

Windowsill Gardens

The Windowsill Gardens were launched in 2021 for in-person learning and virtual classroom models. It helped students and teachers to start their own mini gardens at home, planting 4 different edible plant varieties.

We also offered robust support to teachers, with newly developed comprehensive lesson plans, demonstrations, and scientific experiments.

Depending on interest we may continue to offer this program in the 2022-23 school year.

About the Program

Need

Poor nutrition is linked with many chronic and costly health conditions including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, and hyperactivity among children. Growing food in the classroom is proven way to get kids excited about eating healthy fresh vegetables, while learning about nutrition, entrepreneurship, and the wide range of career choices related to food. Learning about healthy food at school is especially critical for the one in five children in Ottawa who live in poverty. Not surprisingly, there is a direct link between nutrition and household income.

Response

Now in our sixth year of Classroom Gardens, ONFE is partnering with elementary schools and high schools across Ottawa’s four public school boards to bring this program to students. Classroom Gardens engages students of all ages (with a special focus on grade 3 classes) in planting, growing, harvesting, and most importantly, tasting and enjoying their own classroom garden vegetables. Each indoor classroom garden can grow up to 50 edible plants at a time, all year long. That’s a lot of healthy food to share with students, their families, and their neighbourhoods!

Impact

Every year we support over 200 teachers who run their Classroom Gardens with over 4000 students total.

Classroom Gardens engages local teachers and students in creating and tending to indoor gardens. Targeted lesson plans and growing programs connect hands-on gardening activities with curriculum goals in a variety of subjects. Students gain a better understanding of plants, food supply and demand, nutrition and healthy eating, and food-related careers.

Fuel kids – ignite learning

Classroom Gardens is offered at schools with ONFE’s School Breakfast Program, linking nutritious food with nutrition education.

Are you a gardener? Join our journey!

Follow along on social as students and teachers grow food in classrooms and at home. Share your own garden photos to connect!

Find us on FaceBook

Support Ottawa kids

Just like all ONFE programs, Classroom Gardens is offered at no charge to students to remain accessible. Help us teach kids about healthy food and the growing cycle.

Donate to ONFE