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 Cityfarm Little Green Thumbs Program
The Cityfarm Little Green Thumbs Program is a powerful tool to engage students in learning
and caring about the plants and the environment that sustain us. Hands-on, experiential learning gives children a
direct and personal understanding of how living things thrive.
Cityfarm provides Edmonton schools or agencies with indoor gardens and support, such as classroom sessions,
technical and horticultural advice and program resources for the duration of the program.
The indoor garden consists of four grow boxes, soil bags and a grow light, as well as seedling trays and fertilizer.
The grow boxes hold approximately 40 litres of water and therefore the plants do not dry out over the weekend or
during a short holiday.
While conducting a pilot with four schools, we learned that children have a fascination with living plants and
a need for multi-sensory experiences and real-life projects that give them a sense of belonging and control of
their environment.
The beauty of this indoor garden system is the opportunity for children to experience personal growth, acquire a wide range of skills and knowledge during the complete growing cycle of plants. The children participate in:
- Planting seeds and transplanting seedlings;
- Caring for plants on a daily basis (i.e., watering, fertilizing, pruning, staking, checking for problems, etc.)
- Watching the plants’ growth and help solve problems, such as the lack of natural pollinators;
- Harvesting vegetables and herbs;
- Preparing and enjoying the fruits of their labour.
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The garden is a springboard for a wide range of activities related to the teacher’s learning goals. Taking
care of a classroom garden fosters social development, healthy living, science and math skills, and
environmental and local food awareness.
Click here to see the photo journal
of our test garden at the office. Questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
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“…having the students learn the joy and fulfillment of actually watching our food grow from a tiny seed to food
they can eat and learn the value of healthy food choices and how much better food tastes right from the indoor
garden.”
Karen, Grade 2/3 teacher
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For further information, contact Claudia at Cityfarm.
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