For the past few years the Learning in the Garden Seminar has been providing information and support for edible gardens in schools around Australia. This year the focus of the seminar will be on engaging young children in growing food, caring for the environment, cooking and enjoying eating fresh healthy food. This will be of particular interest to schools, kindergartens, childcare and outside school hours care centres interested in developing a love of gardening and good food among the children.
The seminar is held over two days…
Day 1 (15 October) includes a series of lectures and workshops and discussions
Day 2 (16 October) involves visiting operating school gardens for the exchange ideas and practical skills
Speakers will include
Julie Davis: Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood, QUT. Julie has written a number of books and journal articles and is often asked to speak about education for sustainability and early childhood.
Leonie Shanahan: Founder of ‘Edible School Gardens’, a Sunshine Coast based program which has helped over 20 schools establish and maintain permaculture gardens. She is also the author of the book “Eat your Garden” and has recently released a DVD “Edible School Gardens”.
Caroline Fogg: Caroline is Prep Teacher at Moreton Bay Boys College and uses a garden to grow delicious produce with the class and integrates the wide learning experiences this presents into the curriculum.
More speakers to be announced soon!
The two days of the seminar will be interactive, with a combination of lectures, forums, workshops and practical activities to help participants achieve an increased enthusiasm and confidence in developing gardens in schools, kindergartens, day-care centres and after school care centres.
Day 1 will be held at Moreton Bay Environmental Education Centre. This newly opened centre is a “living building” designed to the highest sustainability building standards with a 6 star design rating from the Green Building Council of Australia.
Day 2 will start at Watson Rd State School. This school has a high proportion of Indigenous and refugee students and programs like the kitchen garden provide opportunities for cultural engagement, increased nutrition and community building. Here we will conduct some practical workshops on harvesting and cooking with children, building healthy soils and site design and planning. From there we will go to Nyanda State High School. This is the site of the Nyanda Community Garden which provides educational, environmental and social educational benefit for the High School, the C&K on the adjacent property and the broader community. The garden includes allotments and a bush tucker trail. We will have a tour of the garden and speak to the people involved as well as enjoy afternoon tea made with bush foods and participate on constructing vertical gardens with children.
The seminar is run by Growing Communities, a not for profit organisation that promotes sustainability education and healthy living through the establishment of productive gardens in Qld schools.