Little Green Thumbs
Registration for the 2011/2012 Little Green Thumbs program is now closed. Please check back in June when registration for the 2012/2013 School year opens. Thank you.
Little Green Thumbs is an indoor gardening program for children and youth. It is a powerful tool to engage students in learning and caring about the plants and the environment that sustains us.
Through our ongoing work with schools and after-school agencies, we have 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. Hands-on, experiential learning gives children a direct and personal understanding of how living things thrive.
As part of the Little Green Thumbs program, we provide Edmonton schools and other educational and/or child care facilities with an indoor garden kit 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 and a grow light, as well as seedling trays and fertilizer. The grow boxes have a water reservoir, and therefore the plants do not dry out over the weekend or during a short holiday.
The beauty of this indoor garden system truly 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 (watering, feeding, pruning, checking for problems, etc.)
- Watching plants growth and helping solve problems (such as the lack of natural pollinators)
- Harvesting vegetables and herbs and preparing and enjoying the fruits of their labour.
The garden is a springboard for a wide range of activities related to teachers’ learning goals. Taking care of a classroom garden fosters social development, healthy living, science and math skills, and environmental and local food awareness.
Sponsors for Sustainable Food Edmonton’s Little Green Thumbs for the 2010-2011 school year were TD Friends of the Environment; and the Royal Alexandra Hospital Employees Fund. We gratefully acknowledge their generous support for the program.
