Growing School Community Gardens

A hands on experience for growing gardens for learning and play

The course is designed to provide resources that help deliver curriculum support, provide practical skills and inspire landscapes that provide meaning and connection for an integrated school community garden. Each session is about engaging in a fun, transformative learning environment with hands on activities at both Royal Botanic Gardens of Melbourne and Cranbourne.

Growing Schools Registration form (MS Word - 66 kb) 

Closing Date: COB Wednesday 12th October

2011 Course dates

• Session 1: Wednesday 19 October full day 10am - 4pm, RBG Cranbourne
• Session 2: Thursday 20th October full day 10am - 4pm, RBG Melbourne
• Session 3: Friday 21st October full day 10am - 4pm, School Garden Tour and Composting Clinic
  

Location

The program will be located at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and the new Australian Garden at Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne.

For enquiries contact: Melbourne (03) 9252 2358

Cost

$450 for the 3 days per participant, limited positions available.

Features

• practical hands on experiences
• easy to use resources
• community engagement and capacity building
• reinventing play and creative learning areas
• pedagogy for outdoor learning
• multiple venues and real life examples
• inspirational speakers and specialist educators
  

Outcomes

• inspiring healthy food choices and lifestyles
• fosters respect for the environment
• provide nature based learning and experiences
• enhance school grounds with edible gardens, create habitat and attract local biodiversity
• contributes to whole school waste management program
• cultivate practical life skills
  

Presenters

Cultivating Community

Edible Classrooms supports school communities to establish, develop and reap the benefits of productive food gardens. Taking a holistic and flexible approach and using environmentally sustainable practices, we work along side teachers and parents to integrate garden activities into the curriculum.

We are committed to involving students in meaningful, hands on learning activities in every aspect of the garden project. This includes planning, designing and construction right through to harvesting, cooking and eating.

Edible Classrooms is a not-for-profit service established especially for schools by Cultivating Community, a community based organisation specialising in sustainable community gardening and food security. To find out more visit www.cultivatingcommunity.org.au.

Royal Botanic Gardens

The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne has a history of more than 160 years of providing education, inspiration and scientific research to the public of Victoria. The Gardens in Melbourne, the National Herbarium and the Australian Garden at Cranbourne are internationally recognised sites of horticultural and botanic excellence.

The education service promotes hands on, interactive exploration of the natural world through programs targeted at pre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary programs.

Horticultural staff and RBG educators work together to provide authentic and transformative learning experiences.

Guest presenters

The Growing School Community Gardens course includes presenters who are experts in the fields of community engagement, horticulture and education.