1. The gardening workshop was created in response to drop-in
families expressing interest in the community garden across from
the family centre. The curriculum was based on play and hands-on
experience for the children, which facilitated the parent’s
involvement through the support of their children. Many of the
drop-in families do not have access to a garden and had never
grown vegetables before so this workshop was an introduction to
gardening basics including soil health, organic planting methods
and indoor gardening.
The workshop was structured so that throughout the
growing season each family was provided with the opportunity to
re-visit the garden every six weeks to see the garden’s changes.
Each family registered for two visits every six weeks with a total
of two or three visits to the garden.
The gardening curriculum developed organically based on
what the families expressed interest in growing and what was in
season. This provided an excellent opporunity to discuss eco-
sustainability in organic gardening and farming in the city.

2. Pedagogical Narration
The following photos were all taken during our secondouting to the
garden. This was the family’s secondtime ever in a garden and there was
a noticeable shift in the attitude of boththe children and the adults
towards the end of the gardening workshop.
Child: “Look!A hole.”
Nina: “I wonder why there’s a hole in the ground, what do you think
made the hole?”
Child: *turns away shyly and continues to dig*

3. Nina: We’re digging the soil to mix in the goodplants and make goodsoil
so we can growfood. You can dig too, here’s a shovel!
Child 1: *shakes her head when I ask if she wants to dig*
Child 2: *starts digging!*

4. Nina: “Take a pinch of carrot seeds and sprinkle them in a line so we can
make a line of carrots.”
Child 3: *concentrating while he takes a pinch from one of the parent’s
palms and sprinkles seeds into the soil* “I sprinkledseeds!”

5. Parent:“Here,this is how you dig the cover cropinto the soil”
Child: *copies his mother”