Kids In The Garden
Everyone is loving our Kids In The Garden program! This unique summer program is geared towards kids ages 6-11, with younger children invited to attend with parental supervision. Over the 8 week summer program, we teach gardening, cooking, food preserving and marketing skills using fun and interactive activities. Focusing on building confidence, knowledge and skills both in the garden and in the kitchen, this program uses community resources to expand learning opportunities.
The Kids In The Garden runs each week through July and August, with 1 garden day and 1 kitchen day each week. On garden days, the kids are literally in the garden. They learn about bugs, compost, and how to grow new plants from the scraps of vegetables and fruits. They talk about seeds and how they grow, and then they plant those seeds and see it happen. They make artwork and crafts using garden materials, and do experiments on the soil, plants and flowers at hand. They forage and harvest berries, apples, rhubarb and various vegetables in the garden and around Warman. They learn to work together with each other, their student instructors and donating community members. Most importantly, they learn what it is to take pride in a garden that you’ve planted and cared for yourself. (Plus the masses of Saskatoon berries, strawberries and fresh garden carrots don’t hurt either.)
On kitchen days, the kids wash and prep the produce donated to or grown by the Collective Garden, and learn to bake or cook with it. They make jams and jellies, learn proper food handling and canning techniques, and experience baking items from scratch. We encourage healthy eating and try to incorporate some unexpected recipes every summer. (The black bean brownies are always a huge hit!) The kids always get to take home some of what they bake, with an additional portion going to the garden market that they host twice per summer.
Which brings us to our ever popular Garden Market. Our program kids are encouraged but not required to participate in the garden market, though most of them love hosting it. We hold 2 markets per summer, each one at a different community location, selling a variety of items that the kids have been working on. Fresh harvested produce, crafts, baking and apple cider are just a few of the items that you may find at our markets. Kids are encouraged to educate potential customers about the products they’re selling – telling them where the items come from and how they were prepared. This builds their confidence and even the shyest of kids can be coaxed out of their shell when answering questions about the cookies they made. Some of the kids prove to be excellent salespeople, and the whole event can turn into a rousing game of “how many different customers can we talk to today??” Funds raised at our Garden Markets funnel directly back into the program for supplies and other costs.
The Kids in the Garden program is open to kids age 6 and up, and even younger if accompanied by an adult. Register for the whole summer or pick and choose the dates that work for you.
The Kids In The Garden runs each week through July and August, with 1 garden day and 1 kitchen day each week. On garden days, the kids are literally in the garden. They learn about bugs, compost, and how to grow new plants from the scraps of vegetables and fruits. They talk about seeds and how they grow, and then they plant those seeds and see it happen. They make artwork and crafts using garden materials, and do experiments on the soil, plants and flowers at hand. They forage and harvest berries, apples, rhubarb and various vegetables in the garden and around Warman. They learn to work together with each other, their student instructors and donating community members. Most importantly, they learn what it is to take pride in a garden that you’ve planted and cared for yourself. (Plus the masses of Saskatoon berries, strawberries and fresh garden carrots don’t hurt either.)
On kitchen days, the kids wash and prep the produce donated to or grown by the Collective Garden, and learn to bake or cook with it. They make jams and jellies, learn proper food handling and canning techniques, and experience baking items from scratch. We encourage healthy eating and try to incorporate some unexpected recipes every summer. (The black bean brownies are always a huge hit!) The kids always get to take home some of what they bake, with an additional portion going to the garden market that they host twice per summer.
Which brings us to our ever popular Garden Market. Our program kids are encouraged but not required to participate in the garden market, though most of them love hosting it. We hold 2 markets per summer, each one at a different community location, selling a variety of items that the kids have been working on. Fresh harvested produce, crafts, baking and apple cider are just a few of the items that you may find at our markets. Kids are encouraged to educate potential customers about the products they’re selling – telling them where the items come from and how they were prepared. This builds their confidence and even the shyest of kids can be coaxed out of their shell when answering questions about the cookies they made. Some of the kids prove to be excellent salespeople, and the whole event can turn into a rousing game of “how many different customers can we talk to today??” Funds raised at our Garden Markets funnel directly back into the program for supplies and other costs.
The Kids in the Garden program is open to kids age 6 and up, and even younger if accompanied by an adult. Register for the whole summer or pick and choose the dates that work for you.
100% Kid Approved
Kids are LOVING this summer program! They get to play outside, dig in the dirt, hunt for bugs, bake cookies, and so so SO much more! We go on field trips to other community locations and collaborate with loads of different community organizations. What’s not to love??
The Kids in the Garden/Kids in the Kitchen program that my son participated in this past summer was amazing!
He looked forward to it every week and was always disappointed when he had to miss. He learned about composting, earth worms, fairy gardens, kitchen safety and so much more.
I was thrilled to have him in a program that was educational and providing him with fantastic life skills that I am sure he will bring into his future!!
With gratitude,
Stacey
New in 2020 – Kids In The Garden, At Home!
In 2020 when Covid 19 hit and closed our schools and in person programs, Warman Collective Garden had to pivot and revamp our Kids In The Garden program into something that worked for kids in their own homes, and we had to do it in a matter of weeks. What resulted astounded us and the lucky parents and kids who were part of our pilot Kids In The Garden At Home! program. We were completely blindsided by the level of interest we received, selling out within half an hour and ending up overselling the kits in an effort to include people. Endless sourcing of materials, googling for craft ideas and testing out the kit contents on our own families resulted in a very successful fledgling program. With a bit of grant money and countless volunteer hours we were able to provide 4 amazing kits for kids to explore and experience, and from the updates we received throughout the summer, the kids loved each and every one of them. To say it was a tough summer both personally and as a non-profit group is an understatement, but we’re so happy we could provide a bit of sunshine in an unpredictable year.
