The Prince of Wales Garden Group started in 2022 by a dedicated group of students who wanted to change our school garden. With the support of our staff, we were able to get new garden boxes, marking the beginning of our journey. As our efforts grew, more staff and students joined in to contribute to the garden's development.
Our mission is to create a passion for gardening and connect students to nature. We foster collaboration among staff and students by learning and working together. We are introducing native plants and pollinators, and hosting workshops. Currently, we are working on our Medicine Wheel Garden, where we plan on growing native plants and sacred medicines, creating a learning environment for both teachers and students.
Here are some of the activities we've undertaken this year:
• Three Sisters Workshop at Kitchener Elementary: We provided corn, beans, and squash seeds (generously donated by Westcoast Seeds) to help them start their own Three Sisters Companion Garden.
• Plant Education: Students learned about seed germination, sustainable methods (like using toilet paper roll pots), transplanting, and cold stratification. Our garden club members grew many of the plants we have in our garden today.
• Biodiversity Data Collection: By introducing native plants into our school garden, we aim to increase biodiversity in our school grounds. We are conducting a Bioblitz using iNaturalist to track species in the garden, with plans to collect more data next June to assess changes in biodiversity.
• Workshop with a Metis Herbalist: We partnered with local Metis herbalist educator LoriAnn Bird, who shared her knowledge about medicinal and edible plants we in our school garden. We created salves, incense and celebrated with tea.
• Collaboration with English 10 Class: Students were given mystery seeds and journaled their observations as they grew. Students were taught how to germinate seeds using plastic bags and paper towels. These seedlings were transplanted into our school garden for them to observe and watch grow over the summer. Using their journal entries, students created creative written pieces about their plants.
• Collaboration with Pre-Calculus 11: Students measured and designed hoop houses and archways for our garden boxes using parabolic functions.
• Creating Signage: Students created informational signage about The Three Sister Origin Story and companion planting and information about our Medicine Wheel Garden. This initiative fosters a deeper connection to the land and supports our ongoing journey through reconciliation.
We have over 30 members who have worked in our garden space this year, but we connect with many more in our school community.
We aim to foster a community of students and staff who love learning outdoors. Our goal is to establish an outdoor learning space that allows any class to connect with nature. We plan on getting more classes involved making this garden a community space.
The garden has become a space where students can get away from the day-to-day stresses. Many students do not own gardens and are curious about how to grow food and watch things grow. They love being outdoors and working together. It is a space where students can get away from their phone and just hang out. Our garden space provides teachers with an opportunity to engage in land-based learning. This year we have introduced many native plants both edible and medicinal and we are in the process of creating our Medicine Wheel Garden. We hope that this will provide a space for staff and students to continue their journey through Reconciliation and foster a connection to the land.
Instagram @pw_gardenclub