Trellis • Spring 2013
TBG FAMILY DISCOVERY MAP INSIDE!
Why kids Need to Get back to Nature Page 14
Eat your (homegrown)
vegetables Projects, Activities
Page 18
&Fun for
Kids! Page 6
PLUS: the Teaching garden celebrates 15 years
welcome to kids can grow From the TBG
Aldona Satterthwaite • Executive Director
Plant a Seed, Watch it Grow
W
e all come to gardening in our own way. My first experience was as a toddler, when my grandmother picked a purple petunia and invited me to take a sniff. As I inhaled deeply, the flower’s floppy velvet petals closed over my nose and scared me half to death. A few years after that unpromising start, I became my grandmother’s tiny under-gardener. One of my tasks was to dig in eggshells, coffee grounds, vegetable peelings and tea leaves throughout the beds because as far as Baba was concerned, the entire garden was a compost pile. Little by little, I learned the rewards of patience and developed an appreciation for the tiny miracles of nature you experience just by working in a garden. Perhaps intentionally, my grandmother gave me a precious gift. Along with reading, another early love, gardening has brought me joy throughout my life. I grew up in the 1950s, a far cry from today’s world. My childhood was peaceful, with plenty of time for daydreaming and unstructured play. Today’s children are constantly occupied, bombarded by messages and electronic assaults from every direction and carted from one activity to another. Many of them suffer from what author Richard Louv calls “nature deficit disorder” — they simply don’t spend enough time outdoors. No wonder childhood anxiety is on the rise. Kids like these sure could use some time in a garden. This spring issue of Trellis will show you myriad ways in which you can help your children — or grandchildren — make a real connection with the natural world. Start small, and watch as their interest grows. In honour of its 15th anniversary, this issue is dedicated to the Toronto Botanical Garden’s Teaching Garden, which was the brainchild of a handful of visionary members of The Garden Club of Toronto (see page 23). Over the years, countless thousands of children have benefited from the programs we offer in this remarkable garden. The TBG and these children, as well as the recipients of the garden’s bounty through the North York Harvest Food Bank, owe The Garden Club of Toronto a debt of gratitude. How much do we love them? Why, a bushel and a peck, of course.
All proceeds from the sale of Kids Can Grow help support the programs and services of the Toronto Botanical Garden. We thank the following individuals for their generous contributions: Ellen Farrelly, Carol Gardner, Jean Godawa, Lorraine Hunter, Anna Leggatt, Marion Magee, Lorraine Manfredo, Veronica Sliva and Victoria Stevens as well as our team of eagle-eyed proofreaders and the talented members of the Trellis Committee. — Lorraine Flanigan, editor
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kids can grow • spring 2013
contents
TRELLIS • SPRING 2013 Editor Lorraine Flanigan
Design June Anderson
Trellis Committee Lorraine Hunter (Chair) Lorraine Flanigan (Editor) Carol Gardner Liz Hood Marion Magee Zachary Osborne Jenny Rhodenizer Paul Zammit
Volunteer Proofreaders E. BRAIS, M. BRUCE, J. CAMPBELL, L. HICKeY, J. MCCLUSKEY, c. Peer, D. Puder, L. Uyeno
ABOUT THE TORONTO BOTANICAL GARDEN
Advertising 416-397-4145
Trellis is published as a members’ magazine by the Toronto Botanical Garden at Edwards Gardens 777 Lawrence Avenue East Toronto Ontario, M3C 1P2 416-397-1340 Trellis welcomes queries for story ideas, which should be submitted to the editor for consideration by the Trellis Committee at least four months in advance of publication dates. Opinions expressed in Trellis do not necessarily reflect those of the TBG. Submissions may be edited for style and clarity. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission. Charitable business number 119227486RR0001 Canada Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #40013928
Toronto Botanical Garden connects people, plants and the natural world through education, inspiration and leadership. The TBG encourages, stimulates and teaches countless adults and children with its innovative urban-scale garden plantings, nature-centred educational programs and environmentally friendly practices. We look beyond our borders to create strategic alliances that support our mission, extend our reach and strengthen our influence within the community.
777 Lawrence Avenue East Toronto, Ontario M3C 1P2, Canada 416-397-1340 fax: 416-397-1354 info@torontobotanicalgarden.ca torontobotanicalgarden.ca
ISSN 0380-1470 Cover photo Toronto Botanical Garden
Printed by Harmony Printing
Cert no. SW-COC-002063
By TTC: Exit the Yonge subway line at the Eglinton station and take the 51, 54 or 54A bus to Lawrence Avenue. The TBG is on the southwest corner. torontobotanicalgarden.ca
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6 Hort Happenings A roundup of issues and ideas about kids and growing 10 Terrific Gardening Books for Kids 7 Kids Can Do-ItThemselves Hands-on outdoor projects Garden Gear Tool shed essentials 8 Kids Can Play Explore nature with these fun activities 9 Best Gardening and Nature Blogs For and by moms and dads Best Gardens for Kids From around the world and around the block 10 In Your Garden Jobs to do — with kids! My Favourite Bug The copycat syrphid fly
kids can grow • spring 2013
PHOTOs (THIS PAGE): Toronto botanical garden; illustration: Lorraine manfredo (opposite, clockwise from top Left): Toronto botanical garden, courtesy susan dyer, Daniel Traub, tbg
M. Magee, M. Nevett, C. Peer
discover
Volunteer Editorial Assistants
explore
Volume 40 Number 2
14 Getting Back to Nature The dangers of “nature– deficit disorder”
18 Kids Can Grow Food Kids are growing food across the city
SAVE THE DATE THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2013
connect
happenings
23 Happy Anniversary TBG Teaching Garden! Celebrating 15 years of exposing kids to the wonders of nature
LUNCH IN THE GARDEN A moveable feast with fashions, music, hats and party frocks
THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2013 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Toronto Botanical Garden 777 Lawrence Avenue East
Prizes for the most creative hats
26 The Youngest Volunteer
Yousef Sawwan talks about Leadership Camp
28 Gardening with
Grandchildren Volunteer Susan Dyer talks about gardening with granddaughter Penelope
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30 TBG Lecture Series
Who’s Talking On the Go Canada Blooms and Town and Country Garden Tour Newcomer Rachel Kay, Facility Sales Coordinator Goings On What’s on at the TBG
kids can grow • spring 2013
FOR TICKETS
Call 416.397.1483 or order online at www.torontobotanicalgarden.ca
discover Hort Happenings
Compiled by Zachary Osborne, Head Librarian, Weston Family Library
Grow them, and kids will eat them
10 terrific gardening books
for kids
Compiled by Zachary Osborne, Weston Family Library • The Book Of Gardening Projects For Kids: 101 Ways To Get Kids Outside, Dirty, And Having Fun by Whitney Cohen and John Fisher. Ages 5 and up
• Bumblebee, Bumblebee, Do You Know Me? by Anne F. Rockwell. Ages 3 to 7
• Eddie’s Garden And How To Make Things Grow* by Sarah Garland. Ages 4 and up
• Garbage Helps Our Garden Grow: A Compost Story by Linda Glaser and Shelley Rotner. Ages 5 to 8
• The Gardening Book: Make Your Own Garden With 50 Green Activities* by Jane Bull. Ages 7 and up
Insectology for kids
To teach kids about insects in the garden, visit a museum for bugs, otherwise known as an insectarium. The Montreal Insectarium is a terrific educational resource for all ages, with live insect specimens, interactive exhibitions and displays that teach about the habitats and life cycles of many insects both from afar and in our own backyards. Butterflies Go Free, an exhibition on moths and butterflies, runs until April 28, 2013.
• Gardening With Children by Kim Wilde. Ages 5 to 9
• Grow Your Own For Kids by Chris Collins. Ages 5 and up
• Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots* by Sharon Lovejoy. Activities for all ages
Blow out the candles in the garden
For something a bit different this spring or summer, plan a birthday party for your child or grandchild in the garden. Kidsgardening.org provides lots of suggestions, from do-it-yourself invitations, decorations and refreshments to party games and potting activities. For more ideas on gardening activities for kids, visit the National Gardening Association’s on-line KidsGardening page at kidsgardening.org. To book a birthday party at the TBG, contact TBGKids at 416-397-1349.
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• Two Old Potatoes And Me by John Coy and Carolyn Fisher. Ages 3 and up
• Young Gardener* by Stefan & Beverly Buczacki. Ages 7 and up
*Available in the Weston Family Library
FREE
Summer reading club for kids aged 6 to 9 years. Mondays from July 8 to August 26 in the Weston Family Library, 2 to 3 p.m. To sign up, call 416-397-1343.
kids can grow • spring 2013
PHOTOS (THIS PAGE, FROM TOP): courtesy timber press, etienne boucher cazabon, the national gardening association/kidsgardening.org (opposite clockwise from top): lorraine flanigan, Toronto Botanical Garden, pinebush home & gardening, Paul Zammit. Illustration: Lorraine Manfredo
A 2012 study in HortTechnology revealed that the practice of gardening is a more effective method of encouraging school-aged children to consume fruits and vegetables than nutrition education programs. Researchers concluded that food gardening decreases a child’s reluctance to try new foods and encourages children aged 5 to 12 to eat more fruits and vegetables.
kids can do-it-themselves Build it, collect it. Children’s Education Supervisor Karen Mann has created projects that kids can make themselves (or with a little help from you!).
Collecting nature’s nuggets
Fairy furniture and dragon dens
(ages 4 to 6)
(ages 7 to 9)
How many pine cones, rocks, leaves or sticks can your kids find in the backyard or on a nature hike through a local park or ravine? Whatever they find, kids love to collect, feel and sort what they’ve discovered. It’s a fun and educational way to observe the different textures, shapes, sizes and colours found in nature. Here’s a simple way for kids to create their own sorting bin. • Choose a knick-knack shelf, tray, egg cartons or anything that has many compartments. (Even an ice cube tray will work!) • Lay it flat on a sturdy surface. • Take a nature hike and collect any loose natural objects that you may find. • When you come home, start sorting your treasures. Big or small; rough or smooth; heavy or light; you can sort them any way you want — even by colour.
Kids love thinking about mythical creatures and using their imaginations to create secret places for them. Here’s how you can help your child build fairy furniture, dragon dens or enchanted homes for their favourite characters. • Pick a spot in the garden to use as a secret home. • Help your child collect small natural items such as acorns, seeds, sticks, pebbles and leaves. • Assemble the pieces to resemble fairy furniture, a dragon’s lair or a princess’ castle. To enjoy these special places with your children, ask them to explain about the mythical creature that might live here. Does it fly? What does it eat? Where does it sleep? Ask them to draw a picture and write a story about it. You’ll be amazed where their imagination takes them when they explore and create with nature.
goTo torontobotanicalgarden.ca/kids for More nature- and garden-related projects from TBGKids.
Garden Gear
1. The results are in (from
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The crème de la crème of watering cans are made by Haws, and now there are ones for little gardeners. Haws kids watering cans come in a range of fun and vibrant colours — they’re so attractive, mom and dad might want one, too! One-litre size, $19.99
Three tool shed essentials for kids
our unofficial survey)! Parents, grandparents and our teachers all agree that the most important gardening tool for budding gardeners is a quality watering can.
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2. While, really, we recommend that tiny hands feel the soil, these little critter garden gloves are too cute to resist. Lil’ Buggers, $3.49 Lil’ Princess, $7.99 Little Helper, $7.99
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3. The next most popular activity — children love digging in the dirt (soil, if you please). For growing youngsters these adjustable shovels and rakes feature telescopic handles that lengthen as kids grow taller. $9.99 each
kids can grow • spring 2013
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discover kids can play No matter what their age, kids can have fun — and learn along the way — exploring the world of nature, plants and animals. The TBG’s Children’s Education Supervisor, Karen Mann, offers activities to keep your child engaged in the natural world that surrounds us. Saplings Look for short trees with thin trunks. These are called saplings.
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Seedlings These tiny trees are just starting to grow out of the soil. They have only a few leaves. Can you find one?
lake
The Secret Life of Trees
Seeds Trees start growing from tiny seeds that come from full grown trees. Look on the ground beneath a tree and see if you can find some seeds.
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Here’s a nature hike for kids aged 7 to 9. Take a walk through the forest or woods. Look up, look down, see what you can find. From seed and sapling to tree and log, find examples of each stage of a tree’s life. Here’s what to look for.
Where do animals live?
A fun activity for kids from 4 to 6 years of age is to discover the homes of the animals that live in our gardens and parks. It’s easy — just match the animal shown below with the word for its favourite place to hang out.
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1
I l lu str ati o n s by Lo r r a i n e Ma n f r e d o
tree
pond Full-grown tree This is the easiest to spot — they’re all around you!
forest
4 hive
Logs You’ll find these on the forest floor where they start out as homes for bugs; after a long time, they crumble and become part of the soil.
torontobotanicalgarden.ca
goTo torontobotanicalgarden.ca/kids For More fun kids’ activities.
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kids can grow • spring 2013
Best gardening and nature blogs for and by moms and dads
— compiled by Zachary Osborne, Weston Family Library
• All Nature, My Garden (nancybond.wordpress.com).
• Kelly Naturally (kellynaturally.com). Kelly is
Blogging from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Nancy posts stories on garden projects and tips and the outdoors. • Common Sense Homesteading (commonsense home.com). With a focus on home food production, this mom blogs about her dynamic garden projects. • The Green Parent (thegreenparent.co.uk). This United Kingdom-based blog centres on a wide range of topics, including natural and environmentally conscious living. • Healthy Home Magazine (healthyhomemagazine.com). This blog is for parents interested in frugal, healthy and ethical home crafts, clothing and lifestyles. • In Marilyn’s Garden (inmarilynsgarden.blogspot.com). Winnipeg-based Master Gardener Marilyn blogs about her garden and trips with her children and grandchildren.
the mother of two and also writes for the Natural Parents Network. • Mandy Gerth (mandygerth.blogspot.com). This personal blog is filled with colourful and attractive photos of gardening, parenting and outdoor activities. • Simplify, Live, Love (simplifylivelove.com). The Living Green page of this blog is full of helpful tips and activities about gardening. • Simply Natural Mom (simplynaturalmom.com) is cute, cozy and complete, with ideas for activities at home and outdoors. • Tales of Goodness (talesofgoodness.com). Written by a young couple in Saint John, New Brunswick, this blog looks at how to achieve a green lifestyle.
Best gardens for kids Children’s gardens, whether around the world or around the block, offer plenty of inspiration and activities. Here are a few public gardens and parks worth visiting — either on-line or in your neighbourhood. — compiled by Zachary Osborne, Weston Family Library Garden
Location
Why we like it
Must-see features
Children’s Garden sustainablelivingottawaeast.ca
Robert F. Legget Park, Ottawa
The garden in this city park was rejuvenated and repurposed for educating children about growing flowers and vegetables. It’s urban and accessible, and it’s free!
Free hands-on education programs for children and families; a place of repose for all.
Franklin Children’s Garden
Centre Island, Toronto
This unique and beautiful space on Centre Island is a fantastic and free getaway from the mainland. Just a ferry ride away!
Features six sections for play, including a wildlife pond, tree house, gardens and storytelling.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, Australia
Children are encouraged to explore and play through a variety of educational attractions designed for hands-on independent learning and play.
The Ruin Garden, Bamboo Forest, two Plant Tunnels and the Rill, a river that connects the various ecosystems.
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan
It’s just across the border, and at five acres it’s one of the largest children’s gardens in the United States.
Sensory garden, five uniquely themed tree houses and the Great Lakes Garden which features a large-scale model of the Great Lakes.
botanicgardens.org
Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, Colorado
It features diverse physical environments such as a meadow, a pond, a cave, grasslands, roots and rocks, a stream, and a pollinator garden. It’s HUGE!
Attractions include Marmot Mountain and Pika Peak which are connected high above the ground via a swinging bridge.
World of Wonders (WOW): A Children’s Adventure Garden
Norfolk Botanical Garden, Norfolk, Virginia
WOW is a three-acre garden dedicated to children and families with six distinct discovery stations and mini water park attractions.
Web of Life Treehouse, Dirt Factory, Plant Safari and Discovery Peak.
toronto.ca/parks/franklin
Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden rbg.vic.gov.au
Lana Meijer Children’s Garden meijergardens.org
Mordecai Children’s Garden
norfolkbotanicalgarden.org
goTo
pinterest.com/tbgcanada/kids-can-grow and pin a photo of your favourite children’s garden or playground. torontobotanicalgarden.ca
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kids can grow • spring 2013
dig in discover In Your
My Favourite Bug
Garden
The syrphid fly — a copycat bug
JOBS TO DO — with kids!
Bug Lady Jean Godawa takes a close look at a clever imposter
ask the kids to watch for millipedes and sow bugs. These are nature’s composters.
• Before adding garden debris to refill compost bins, ask the kids to help chop up leaves, perennials’ stalks and other garden waste materials. • When spreading compost, kids can help to sieve out the chunky bits. • When growth begins, lift and divide summer-blooming perennials such as sedum, coneflowers and Shasta daisies. Kids can use their shovels to split up the clumps and then help pot them up. • Look for and dig up weeds,
ensuring that the entire root system is dug out. (Have a competition to see who can dig up the biggest and very best weed!)
• Create a theme garden such as a butterfly, rainbow or pizza garden. • Make a veggie plot by selecting a highly visible area that receives plenty of sunshine. Plant with a mix of veggies, herbs and edible flowers, asking children to help choose the seeds to grow. • Ask kids to help make a sign for the garden. They can help design it, select the paint colour and then make a handprint in the fresh paint.
What insect is black with yellow stripes, drinks nectar and pollinates flowers? Careful, it’s a trick question. The bee-like creature that crawls in and around your garden flowers or hovers just above them is called a syrphid fly, also known as a hover fly or flower fly. It is very easy to mistake this copycat bug for a wasp or bee. We all know how important bees are, both in the garden and on the farm. Their pollination activities allow plants to produce seeds. Syrphid flies pollinate plants too, but they do something else to help plants that bees cannot do. While young bee larvae are carefully protected inside their hive, the legless syrphid fly larvae are working hard to protect our gardens from harmful pests. They wriggle over leaves and flowers, eating up aphids and other small creatures that destroy our plants. A syrphid fly mother hovers over flowering plants looking for aphids. If she finds them, she knows it is a good
place to lay eggs because there will be food for her young. The larvae hatch from their eggs, and then eat and grow. After about ten days, they change into pupae and several days later, the adults emerge. Adult syrphid flies need lots of energy to fly around looking for good places to lay eggs. They get that energy from the pollen and nectar in flowers. Some species of syrphid flies are so tricky that they lay their eggs inside beehives. Since they look so much like bees, they can easily sneak into a hive and lay their eggs there, where they are well protected from the predators outside. Syrphids may look and act like bees and wasps but there is one thing they will never do — sting. So, how can you tell the difference between a stinging bee and a harmless syrphid? Count the wings. All bees and wasps have four wings while all flies have only two.
Fun Facts About Syrphid Flies ABCs of syrphid flies Adults feed on nectar and pollen. Only the larvae eat aphids. Broccoli and plants in the carrot and daisy families attract syrphid flies to your garden. Copycat bugs protect themselves from predators by mimicking the look and behaviour of more dangerous bugs.
123s of syrphid flies 1 mm long: the size of a syrphid egg 2 wings 3 or more generations per season (in Ontario)
Find the imposter! Which of these is the syrphid? Can you spot the bee? Do you recognize the wasp?
• Set up a garden calendar to track when to plant and harvest the veggies. – Paul Zammit, Nancy Eaton Director of Horticulture answer: from left to Right: wasp, bee, syrphid fly
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kids can grow • spring 2013
PHOTOS: Ken sproule
• When cleaning up the garden,
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explore
PHOTOS (clockwise from Left): paul zammit, Toronto botanical Garden, TBG, TBG, TBG,
grows in “theMore garden than the gardener sows. ”
– Spanish proverb
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kids can grow • spring 2013
explore
Getting
nature
by V ictoria Stevens
Why is play increasingly disappearing from the landscape of our children’s lives? And what legacy will we leave our children, and our children’s children, if we do not provide opportunities for them to experience the wonder of nature as they play — to create childhood memories that will be emblazoned on their hearts forever? (Introduction to “A White Paper on Research conducted at Dimensions Early Education Programs in Lincoln, NE” 2009) It’s probably fair to say that most gardeners developed their love of nature as children, whether it was playing in their parents’ or grandparents’ gardens, hiking, camping or beachcombing with family or exploring in local parks, ravines and woodlots. It’s also probably fair to note that many gardeners don’t just care about growing plants. They’re also interested in birds and insects and doing whatever they can in small or
large ways to keep the environment green and clean for their own children and the children of future generations. It’s this sense of connection to the natural world, a feeling of stewardship towards the planet, that many fear is being lost because children these days just aren’t experiencing nature the way they used to, with the freedom to explore and discover that previous generations enjoyed. More and more,
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children spend their leisure time indoors glued to a television, computer or smart-phone screen. A September 2012 survey, commissioned by the David Suzuki Foundation, found that 70 per cent of youth spent an hour or less outdoors each day. “There is now a huge gap between the amount of screen time young people are getting and the amount of time spent outside. For instance, an American
kids can grow • spring 2013
PHOTOS: (this page): Toronto botanical Garden (opposite): TBG, Lorraine Flanigan, L.F.
back to
Finding woodland treasures Discovering wildlife
Playing with water
survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that young people spend an average of seven and a half hours a day on entertainment media,” the Suzuki Foundation Web site notes. Richard Louv, the co-founder of the Children & Nature Network, has coined the term “nature-deficit disorder” to describe this disconnect between children and nature, and he makes the case that this trend does not bode well for our children or the future of the planet. In the introduction to his book, Last Child in the Woods, Louv says: “For a new generation, nature is more abstraction than reality. Increasingly,
nature is something to watch, to consume, to wear — to ignore. A recent television ad depicts a fourwheel-drive SUV racing along a breathtakingly beautiful mountain stream — while in the back seat two children watch a movie on a flip-down video screen, oblivious to the landscape and water beyond the windows.” Louv’s landmark book, first published in 2005, has created an international movement to study the problem and find ways of getting kids away from their video screens and back to nature. The Child and Nature Alliance of Canada grew out of Louv’s creation
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of the Children & Nature Network in the United States, and it is actively working with groups across the country to foster unstructured outdoor play for Canadian children. There are a number of initiatives on its Web site, childnature.ca, that people can get involved in, including a competition for schools for a $20,000 grant to build an outdoor classroom. Another positive step was taken in September 2012 at the World Congress of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) meeting in Jeju, South Korea, which was attended by representatives of the governments of 150 nations and more than 1,000 non-governmental organizations. The congress passed a resolution declaring that children have a human right to experience the natural world and a healthy environment and calling on the IUCN’s membership to promote the inclusion of this right within the framework of the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child. The resolution recognizes that: “…children, since they are an inalienable part of nature, not only have the right to a healthy environment, but also to a connection with nature and to the gifts of nature for their physical and psychological health and ability to learn and create, and that until they have these rights they will not bear responsibility for nature and the environment …”
kids can grow • spring 2013
explore Children need to connect with nature for their own health.
Royal Crawlin’ Bug Hotel Check in with nature by making a bug hotel. Many bugs are helpful to the plants that grow in the garden. In 2012, campers from the Green Explorers program at the Toronto Botanical Garden built the Royal Crawlin’ Bug Hotel for the good bugs that live in the Teaching Garden. This is a great project for you and your kids to try this summer.
goTo Like TBGkids on Facebook and Check out our Photo album to see how to make your own bug hotel.
vegetable garden and also installed zigzag log seating so kids could sit in the shade and watch games. A major inspiration for the movement to green schoolyards came from the Coombes School in southern England. In a 2010 article in the Globe and Mail, science writer Anne McIlroy described that school’s playground as “an arboretum” where “narrow paths snake through the shrubbery past apple, willow and walnut trees. There is a pond, two labyrinths, a garden and plenty of good spots to dig for worms. Lessons often take place outside.” It was created by
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educator Sue Humphries, who spent four decades transforming a barren yard into an outdoor classroom because of her conviction that sitting in chairs is not the best way for children to learn. McIlroy goes on to say: “Studies suggest that interacting with nature can help children pay attention, motivate them to learn and improve both classroom behaviour and scores on standardized tests. Neuroscientists and psychologists are investigating why nature is good for young brains and how being around trees and shrubs helps recharge the circuitry that children use to focus on a page of fractions or a spelling test.” Similar results have been reported in Lincoln, Nebraska, where in 20042005 the Dimensions Educational Research Foundation constructed the first Nature Explore Classroom at its research laboratory school where teachers documented the children’s activities and interactions in the outdoor classroom. Designed with the help of the children themselves, it includes a greenhouse with child-size tables and benches, a spacious sand area big enough to allow an entire class to play in the sand at the same time, a large, messy materials area filled with natural materials to manipulate such as wood chips and sections of cut tree trunks, a dirt-digging area, a climbing-crawling structure with multiple slides, ladders and landings, a large perennial garden and a vegetable garden. There’s also a large grassy area in the middle providing space for children to run and tumble, with a corner designated as the music area where teachers bring drums and
kids can grow • spring 2013
PHOTOS: (this page): Toronto botanical Garden, Lorraine Flanigan (opposite): L.F., TBG
Keith Wheeler, Chair of the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication, and Dr. Cheryl Charles, President and CEO of the Children & Nature Network, made the case that “nature-based experiences help to offset children’s increasingly sedentary lifestyles with associated negative consequences such as obesity, diminished creativity, attention disorder problems and, most important to the worldwide conservation community, a lack of experience to prepare them to care for the world’s natural environments for generations to come”. The two organizations have jointly produced an exhaustive report that contains five volumes of studies done over the past several decades from around the world which examine children’s experiences with the outdoors and nature. The findings in the studies will confirm what people are observing in everyday life such as: • A 2009 study surveyed 2,400 mothers from diverse cultures in 16 countries about the leisure activities of their oneto 12-year-old children, revealing many similarities, including 72 per cent reporting that the most common activity their children engaged in outside of school was watching television. • Studies in the United States, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Denmark and the United Kingdom all show the same trends. Physical outdoor activity among children has gone down significantly while media use has shot up. Activities outside school tend to be structured and parent-supervised, with parents saying that while they recognize physical activity is desirable, there isn’t time or they don’t feel safe leaving their children outside unsupervised. As the evidence piles up that children need to be connected with nature for their own health and the health of the planet, there are many creative and innovative projects afoot to make sure that happens. More and more schools across Canada are expanding their curricula to include teaching outdoors and greening their schoolyards. St. Brother André Catholic School in Ottawa began to transform its grass and paved yard six years ago. It planted 56 shade trees, edible vines and a
10 Ways to Connect Kids With Nature other instruments outdoors daily. Easels stand in an artists’ garden with a multi-tiered mosaic surface, designed and made by the children. What this project and others like it are doing is helping children rediscover their connection to the natural world, a place where they can be in charge and allow their creativity and imagination to run wild, devising games, building things, watching things grow, running, climbing or just lying in the grass looking up at the clouds and daydreaming, as untold generations of children have done before them. The benefits are manifest and many, including dramatic improvements in physical and emotional health, improved academic performance, development of social skills, including learning to collaborate and eliminating bullying. And, perhaps most of all, children gain a sense of peace, of being connected to the world, which they cannot learn in any other way. It leads to a lifelong love of and respect for the Earth, which will ensure our little blue planet will have many guardians for generations to come. Victoria Stevens is a retired journalist and Toronto Botanical Garden volunteer.
Many resources in books and on-line offer ways to help your kids learn and have fun in nature. Here are some suggestions from the TBG’s Children’s Education Department and the Children & Nature Network. 1. Invite native flora and fauna into your yard. Maintain a bird bath. Grow native plants to attract pollinators. Build a birdhouse or a bat house. 2. Help your child discover a hidden universe. Find a piece of scrap board and place it on bare dirt. Come back in a day or two, carefully lift the board (watch for unfriendly critters) and see how many species have found shelter there. Identify these creatures with the help of a field guide. 3. Encourage your kids to go camping in the backyard. Buy them a tent or help them make a canvas tepee, and leave it up all summer. 4. Take a hike. With younger children, choose easier, shorter routes and prepare to stop often. Or be a stroller explorer. “If you have an infant or toddler, consider organizing a neighbourhood stroller group that meets for weekly nature walks,” suggests the National Audubon Society. 5. Be a cloud spotter or build a backyard weather station. A young person just needs a view of the sky (even if it’s from a bedroom window) and a cloud guide.
6. Collect stones. Even the youngest children love gathering rocks, shells and fossils. To polish stones, use an inexpensive lapidary machine — a rock tumbler. 7. Encourage your kids to build a tree house, fort or hut. You can provide the raw materials, but it’s best if kids are the architects and builders. The older the kids, the more complex the construction can be. 8. Plant a garden. If your children are little, choose seeds large enough for them to handle and that mature quickly. If you live in an urban neighbourhood, a landing, deck, terrace or flat roof typically can accommodate several large pots. 9. Invent your own nature game. One mother’s suggestion: “We help our kids pay attention during longer hikes by playing ‘find ten critters’ — mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, snails and other creatures. Finding a critter can also mean discovering footprints, mole holes and other signs that an animal has passed by or lives there.” 10. Create temporary outdoor art from found objects in nature using rocks, sticks, stones, leaves, snow or anything else that takes your fancy and take a picture of the result.
Resources for nature activities for kids
• Children and Nature (childrenandnature.org) • Children’s Special Places by David Sobel • Fed Up with Frenzy by Susan Sachs Lipman • I Love Dirt! by Jennifer Ward* • The Kids’ Book of Weather Forecasting by Mark Breen, Kathleen Friestad & Michael Kline • Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv*
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• Nature Rocks (naturerocks.org) • A Parent’s Guide to Nature Play by Ken Finch. Available on-line at greenheartsinc.org/ Parents__Guide.html • Rock and Fossil Hunter by Ben Morgan • Sharing Nature with Children by Joseph Cornell* *Available in the Weston Family Library
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explore Imagining the city’s future led by a generation of lifelong gardeners and naturalists. — City of Toronto Children’s Garden & Eco Programs.
Kids Can Grow Food
Savouring flavours
“Hmmm, this tastes so sweet,” says a child at Winchester Garden Club as he picks a sun-ripened raspberry. Kids at Winchester School experience just how much better food tastes from the garden than it does from the supermarket. learning about soil
Many children are surprised to learn that the vegetables bought in the supermarket are grown in soil. Liz Hood, Director of Education at the Toronto Botanical Garden, says children learn that soil is not just dirt. “Through hands-on experiences, they learn about compost, worms, the composition of soil, the importance of creating and preserving soil — that soil supports us all,” she says. growing from seed
Master Gardener Claire Trepanier is passionate about growing food with kids. She volunteers at GTGK and Montcrest Community Garden and with the TBGKids Growing Under Glass program at Allan Gardens. She recalls the day when a young girl became excited when she learned that a tiny seed could produce a whole head of lettuce. The girl asked Claire if she could take some seeds home so she could grow lettuce on the balcony for her family.
Kids are growing food, says Ellen Farrelly, all across the city. eating Healthier
“If kids are introduced to a variety of foods at an early age, they are willing to eat a broader range of vegetables,” says Sunday Harrison. “School gardens expose kids to nearby nature and sensory experiences,” she explains. “I introduce kids to stevia, a sweet herb, and sorrel, a bitter herb, to get their attention. Once they’ve tried these massively flavoured tastes, I can introduce them to a greater range of herbs and vegetables in the garden.” Keeping active
When kids grow their own food, they are physically active. “It’s great exercise and builds healthy bodies,” says Yafit Rokach, Program Standards and Development Officer with City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation and supervisor of the Children’s Garden and Eco Programs in High Park.
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Teaching others
At Rose Avenue Public School, older kids teach younger ones how to plant drought-tolerant herbs and flowers. One of the teachers there reminded the older students to “think about how you do procedural writing when you’re telling your buddy how to plant the seedling,” thereby reinforcing the connection between the step-by-step writing the students learn in class and how they can apply those skills when teaching the younger kids how to plant. Making connections
When kids grow food, it paves the way for connecting with others in the community. For example, the Youth Training and Leadership Program at Winchester Public School paired up with kids from a local daycare facility. With a big buddy, the younger children explored different leaf shapes and tastes. For nearly everyone, it was their first time in a garden and both groups had fun. The youths learned first-hand about leading an activity while the younger kids enjoyed the attention of a one-on-one experience. Gail Bornstein, a Greening Associate at Evergreen Brick Works, works in partnership with Bruce Day, Grounds Standards and Design Coordinator at the Toronto District School Board, to advise schools on EcoSchools design. “School partnerships and community connections work well if a school wants to do a food garden,” says Bornstein. “These partnerships help to solve the sustainability piece: who is going to look after the garden in the summer?” For example, students from Don Mills Collegiate have teamed up with a group of seniors in a retirement community who look after the school garden during the summer. A weekly GTGK Family Drop-In Night is held during the summer in the gardens at Winchester and Sprucecourt public schools. This is another way food growing connects the community. This event encourages kids to bring their families to the gardens to share in the excite-
kids can grow • spring 2013
photos (opposite, Clockwise FROM TOP right): toronto botanical garden, tbg, tbg, justin van leeuwen/jvl photo.com, tbg
Kids are growing food in school gardens, community centres and city parks, on roof-top gardens, in greenhouses, on window ledges, on balconies and in backyards. As a Master Gardener volunteering with Green Thumbs Growing Kids (GTGK), I’ve learned first-hand how the program’s director, Sunday Harrison, and inspiring leaders just like her, are educating children to be part of a lifelong generation of gardeners, one seed at a time. Here’s what happens when kids learn to grow food.
Top 5 kid-friendly vegetables – from the experts! 1. “Tiny tomatoes,” says Sarah Grace, a 6-year-old, first-time home gardener. “I like them when they’re hot in the sun.” 2. “Sorrel,” says GTGK’s Harrison. “Kids always like to eat this perennial.” 3. “Brussels sprouts,” says Jackman Public School principal Shaune Palmer. “This unusual vegetable takes a long time to grow and is ready for the children to harvest in the fall.” 4. “Gourds,” says Yafit Rokach of High Park’s Children’s Garden and Eco Programs. “Kids can grow them and then use them to make music.” 5. “Root vegetables such as potatoes, parsnips and carrots,” says Liz Hood at the TBG where they’re grown, harvested and donated to the North York Second Harvest food bank.
explore ment of harvesting food. The evening often results in the swapping of recipes. Learning about nature
When kids grow food, they connect with nature and learn about the ecosystem. “What else is living in the garden?” asks Yafit Rokach. “Are there squirrels, owls or butterflies? Thinking about what else comes into that space supports the link to ecology,” she says. Rachel Carson was one of the earliest environmentalists who made us aware of this connection. In Silent Spring, she wrote “in nature, nothing lives alone.”
Eating local
“When the children harvest Brussels sprouts from the school garden,” explains Shaune Palmer, principal at Jackman Public School, “they know that no planes, trains or trucks were involved in delivering the food. It becomes obvious that this footprint only took about 50 yards. Talk about eating local food!” she says. Nurturing big ideas
Dr. Roberta Bondar, the well-known astronaut, photographer, physician and leader in environmental education,
launched the GTGK “Imagine a Garden in Every School” campaign at Rose Avenue Public School last year. When asked “why do we need a garden in every school,” Dr. Bondar responded, “For peas on earth!” World peace is one of the big ideas students think about. Perhaps no one has depicted this better than a Grade 5 Sprucecourt Public School student who was inspired by the school garden. The picture she drew on the GTGK blog is all about “the community coming together and making world peace”.
container
crazy
Make a mini-greenhouse with clamshell containers Clear plastic fruit and salad containers called clamshells make a perfect environment for growing fresh micro-greens at any time of the year. And, it’s a fun and easy project to do with children. Here’s how 1. Thoroughly wash container, removing any labels that might block light. Allow clamshell to dry. 2. Fill the bottom half of the clamshell with pre-moistened and sterilized potting soil formulated for growing edible plants. Tamp down gently. 3. For fine seeds such as green arugula, sprinkle a generous layer of seeds over the surface of the soil. (Other suitable greens include mustard, kale, endive or beets.) 4. Gently push the seeds into the surface.
5. Cover seeds with a fine dusting of potting soil. 6. Water lightly or mist. 7. Close the clamshell and place it in a brightly lit area – a sunny windowsill or even under artificial light works well. 8. Watch over the container every day, and be sure to keep the soil surface moist but not wet. 9. When the seedlings start to germinate, open the lid. 10. Harvest when the sprouts are about two or three centimetres tall. Tip: For a steady supply of fresh and yummy sprouts and greens, start seeds in clean containers every five to seven days. — Paul Zammit, Nancy Eaton Director of Horticulture
A: Add soil to clamshell
B: Sprinkle seeds on soil
Recycling-bin potatoes
goTo
With a little help from mom and dad, it’s fun for kids to grow a crop of potatoes. All it takes is a recycling bin (or any container with holes for drainage), some potting soil and seed potatoes – use the ones in your kitchen or buy kid-sized varieties such as fingerlings and banana types.
torontobotanicalgarden.ca/potatoes and let 4-year-old Quinn show you how.
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C: Push seeds in gently
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Kids can grow food, and they enjoy doing it. When you start digging in the garden with a child, one seed at a time, simple pleasures and joy await you.
Anna’s Plant Pick
Ellen Farrelly is a Toronto Master Gardener who volunteers with Green Thumbs Growing Kids.
goTo torontobotanicalgarden.ca/kids for more Tips To Get Kids Growing.
Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum) Pooh said, “Christopher Robin gave me a mastershalum seed, and I planted it, and I’m going to have mastershalums all over the front door.” – A.A. Milne
E: Place in brightly lit area
F: Harvest sprouts
photos (opposite): justin van leeuwen/jvl photo.com (This Page, Clockwise FROM TOp): carl E. Lewis/flickr, Paul zammit, j.v.l, j.v.l
D: Water lightly or mist
Nasturtiums are great annual plants for children to grow. Best of all, nasturtiums are edible. You can add the leaves and flowers to salads, or carefully stuff the flowers with peanut butter, cream cheese or hummus. The leaves and flowers taste slightly peppery, just like watercress. Be careful not to eat the leaves and flowers of other plants you might find in the garden. Some may make you sick. Plants have a scientific name. Nasturtium’s proper name is Tropaeolum. Linnaeus, who was the man who named it, was reminded of the trophy poles that Roman soldiers put up long ago after a war. These were called tropaeum. To Linnaeus, the leaves of nasturtiums looked like the shields of the Roman enemies and the flowers were like bloodstained helmets! Nasturtiums produce lots of round, green, shield-shaped leaves. The helmet-shaped flowers may be cream-coloured, such as ‘Milkmaid’, yellow and orange with dark spots (‘Ladybird’ mix), red with dark green
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leaves (‘Princess of India’) or salmoncoloured with speckled leaves (‘Saucy Rascal’). There are also many others that bloom in reds, oranges and yellows. To plant nasturtium seeds, wait until the soil starts to warm up, usually at the end of May or the beginning of June. Find a sunny spot in the garden where the soil is moist but not too rich — poor soils mean more flowers! Poke a hole into the ground with your first finger, to a depth of about half way down. Drop one nasturtium seed into the hole and then fill the hole with soil. Water well. Young plants should come up in about 10 days. Once they’re growing, water only when the soil becomes dry. Most nasturtiums are short, growing about 20 centimetres tall, but some types reach as much as one metre high and can scramble up into shrubs or flow over the edges of a hanging basket — they can even cover Pooh’s front door! — Anna Leggatt Toronto Master Gardener
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hydroponics.com All Summer Long
classifieds
SALE
Leaside Garden Society is excited to announce its annual Garden Tour to be held on Saturday, June 22, 11 to 4. Mark this date on your calendar. This year’s tour again promises to be an exciting mix of garden styles and plants. Check the website www.leasidegardensociety.org for further information.
Toronto Island Spring Garden Tour Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26, 2013; noon to 5 p.m. Take the Ward’s Island ferry departing from the ferry docks at the foot of Bay St. Check times and ferry ticket prices at www.toronto.ca/parks/ island/ferry-schedule. Tickets and maps will be available in the white gazebo as you leave the boat at Ward’s Island. Garden tour ticket prices are: adults $10, seniors $8, children $2. Funds raised are used for public landscaping projects in the community. Information: www.torontoisland.org, or dpeace0968@rogers.com, or annekotyk@yahoo.ca. Remember, it’s cooler by the lake! Dress appropriately.
Stewart-Caledonia Tours in conjunction with Expedia Cruise Ship Centres presents Scottish Borders/Lake District Tour Summer 2014 hosted by Marjorie Mason. Join us and visit the beautiful border country of Scotland and the Lake District in North England — history, culture and gardens galore! Includes Beatrix Potter’s Hilltop garden, Lake Windermere, Holehird Gardens, the Yorkshire Dales and Hadrian’s Wall, Alnwick Castle and gardens, Lindisfarne and the Holy Island, Floors Castle and Gardens, Melrose Abbey, Peebles, Edinburgh Botanic Garden and much, much more! For more info: www.stewart-caledoniatours.com or www.masonhousegardens.com or call Marjorie at 905-985-6573 or 905-649-3532.
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Happy Anniversary to
TBG Teaching Garden!
For the past 15 years, says Lorraine Hunter, this hands-on outdoor classroom has provided a unique year-round interactive learning environment, exposing kids to the wonders of nature.
City Critters Family Series Join us for the next session of the City Critters Family Series — Great Birds of Prey. In early spring, these hunting birds are migrating back to Toronto, making this a perfect time to learn about their fascinating world. Meet live raptors, build birds’ nests and more! Saturday, April 6, 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Family: public $30, members $25. Individual: public $10, members $7.
goTo torontobotanicalgarden.ca /kids for information and to register.
Did you know that worms have five hearts? Or that some plants smell like pineapples or lemons? These are just a few of the facts that more than 6,000 children a year discover when they visit the Teaching Garden at the Toronto Botanical Garden. Spearheaded by The Garden Club of Toronto, what began as a simple forward-thinking idea blossomed into a reality after three years of planning and just four-and-a-half months of construction, “completed in 1998 on time and under budget,” recalls Marisa Bergagnini, past president of the Garden Club and Teaching Garden project committee chair. “The Civic Garden Centre [now the Toronto Botanical Garden] always had programs for children but no garden just for them.”
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The original aim was to create a working garden to interest and educate children in the love and values of gardening. Its twofold purpose was, firstly, to provide individual children with a small plot to plant, care for and harvest; and, secondly, to be a teaching base for schools and community groups. As well as a love of gardening, The Garden Club also hoped the garden would instill such values as the importance of relationships between all aspects of the environment in cities and the countryside, people of all ages working together, conservation, recycling, responsibility and a lifetime interest in a healthy outdoor activity. Bergagnini was there from the beginning. “For three years this was a fulltime job,” she recalls. “I interviewed
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explore children, went to the Kellogg Garden in Michigan, the New York Botanical Garden and a small children’s garden at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton.” She and her committee developed the vision for the garden, took it to the City of Toronto and convinced officials to allocate the 30,000-square-foot tract of land, located on the west side of Edwards Gardens across the creek and up the curved path, to the Civic Garden Centre to operate and expand its children’s program. The committee also raised $450,000 for the creation of the garden as well as another $50,000 as seed money to start an indoor children’s room, which is now the James Boyd Children’s Centre. Bergagnini gives full credit to city officials, especially Albert Miller, “who was of great assistance in completing the project,” and to landscape architect Patrick Lee, “who was most generous and very proud to do something unique for children.” The highlight for Bergagnini was the sunny day in June 1998 when Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor Hilary M. Weston cut the floral garland and declared the Teaching Garden officially open. “It was
a great accomplishment for The Garden Club and I am delighted to have been a part of it,” Bergagnini recalls. The Teaching Garden “was never meant as a money generator but as a teaching tool for children, especially for those children who don’t get away on trips or to cottages in the summer,” she explains. For the Teaching Garden’s first ten years The Garden Club of Toronto supported a program to bus in and provide lunch and supplies for inner city children. And now The Garden Club, along with other groups such as Milne House Garden Club, Markham Garden and Horticultural Society, Thornhill Garden & Horticulture Society and the Ontario Rock Garden & Hardy Plant Society, provides funds so that five high-priority students from a high-density area can attend a special summer program, the Green Explorers Camp for 9- to 11-year olds.
The Green Explorers Camp is just one of the many educational and recreational programs offered in the summer and year-round at the Teaching Garden. Summer day camps have a different theme each week. This year there will be an Animal Camp for 3- and 4-year olds; Creature, Jurassic, Creativity, Bug and Garden Camps for 5- and 6-year olds; and Survival, Art and Cooking camps for 7- to 9-year olds. In addition, the Green Adventure Camp for kids from daycare centres
Teaching Garden Countdown
No garden sprouts overnight. The TBG’s Teaching Garden is no exception. Its creation took years of thoughtful planning, beginning with the Civic Garden Centre’s 1993 strategic plan and culminating 15 years ago in a celebratory open house. Here’s how it happened. — Zachary Osborne, Head Librarian, Weston Family Library 1993 Civic Garden Centre’s (CGC) strategic planning session identifies “demonstration land” as a priority for children’s and adult education.
April 10, 1995 Garden Club of Toronto’s (GCT) proposal for a Teaching Garden in Edwards Gardens submitted to the Metro Toronto Parks and Property Department, Environment and Public Space Committee, outlining purpose, recommendation and justification, submitted by Frank Kershaw, Deputy Commissioner of Parks and Property.
May 1994 Concept landscape drawings produced for a plan of the Teaching Garden space. September 28, 1994 CGC board of directors presented with initial proposal from the Horticulture Services Department for a children’s garden in Edwards Gardens.
October 6, 1995 April proposal was adopted by Metro Council. October 31, 1994 CGC board of directors unanimously approved proposal for a teaching garden plan. torontobotanicalgarden.ca
December 7, 1995 Teaching Garden Committee began with members from the GCT and CGC staff.
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September 8, 1997 Environment and Public Space Committee voted to approve the Teaching Garden Project. October 1997 Tenders put out for construction and landscaper bids.
across the GTA is a one-day, fully funded program that teaches kids about food and where it comes from. “They’ll make a salad with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and green peppers and learn what a healthy diet means,” explains former Children’s Education Supervisor Jasmine Green. Not surprisingly, there is always a waiting list for this camp. During the school year, the Teaching Garden is also a school trip destination for kids from Kindergarten to Grade 4. Programs are curriculum-linked and designed to stimulate the imagination. For the winter programs the staff keeps a good supply of hats and scarves on hand, in case some of the children aren’t dressed for the cold weather. “The kids come with their teachers and in the spring they help us plant seeds for all the vegetables we grow here. It might be lettuce in April and tomatoes in June. In the fall they might be planting garlic, pulling up lettuce and eating beans right there in the garden.” In addition to planting, cultivating, watering and even weeding, children learn all about composting, soil, bugs and worms. “Some children are afraid of worms but when we tell them that worms have five hearts they feel better. They get a kick out of that and over
time they warm up to them,” says Jasmine. “The great thing about a garden is that there are so many different aspects,” she says. “Plants, bugs, dirt. Every kid finds something they really like. We learn from them, too,” she stresses. “For example, a boy in one of our summer camps knew a lot about butterflies and caught a tiger swallowtail [by net]. We studied it and then let it go.” “We send pre- and post-activities to the teachers so they can take the learning back to the classroom and help the children apply it to their lives.” Volunteers are important to the Teaching Garden. “It’s a challenge maintaining a garden this size,” emphasizes Jasmine. “We rely on our volunteers. We only have a staff of two and our responsibilities are the kids and the programs.” While the Teaching Garden provides numerous opportunities for hands-on learning, the proposed children’s garden at the Toronto Botanical Garden would complement it by providing a place where children will be encouraged to expand their imaginations through play.
March Break Nature Camp Celebrate the return of spring at March Break Nature Camp. Hands-on and educational nature programming takes place inside the beautiful James Boyd Children’s Centre and outside on the grounds of the Toronto Botanical Garden and surrounding ravine. In the Survival Skills program, learn about orienteering and shelter building; make your own ice cream during Super Chefs or sign up for Grossology and learn how to dissect owl pellets and make slime. March 11 to 15. Public $65/day, members $60/day. Register for the full week and SAVE! Public $290, members $270.
Lorraine Hunter is a garden writer and chair of the Trellis Committee.
“The great thing about a garden is that there are so many different aspects – every kid finds something they really like.” December 5, 1997 Management agreement signed between municipality of Toronto, CGC and GCT for plans to move forward with Teaching Garden proposal in Edwards Gardens.
April 23, 1998 Job posting for a horticulturist and Teaching Garden coordinator to operate and program the Teaching Garden.
January 23, 1998 CGC hosts “Sock Hop” disco dance to raise funds towards the CGC’s role in the Teaching Garden.
July 1998 Linda Greven hired as the Teaching Garden’s first horticulturist. June 25, 1998 Opening ceremony of the Teaching Garden, presided by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Hilary M. Weston. torontobotanicalgarden.ca
July 9, 1998 CGC hosts open house at the Teaching Garden for volunteers and the public.
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connect
The Youngest Volunteer Veronica Sliva talks with TBG youth volunteer Yousef Sawwan about what the TBG’s Leadership Camp has meant to him. Because Dahlia Sawwan was a frequent visitor to the Toronto Botanical Garden, she knew that the children’s programs were popular. When she was looking for a summer camp for her son, Yousef, she decided to enrol him in the Leadership Camp. She explains: “Yousef was experiencing some bullying issues and I was looking for a program that would help him learn to deal with others. The TBG’s Leadership Camp is one of the few
geared to younger children [Yousef was then 10].” Four years later, Yousef ’s mom is thrilled with the way the Leadership Camp has shaped Yousef ’s personality. She marvels: “I noticed that many of the activities the kids worked on were geared to learning positive social behaviours and in some way applying them afterwards to their projects in the garden. There was always a goal behind an activity … a social mes-
sage, a way of communicating or presenting a viewpoint.” I caught up with Yousef (now 14 years old) to chat about his experiences at the TBG and how they have affected his life. Veronica: As a graduate of the TBG’s Leadership Camp, tell me a little bit about your experience. Yousef: I’m a big fan of animals, but mostly I’m interested in the eco-friendly and environmental stuff. When I was 10 years old my mom put me in the
Yousef helps a TBGKids camper.
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kids can grow • special issue 2013
PHOTO: Toronto Botanical Garden
one-week Leadership Camp at the TBG. We learned a lot about those things and I got along very well with the other kids. Veronica: Your mom tells me that she hoped you would learn about dealing with others. Did that happen for you? Yousef: Yes, it did. But, I didn’t realize it at first. Veronica: How so? Yousef: Before going to Leadership Camp I didn’t always say what I thought. At camp I learned not to be afraid to speak up and present my point of view. I think the camp helped me become more self-confident. Veronica: Was there an “aha” moment for you? Yousef: Yes, we were asked to make a movie about protecting endangered
species. That meant working with the other kids and problem-solving. There were lots of ideas and we had to negotiate and compromise with one another to come up with the best plan. It wasn’t until after the project that I realized that I was learning better ways to communicate. Veronica: You are now in a leadership role. How did that evolve? Yousef: After the Leadership Camp I was asked to volunteer for Doors Open (a one-day event held in May). My job was to act as a host to 3- to 4-year olds, generally keeping them occupied while the adults talked with one another. I was in charge and it felt good because the little kids listened to me. I found it enjoyable and fun. After Doors Open I was asked to volunteer for the summer camp for 3- to 4-year olds. I think I was the youngest volunteer. I got to teach the kids games. At first I was really nervous, but once I realized they understood me, it felt great. Veronica: Did Doors Open lead to other opportunities? Yousef: I think because I did well at Doors Open, I was asked to volunteer the following year for March Break and then again for Garden Camp in the summer. This past summer I worked with older kids, 5 to 7 years old. Veronica: Has your experience at the TBG affected you outside of the program? Yousef: Yes, I was bullied a lot when I was younger. But after Leadership Camp I started to stand up for myself. Before, I would run away from the bullies. Now, I’m not afraid of them and they seem to sense it. I’m no longer bullied at all. Veronica: Do you have a favourite camp program? Yousef: I’d have to say Bug Camp and Garden Camp. Veronica Sliva is a freelance garden writer who pens the Garden Destinations blog at torontobotanicalgarden.ca.
goTo torontobotanicalgarden.ca/volunteers to read stories about what volunteering means to TBG volunteers.
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kids can grow • spring 2013
speak out
connect
gardening with
grandchildren
A
t about this time of the year, Susan Dyer and Penelope will be perusing seed and plant catalogues and making choices for their spring garden. Susan grows seeds over the winter and helps Penelope plant the seedlings. When spring finally arrives, the twosome will go to the flower stores rather than the nursery (too overwhelming) and will talk about the plants they like, their colour and scent. In the fall they select and plant bulbs. Penelope has her own plot in the back of the garden, with space for her small table and chairs. By placing the child’s garden out of sight, laughs Susan, she doesn’t worry
about how it looks. And because the kitchen window overlooks the enclosed garden, Penelope can play in the garden by herself, developing her sense of independence. The secret to getting children interested in gardening, advises Dyer, is to grab the opportunity when it presents itself. When Penelope shows interest in a particular plant, Susan tells her what she knows “in bite-size pieces”: the conditions it likes, how much water it needs, its colour and fragrance and any interesting tidbits she can add. She makes sure not to overwhelm Penelope, an easy thing to do when dealing with young children. “Don’t try to do multiple things,” counsels Susan, “try to make the experience fun.” During the growing season, Penelope
easy Stuff kids can do in the garden Penelope does a lot of garden tasks that take little time. Spotting red lily beetles (so Susan can dispatch them). Harvesting peas and cherry tomatoes, only a few of which actually reach the house. Penelope loves the
peas and her little sister, Belen (next year’s apprentice), loves the tomatoes. Watching the fish in the pond. Watering her plants. Children often have trouble with watering cans, even small ones, so Susan puts just a
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kids can grow • spring 2013
PHOTOs: Courtesy Susan Dyer
Carol Gardner talks with Toronto Botanical Garden volunteer Susan Dyer about gardening with her four-year-old granddaughter Penelope.
“Giving a child a sense of the beauty of the garden is the best gift ever.” 10 Great Places to Take Grandkids
picks tiny bouquets for a vase on her table in the kitchen. “She always chooses the best ones,” says her grandmother. The pair’s latest enthusiasm is garden fairies. For that, they’ve involved Penelope’s father, a neophyte gardener who now builds fairy houses for his daughter’s garden patch. Susan is acquiring some beautiful books on garden fairies for her granddaughters (or so she says) and is becoming very knowledgeable about fairy garden lore. Gardening runs in this family, although to Susan’s regret it has skipped a generation — her own children. Susan’s father was a sheep farmer from New Zealand. He was a great plant grower and fastidious about his garden. Susan is a well-known gardener, but neither of her daughters has succumbed to the love of gardening so far (she hasn’t given up yet). The best thing about being a grandparent is that she has the time and the patience to go with the flow. “Giving a child a sense of the beauty of the garden is the best gift ever,” she says. Nor is it a one-way street. Susan’s granddaughters have made her slow down and see the garden through a child’s eyes, with a child’s sense of wonder. When I left them, Susan and Penelope were talking about making a pine-cone swing for the fairies.
In addition to the Toronto Botanical Garden and Edwards Gardens there are many places around the GTA to take young children in order to help them develop a love of nature. Evergreen Brick Works (ebw.evergreen.ca) Seasonal activities and workshops to get kids playing in the kitchen, the mud and the garden with parental (or grandparental) supervision. Kortright Centre for Conservation (kortright.org) Nature trails, guided activities and seasonal naturalist hikes for all ages. The Franklin Children’s Garden (toronto.ca/parks/franklin) Interactive garden on Centre Island with gardens, storytelling amphitheatre, tree house and a pond for wildlife viewing. Black Creek Pioneer Village (blackcreek.ca) A typical community village from early nineteenthcentury Toronto. Learn about pioneers and Aboriginal people: the food they grew, the homes they lived in, the clothing they wore, children’s chores. Riverdale Farm (riverdalefarm.ca/about-the-farm) Example of an Ontario farm between 1880 and 1920 in the heart of the city. Best for kids under ten. Typical farm animals, barn, duck pond and more. High Park (highparktoronto.com) Mini-zoo, hiking trails, sports facilities, picnic area, Jamie Bell Adventure Playground, lakefront. Forsythe Family Farm (forsythefamilyfarms.com) Enjoy the basics of farm life — animals, wagon rides, Enchanted Forest, pick your own crops. Bronte Creek Provincial Park (ontarioparks.com/english/bron.html) Living history demos, 1890s farmhouse, play barn, animals, outdoor playground, camping, swimming, nature trails, water sports, annual maple syrup festival. Chudleigh’s Apple Farm (chudleighs.com) Open July 1 to October 31; more than 28,000 apple trees, apple picking, children’s entertainment area, nature trail, rope swings, animals, straw maze, wagon rides, picnic area. Lionel’s Pony Farm & Petting Zoo (lionelsfarm.com) May to December (weather permitting), pony rides, horse- or pony-drawn hay/sleigh rides, outdoor petting zoo with ponies, donkeys, llamas, deer, goats, sheep, rabbits and more. — Lorraine Hunter
Carol Gardner is an award-winning garden writer and grandmother of two budding gardeners.
small amount of water in at a time. It’s time-consuming, but children love to water, so it’s worth it. When Penelope tires of gardening, she is encouraged to leave it and play. That way, Susan hopes to teach her that gardening is a joy rather than a chore.
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kids can grow • spring 2013
Happenings — Generously supported by The W. Garfield Weston Foundation and The S. Schulich Foundation
Who’s
Talking
SPEAKER: Paul B. Redman TOPIC: Longwood Gardens: From the Du Pont Era to the 21st Century When: Thursday, April 4, 7:30 Where: Floral Hall
How should a botanical garden maintain its legacy, remain relevant in changing times and innovatively prepare for the future? Join Longwood Gardens’ visionary director Paul Redman as he shares the ideas, insights and inspiration that are crucial to creating a planning culture that can transform a botanical garden from great to magnificent. Annual General Meeting precedes this lecture at 6 p.m. TBG members are invited to find out what the TBG worked on in 2012, and meet the members of the board of directors as well as new inductees. SPEAKER: Darren Heimbecker TOPIC: Whistling Gardens When: Thursday, May 16, 7:30 Where: Floral Hall
From cornfield to botanical garden, hear the trials and triumphs of starting a nursery, garden centre and construction of a 20-acre botanical garden boasting 2,400 conifer species and cultivars and Canada’s only stone fountain amphitheatre. Public $25, students (with valid ID) $15, TBG members free. Door sales only. Limited seating.
on the go • Canada Blooms, March 15 to 24 Visit the TBG pop-up shop for a taste of all that’s wonderful about the TBG, including a full selection of bee products, a choice variety of quality bulbs and seeds, triedand-true and new gardening tools, engaging hands-on nature project kits for kids and many exclusive-tous temptations as well as our carefully curated selection of gardening books. (Some of your favourite authors will be on hand to chat and sign your copy.) Join us at the main stage for lively and informative talks by our TBG experts.
goTo torontobotanicalgarden.ca/ canadablooms for updates and a schedule of events.
• Town and Country Gardens of the Guelph and Elora Region with Frank Kershaw, Thursday, June 20, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Public $120, members $100; includes lunch at the Breadalbane Inn. To register, call 416-397-1341
Newcomer Rachel Kay
Facility Sales Coordinator The newest member of Rentals’ dynamic duo, Rachel Kay, says her new role “is the perfect blend of both of the worlds I love.” Before graduating from George Brown College’s course in special event management and delivery, Rachel spent nine years as a softscape foreman with a top-end landscaping firm based in Bracebridge, Ontario. Although she hails from the ’burbs, she’s a Muskoka girl at heart and spends as much time as she can at her cottage. Drop by and say hello to Rachel the next time you’re at the TBG. She’ll be ready to help you book your meeting space or special event.
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goings on • Photographer Marilyn Cornwell’s Flowerography exhibit opens at the TBG Art Gallery on Thursday, March 14, 7 to 8:30 p.m. • Earth Day, Sunday, April 21, noon to 4 p.m. Join in the planting of the TBG’s Woodland Walk and Bird Habitat, purchase native plants, take a garden tour or bring your kids to plant the Alphabet Garden. Rain or shine, FREE. • Plant Sale Previews, May 8: Friends, 10 a.m. to noon, Members, noon to 8 p.m. Public: May 9 and 10, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. & May 11 and 12, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. • Mother’s Day Tea & Truffle Pairing, Saturday, May 11, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Public $65; Members $55. Two tickets and a one-year TBG membership for mum, $145. • HortiCULTURE Salon Series: Natural Resources, Wednesday, May 15, 7 to 8:30 p.m. The Textile Museum of Canada’s Natalia Nekrassova explores the connection between historic textile practices and innovative materials used in modern architecture and design. Public $15; Members $10. • Woman to Woman Luncheon in the Garden, Thursday, May 30, noon to 2 p.m. Tickets, $125. • Through the Garden Gate: Forest Hill, Saturday, June 8, and Sunday, June 9. One-day pass: Public $40; Members $35. Two-day pass: Public $52.50; Members $47.50.
goTo torontobotanicalgarden.ca or call 416-397-1483 for tickets and information.
kids can grow • spring 2013
PHOTOs: Daniel Traub, Toronto Botanical Garden
TBG LECTURE Series
About The Toronto Botanical Garden The Toronto Botanical Garden (TBG) is a volunteer-based, charitable organization whose purpose is to inspire passion, respect and understanding of gardening, horticulture, the natural landscape and a healthy environment. The TBG raises more than 95 per cent of its operating funds through membership, facility rentals, retail enterprises, program fees and donations. The organization relies on the generosity and financial commitment of individuals, foundations and corporations to help maintain the gardens and support the many horticultural and environmental services we provide to our community. Charitable business number 119227486RR001.
GENERAL HOURS AND ADMISSION
Gardens: Free admission, dawn to dusk Administrative Offices: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weston Family Library: Call 416-397-1343 or check www.torontobotanicalgarden.ca for hours of operation. shopTBG: Call 416-397-1357 • shop@torontobotanicalgarden.ca Master Gardeners’ Info Line: 416-397-1345, noon to 3 p.m. (April & July, Monday to Thursday, Saturday; May & June, daily; August through March, Monday, Wednesday and Saturday). Visit torontomastergardeners.ca and Ask a Master Gardener
Membership: $45 single, $65 family. Call 416-397-1483 or sign up on line at
torontobotanicalgarden.ca/join
SIGN UP FOR BI-WEEKLY GARDEN E-NEWS!
Receive the latest horticultural news and information on events, workshops, lectures and other horticultural happenings. Free registration at torontobotanicalgarden.ca
FRIENDS OF THE TORONTO BOTANICAL GARDEN The Toronto Botanical Garden is deeply grateful to its Friends for providing continued and generous support towards programs and services. Our Friends enable the TBG to educate and provide the community with information on horticulture, gardening and environmental issues through lectures, courses and events. The following individuals made their contribution to the Friends program between November 1 and December 31, 2012.
Director’s Circle Geoffrey & Susan Dyer Benefactors Janet Davis
Sustaining Members Penny & Robert Richards
Friends Carol & Gordon Bairstow Virginia & James Baxter Bryan Davis Janet & David Greyson Kumail Karimjee
Anna Leggatt S.M. Jane Lennox-King Patricia Markle Catherine Peer Joy & Jim Reddy
PATRONS
Honorary Patron: Adrienne Clarkson
Brian Bixley, Mark Cullen, Camilla Dalglish, Sondra Gotlieb, Marjorie Harris, Lorraine Johnson, Michele Landsberg, Susan Macaulay, Helen Skinner
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mary Fisher, President and Co-Chair; Allan Kling, Co-Chair. Ellen Carr, Heather Cullen, Colomba B. Fuller, Jim Gardhouse, Rebecca Golding, Elaine Le Feuvre, Joan Lenczner, Penny Richards, Judy Shirriff, Nancy Tong, Barbara Yager
STAFF DIRECTORY
Executive Director Aldona Satterthwaite director@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1346 BUSINESS AND FINANCE Director of Business Initiatives and Finance Margaret Chasins business@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1484 Accounting, Nadesu Manikkavasagam accounting@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1352 Database & Technology Administrator & Social Media Specialist, Trish Cassling database@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1371 Resource Specialist, Stefan Weber assistant@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1321 Marketing & Communications Department media@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1351 Creative Director, Jenny Rhodenizer communication@torontobotanicalgarden.ca Trellis Editor editor@torontobotanicalgarden.ca Development Department Director of Development, Claudia Zuccato Ria development@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1372 Development Officer, Andrew McKay annualgiving@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1483 Rentals & Events Department Rentals Department & Events & Facility Manager, Paulina Cadena events@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1324 Events & Facility Coordinator, Rachel Kay rentals@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1349 Education Department Director of Education, Liz Hood education@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1355
goTo
torontobotanicalgarden.ca to learn about the TBG!
777 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario M3C 1P2, Canada 416-397-1340; fax: 416-397-1354 • info@torontobotanicalgarden.ca torontobotanicalgarden.ca • @TBG_Canada By TTC: From Eglinton subway station take the 51, 54 or 54A bus to Lawrence Avenue East and Leslie Street. The TBG is on the southwest corner.
Find us on... torontobotanicalgarden.ca
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Children’s Education Supervisor Karen Mann childrensed@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1288 Children’s Education Coordinator Diana Wilson tbgkids@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-5209 Adult Education Coordinator Anna-Liza Badaloo adulted@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1362 Tour Guide Coordinator Sue Hills tourguides@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-4145 Weston Family Library Head Librarian, Zachary Osborne 416-397-1375 librarian@torontobotanicalgarden.ca Horticultural Department Nancy Eaton Director of Horticulture Paul Zammit horticulture@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1358 Head Gardener, Sandra Pella 416-397-1316 gardener@torontobotanicalgarden.ca Taxonomic Assistant, Toni Vella taxonomy@torontobotanicalgarden.ca shopTBG Supervisor, Heidi Hobday shop@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1357 Maintenance Maintenance Manager, Walter Morassutti Maintenance Officers, Alvin Allen, Jonas Kweko-Teye, Marcos Tawfik maintenance@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-1344 Head, Volunteer Services Sue Hills volunteers@torontobotanicalgarden.ca 416-397-4145
kids can grow • spring 2013
