• Ask Mark
    • Search the Library
    • Mark’s Blog
    • eNewsletter / Subscribe
    • Books
    • Links
  • Cullen’s Foods
  • Trees For Life
  • Events
    • Gardening Communities
  • About Mark
    • Mark and Ben’s Bio
    • Book Mark as a Speaker
    • Mark in the Media
    • Contact Us
September 23, 2017

Ageless Gardens

Published in the Toronto Star – September 23, 2017

Kids take their lead where they find it.  Sometimes parents steer kids in one direction, their experiences at school in another. When it comes to food there is little doubt that every child, for better or worse, develops eating habits from a very early age.  After all, we love to eat.

Sunday Harrison is the co-ordinator of the Green Thumbs Growing Kids program in Toronto. www.greenthumbsto.org  She works collaboratively with the TDSB in a cluster of elementary schools in high -need neighbourhoods in downtown Toronto.  She explains her motivation for this program, “Children are growing up in high-rise communities without access to green space and fresh growing food.  Research shows that positive attitudes towards nature are formed in childhood.”

I would agree that kids can learn a lot by growing their own food and it is impossible for me to imagine a parent who does not feel the same way.  As I dig into the subject further with Sunday, I find out that I can learn a thing or two about the benefits that kids enjoy when they grow their own food.  Here are a few:

  1. Universal language.  “We witness the power of gardening to unite people through the universal language of food; our programs reach all ages at various times during the year.”  Sunday explains.  Green Thumbs partners with schools to integrate lessons of gardening with curriculum expectations in science, language, art, mathematics and social studies.
  2. Worms, Squirrels and humans. We are not alone.  And the gardening experience helps kids to understand that we share the natural world with myriad other creatures.  In fact, the lesson here is not just that living things share our outdoor space with us, but in some cases, the land was their home first.  At least we get to go ‘home’ to our own bed at the end of the day.
  3. Who benefits? 70% of the kids who participate in the program come from first-generation immigrant families, including many refugees.  The kids and volunteers who help to deliver the program are encouraged to taste, harvest and take food from the school garden home.  Better food = better nutrition = better learning.   This year there are over 3,000 kids reached by the program.
  4. “What about summer?” After all that is when a healthy harvest is made or broken. A great deal of the watering, weeding and harvesting all take place while kids are off school for up to 10 weeks.   She replies, “Youth staff run weekly drop-in evenings for families to care for and harvest the gardens all summer, and local day campers visit – many are the same children who planted in spring.”  The gardens provide summer youth programs with the perfect space for teaching healthy food preparation, art, music, meditation and yoga.  “Beyond summer jobs, youth in our programs have opportunities to earn money through our social enterprise, gardening and residential properties.”
  5. Why not standardise the program across the board? I ask the obvious question: the elephant in the garden.  If the idea of Green Thumbs Growing Kids is so wonderful, shouldn’t the provincial government hop on board and support school boards to offer such programs?  “Canada remains the only industrialized country without a national school food policy.” Sunday states emphatically.  “Most successful long-term school gardens are either supported by community organisations or are located in high-income school districts.”

I considered this answer from Sunday when I recently read an article in the Washington Post by Shannon Brescher Shea titled ‘How Gardening Can Help Build Healthier, Happier Kids’.  In it, she optimistically states that gardening in households with kids increased by 25% in the States between 2008 and 2013.  “The natural stimulation of being outside seems to replenish minds exhausted from practicing self-discipline.  It re-energizes the part of the brain that controls concentration, checks urges and delays gratification.”

I am encouraged by this and hope that Canadians are following suit – or will take an opportunity to lead the way.  I know this about our veggie-growing habits: seed rack sales of vegetables are up about 20% across the board and have been tracking increases for the last five years.

Eating Dirt is Good

Shea suggests that research points to the benefits to young children who eat dirt.  They develop ‘microbiome’ or a personal microbe ecosystem.  Although there are some microbes – bacteria, fungi and viruses – that make us sick, many more are essential to our health.”

I reflect on my late mother’s attitude towards my penchant for eating dirt as a young child.  Much like her attitude towards outdoor activity generally, there was this benign-ness about it all.  “Just make sure you are home before dark.”

I think that my microbiome has served me well over the years.

← Previous post
How To Plant a Tree

Next post →
Me to We

Search

Recent Posts

  • Signs of Spring March 27, 2021
  • Around the Acres This Week February 2, 2021
  • Around the Acres This Week January 11, 2021
  • Around the Acres This Week December 9, 2020

Mark’s Blog by Month

Ask Mark

  • eNewsletter
  • Radio/Podcast
  • Magazine article
  • Newspaper column
  • TV

Recent Tweets

Mark CullenFollow

Best selling Canadian gardening author as seen on TV, radio, online and print.

Mark Cullen
16 Oct

Tune into @1059TheRegion to hear Ben talk fall colors today with Ann Rohmer or listen online at http://1059theregion.com/ and look for THE FEED

Reply on Twitter 1449275767133773824Retweet on Twitter 14492757671337738241Like on Twitter 14492757671337738244
8 Oct

Thank you so much to @globalnewsto for having @MarkCullen4 on the "Making a Difference" segment this week. Take a look at the broadcast here: https://globalnews.ca/video/8248858/national-charity-committed-to-inspiring-tree-planting-initiatives-across-canada

Reply on Twitter 1446542309101867034Retweet on Twitter 14465423091018670342Like on Twitter 14465423091018670343
29 Jun

Bird watching isn't just a hobby, it’s an opportunity to help. Gardening expert Mark Cullen explains.

https://nexthome.ca/news/bird-watching-isnt-just-a-hobby-its-an-opportunity-to-help/1284617/

@MarkCullen4

#garden #flowers #gardens #gardenlife #nature #gardenlove #birdwatching #birding #wildlife #birdlovers #birdlife #naturelovers #birdlover

Reply on Twitter 1409878268090716161Retweet on Twitter 14098782680907161615Like on Twitter 140987826809071616117
18 Jun 2021

Written by @MarkCullen4 for @TorontoStar, check out the top eight picks for planting in hot spots.

#LandscapeOntario #GreenforLife #GardeningTips #GardeningTrends #TorontoGardens #SouthernOntarioGardening

https://www.thestar.com/life/homes/2021/06/15/these-8-plants-are-heat-loving-sun-worshippers.html

Reply on Twitter 1405955991699701762Retweet on Twitter 14059559916997017622Like on Twitter 140595599169970176210

Comments are closed.

About Mark and Ben


Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, author & broadcaster and holds the Order of Canada. His son Ben is a fourth-generation urban gardener and graduate of Guelph and Dalhousie University.
More

Find Mark On

Sponsored Links

Highway of Heroes cullensfoods Share Agriculture Foundation Harrowsmith
© Mark Cullen. Go to top ↑