The Learning Garden
Your donation goes a long way to providing top quality Educational and Arts programming for our community.๐ฟ Our Learning Garden
At Oak Learners, we are committed to providing children with experiential and meaningful learning opportunities. Located in the vibrant Mimico community, weโre surrounded by seasonal blooms, painted tulips, and thriving small businesses that make the neighbourhood brighter and more welcoming. Weโre proud to contribute to this positive momentum by developing our Learning Garden.
Our garden project transforms the back area of Oak Learners into a dynamic green space, featuring planters and expanded greenery around the cityโs tree plots. This initiative fosters an environment where nature thrives and children can explore urban gardening through hands-on learning.
๐ฑ What We've Done So Far
We have collaborated with conservation and educational partners to elevate our Learning Garden, turning it into a hub for understanding ecosystems, sustainability, and biodiversity. By incorporating pollinator-friendly plants, weโre creating a safe haven for bees and butterflies while encouraging ecological awareness among students.
ย Our Garden is bursting with lifeโpollinators buzzing, herbs wafting their aromas, and veggies soaking up the sun. It's more than just greenery; itโs a living classroom where kids connect with nature, science, and sustainability in real time.
Thank You to Our Supporters!
Arthur W
The Taylor Family
High School Volunteers
Sawmill Sid
Farmer Britt
The Farrell Family
The Noel Family
The Tsekareas Family
The D'Hondt Family
The van Der Jagt Family
Our Plans for the Learning Garden
Our Progress
Our Favourite Garden Recipes
COOK WITH OAK LEARNERS!๐ฉโ๐ณ๐ฅ
Cook with Oak Learners! Our middle school students learned to bake “Bannock” – bread originated with Indigenous Peoples! Every week students of Lake Shore Campus have a cooking lesson where they learn how to make meals by themselves related to their current unit of learning!
COOK WITH OAK LEARNERS!๐ฉโ๐ณ๐ฅ
Cook with Oak Learners! This week, our middle school students learned to make “Three Sisters Salad” as part of our integrated unit on Indigenous Studies.
Squash Exploration
Comparing and contrasting food is a great way to ask exploratory open-ended questions about how a food engages our senses and later transition to questions on taste. Encourage curiosity and critical thinking by listing observations and making predictions about the squash varieties before you start cooking. Here are some examples from our recent Urban Farming & Cooking Class:
Personalized Guacamole
The key to promoting open-mindedness and excitement over trying new foods with kids is providing them as much control and decision-making power as possible. Trust is reciprocal, and as your child feels trusted with decisions and contributing to the cooking process, theyโll feel like they can trust the space to openly assess how they taste something
Baked Zoodle Cups
Zoodles are an accessible way to put your child in charge of the mealโs main event, while making something visually interesting and with a firmer texture then sliced or chopped options. Engage in some sensory exploration by challenging them to make and find the longest zoodle they can, and count the rings remaining on the end of a spiralized zucchini. This recipe is as great for exploring tastes as it is for enhancing fine and gross motor skills!
Snowflake Cooking Coleslaw
The versatility of cabbage when cooking with kids cannot be emphasized enough. Whether youโre lightly roasting or sautรฉing the leaves to introduce some oil and salt tastes, searing cabbage-steaks to absorb some Dijon and maple flavours, or munching on it raw in this egg-free coleslaw recipe, kids have ample opportunities to focus on the many ways it can be prepared and their reaction to the variations, rather than deciding the foods merit based on one flavour profile.