Teach your curriculum in a classroom or school garden and transform your students' perspective on life!
Give them the authentic first hand experience of their own power to change the world.
It's never been easier to empower!
Growing School and Classroom gardens since 2013
Kids' Growing City had humble beginnings starting as an after-school gardening program in a private school in Toronto. And since then our main focus and obsession have been figuring out the answer to this question:
"What's the most effective way to teach elementary curriculum outdoors or even indoors using gardens as an authentic learning tool?"
And after almost a decade of working with educators side by side, developing, getting feedback, fine-tuning and testing different programs, and doing research on the grounds, we feel very close to having a perfect solution that answers that question.
Before COVID in 2019 we helped 15 schools grow amazing school gardens with an in-school program, thoroughly connected to curriculum expectations.
Some of the schools we've worked with throughout the years are...
Redstone p.s., Windham Ridge P.S., Gosford P.S., Island Public/Natural Science School, R J Lang Elementary and Middle School, Don Mills M.S., Pelmo Park P.S., Donald Cousens P.S., Armadale P.S., Hollywood p.s., Beckett Farm P.S., Firgrove p.s., Somerset Academy, Mcmurrich p.s., CMS Private Schools, Richland Academy private school,
just to name a few.
And in 2022 we ran Oasis Classroom and Oasis Kinder in over 25 schools helping over 90 classrooms grow food indoors.
Some of the schools we've worked with in 2022 are...
Brown Junior Public School, Beverley Heights Middle School, Alexander Stirling P.S., Windham Ridge P.S., Greensborough P.S., Baycrest Public School, Dixon Grove Junior Middle School, Elmbank Junior Middle Academy, Rawlinson Community School,
just to name a few.
Oasis Classroom and School are Curriculum-Rich Programs
Giving the teacher everything they need to teach their curriculum in a garden their students grow.
These programs are entirely curriculum-centered, all 15 lessons come with a curriculum connection chart for grades 3 to 8 to Ontario Curriculum (as an example), and can be easily connected to other school curricula.
For each of the 15 lessons, your teachers will have:
1) A lesson plan
2) A poster (available in English and French)
3) A materials checklist
4) Curriculum connection checklist
As well as:
5) Online access to digital formats of all the above plus the student booklets
6) Coaching sessions with Leila, the founder and director of Kids' Growing City and creator of these programs, a few weeks before the program, during the 15 weeks, and continuing to the end of school year.
For each of the 15 lessons, your students will get a booklet they can take home after used in class. This booklet includes:
1) A lesson on the topic (usually 4 pages)
2) Material and Tools Checklist
3) A Step by step activity guide for growing the seed of the week
4) A Word-Games page on the topic
5) A Self-assessment/Journal sheet
Booklets are available in English and French.
Lessons Lists
Oasis Classroom
To Grow an Amazing Classroom Garden
Recommended for Phase I (first year) of your garden project
Week 1 (3rd week of February): Sprouts (growing Sprouts)
Week 2: Microgreens (growing Microgreens)
Week 3: Seeds and Seedlings (growing Arugula)
Week 4: Soil (growing Tomato)
Week 5 (the week after March Break in Ontario): Equinoxes and Spring (growing Marigolds) --> could become a mother’s day gift, mid-May
Week 6: Water (growing Lettuce)
Week 7: Edible Parts of Plants (growing Zucchini)
Week 8: Worms and Composting (growing Swiss Chards)
Week 9: Herbs (growing Cilantro and Parsley)
Week 10: Beneficial Animals and Insects (growing Peppers)
Week 11: Biodiversity and Indigenous ways of life (growing Corn and Squash) --> Contributes to 3 sisters
Week 12: Hardening off and Transplanting (Sending home seedlings and growing Basil and Dill)
Week 13: Sunlight (growing Beans and Sunflowers) --> Contributes to 3 sisters
Week 14: Trees (growing Kale and Nasturtium)
Week 15 (last week of May): Harvest and Celebration (growing Pumpkins)
Oasis School
To Grow an Amazing School Garden
Recommended for Phase II (second year) of your garden project
Week 1 (3rd week of February): Sprouts and Microgreens (growing Sprouts and Microgreens)
Week 2: Choosing outdoor garden type and spot
Week 3: Garden design and plant arrangement
Week 4: Seeds and Seedlings (growing Tomato)
Week 5 (the week after March Break in Ontario): Soil (growing Marigolds) --> could become a mother’s day gift, mid-May
Week 6: Water (growing Swiss Chard)
Week 7: Building the Garden (growing Zucchini indoors)
Week 8: Worms and Composting (Sowing Lettuce, Arugula, Spinach, Radish, Carrots)
Week 9: Herbs (growing Cilantro and Parsley)
Week 10: Beneficial Animals and Insects (growing Peppers)
Week 11: Biodiversity and Indigenous ways of life (growing Corn and Squash) --> Contributes to 3 sisters
Week 12: Hardening off and Transplanting (Hardening Off and Transplanting seedlings and growing Basil and Dill)
Week 13: Sunlight (growing Beans and Sunflowers) --> Contributes to 3 sisters
Week 14: Trees (growing Kale and Nasturtium)
Week 15 (last week of May): Harvest and Celebration and Summer Maintenance (growing Pumpkins)
Logistically Flexible
- Oasis Classroom is doable in most schools as an outdoor growing space is NOT NECESSARY, only indoor space with sunny windows (at least 4 hours of direct sunlight - South facing, East or West-facing, not blocked by tall buildings or trees).
- Oasis School requires outdoor garden space and it's NOT recommended for first year of your garden project (Let's talk to find out if Oasis School is for you).
- For local schools (the Greater Toronto Area) All you need could be delivered* to your school: All organic seeds, soil, seed starting pots, containers (for sub-irrigation), experiment equipment, worm bin, etc.
- And for non-local schools (other provinces and the US) a materials and tools checklist is provided for each lesson.
Seedlings that you grow in Oasis Classroom can be can be...
- Sold at a student-led market (entrepreneurial connection),
- Taken home by students and staff,
- Donated to local community gardens (community connection)
- Or planted into your school garden as part of the Oasis School program
And there will be harvests your students will enjoy in June even as part of the Oasis Classroom program.
Professional Development Hours
Upon Completion of Progress Reports...
- Every implemented lesson inside the Oasis Classroom and Oasis School programs is considered 1.5 hours of professional development.
- A certificate of participation will be issued for the participating teachers, indicating their professional development hours gained
- This will be given ONLY to teachers who submit their weekly reports clearly showing their lesson executions and progress.
Alternatively...
You could have your staff develop this program.
All you need is a group of experienced teachers who knows how to grow food in a school environment, has very strong knowledge of the curriculum, is good at program development and also has strong graphic design skills.
Every lesson plan will take these teachers at least 3 hours to write and 2 hours to review and revise,
PLUS...
Every poster will take them at least 6 hours to create and 2 hours to review and revise.
And every student booklet will take them at least 2 hours to write and 1 hour to review and revise,
Assuming you have teachers with the right expertise, creating this program will cost minimum of $60,000.
OR...
You could try to replicate close to a decade of our experience growing classroom and school gardens, all by yourself without a plan or program like Oasis Classroom and without our help.
This will be a slow and torturous process and is the mistake behind the fact that most classroom and school gardens don't achieve our spectacular results (see below for testimonial videos).
It's simply too much trial and error and you'll need a lot of luck and tons of growing knowledge to do this right.
We suggest you skip all that and join this program!
Doors open in January 2023
Enter your email to the waitlist to be notified.
Your Investment for 2023 will only be...
All 15 Oasis Classroom Lessons
---$1,975---
Annual License for 1 Teacher
(1 class of up to 30 students)
Registration will end on January 27th
If your school can't purchase through PayPal or Credit Card, and you'd like to make a purchase through Purchase Order agreements, email [email protected] and request an invoice.
Significant discounts are available if more than 1 classroom participates in the same school. Email us for this information.
5 Oasis Classroom Lessons
---$750---
(Lesson Collection Options are Defined in Section Below)
Annual License for 1 Teacher
(1 class of up to 30 students)
Registration will end on January 27th
If your school can't purchase through PayPal or Credit Card, and you'd like to make a purchase through Purchase Order agreements, email [email protected] and request an invoice.
Significant discounts are available if more than 1 classroom participates in the same school. Email us for this information.
15 Oasis School Lessons
---$2,975---
Annual License for 1 Teacher
(1 class of up to 30 students)
Registration will end on January 27th
If your school can't purchase through PayPal or Credit Card, and you'd like to make a purchase through Purchase Order agreements, email [email protected] and request an invoice.
Significant discounts are available if more than 1 classroom participates in the same school. Email us for this information.
Testimonials
Lesson Collection Options for 5-Lesson Oasis Classroom
Option A:
Week 3: Seeds and Seedlings (growing Arugula)
Week 4: Soil (growing Tomato)
Week 6: Water (growing Lettuce)
Week 11: Biodiversity and Indigenous ways of life (growing Corn and Squash) --> Contributes to 3 sisters
Week 13: Sunlight (growing Beans and Sunflowers) --> Contributes to 3 sisters
Option B:
Week 3: Seeds and Seedlings (growing Arugula)
Week 5 (the week after March Break in Ontario): Equinoxes and Spring (growing Marigolds) --> could become a mother’s day gift, mid-May
Week 8: Worms and Composting (growing Swiss Chards)
Week 9: Herbs (growing Cilantro and Parsley)
Week 10: Beneficial Animals and Insects (growing Peppers)
Option C:
Week 1 (3rd week of February): Sprouts (growing Sprouts)
Week 2: Microgreens (growing Microgreens)
Week 3: Seeds and Seedlings (growing Arugula)
Week 7: Edible Parts of Plants (growing Zucchini)
Week 14: Trees (growing Kale and Nasturtium)
Add-On Services for Greater Toronto Area Schools
Supplies Add-on
(for Greater Toronto Area schools)
We will deliver to your participating classrooms
- All Organic Soil, Organic Seeds, other lesson-specific supplies such as seed starting cups and containers, sprouting kits, worms, supplies for making herb drying racks and other experimental kits and much more.
Oasis Classroom Complete (all 15 lessons) Supplies:
$775 per participating class of up to 30 students
Oasis Classroom 5-Lesson Supplies:
$375 per participating class of up to 30 students
Oasis Schools Supplies:
$775 per participating class of up to 30 students (Does not include bulk Soil, Bulk Mulch, Trellis, Raised Beds, etc.)
Delivery to GTA schools is free.
If your school is outside of the Greater Toronto Area, no worries, every lesson is coming to you with a supplies checklist and we will help you source during your coaching sessions.
Print Add-on
(for Greater Toronto Area schools)
We deliver to your participating classrooms
- All professionally printed Posters
- All professionally printed and assembled Student Booklets
Each lesson has 1 to 2 posters + 30 student booklets (6 double sided 11 X 8.5 color pages)
Oasis Classroom Complete (all 15 lessons) and Oasis School Prints:
$1,350 per participating class of up to 30 students and 1 teacher
Oasis Classroom 5-Lesson Prints:
$450 per participating class of up to 30 students and 1 teacher
Delivery to GTA schools is free.
If your school is outside of the Greater Toronto Area, no worries, all posters and student booklets are available for download and you have license to print.
Even if your school is located in the GTA, you might have access to more affordable printing facilities at your school board. We encourage you to explore those options before purchasing this add-on.
Bonuses
(free of extra charge)
1) Coaching
Coaching sessions with one-on-one help before, during and after the programs till the end of the school year!
Session are with Leila Mireskandari, the founder and director of Kids' Growing City and the creator of Oasis Programs who's been growing food with students, teachers and schools for almost a decade at full-time capacity.
2) Reading Lists
We've also curated 6 lists of books (one for each grade, 3 to 8) that you can utilize to deepen the learning of these 15 lessons for your students.
