Children’s Garden Programs
Since the completion of the Garden in May 2016 and the launch of the Garden Programs in June 2016, 2,500 children from elementary schools, summer camps, and day care centres have visited the Garden.
In our Garden Programs, the children explore the sensory gardens including the Woodland Garden and Waterfall Garden using the 5 senses of sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch, learn about the Edible Garden and taste some of the plants, pot up their own bean seeds to take home, become soil or bug detectives, role-play designing and building their own garden as a team, play a challenge game tracing food products back to their plant sources (older children), and enjoy individual playtime in the nature play activity area.
Program Scheduling Information
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- Programs run June through September (weather permitting).
- Programs are age and ability appropriate.
- Programs last 1.5 hours in length, and run twice a day in morning (10am to 11:30am) and afternoon (12:00pm to 1:30pm).
- The number of participants in a group can range from 20 to 29 individuals. At 30 or more we will split the group into two or more groups. We can accommodate up to 3 groups at a time. For special needs groups we recommend a maximum group size of 12.
Click here for the Garden Programs Chart which may help you decide which program is suitable for you, based on the ages of the children and your interests.
Garden Explorers Program
In This Program, Children Will:
- Tour the sensory gardens using sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch to explore plants up close.
- Plant a garden, become detectives exploring soils or bugs, and participate in nature challenges (depending on age/ability).
- Plant a seed or transplant a plant to take home, learning about germination and propagation.
- Enjoy nature play in our outdoor play environment designed for early years development needs.
Ideal For:
- Elementary Schools
- Pre-Schools/Kindergarten
- Grades 1/2
- Summer Camps
- Special Needs
Cost:
- $6 per participant, no HST.
- Minimum group charge $120.
- No charge for teachers, assistants or volunteers
Design & Plant-a-Garden Program
In This Program, Children Will:
- Tour the sensory gardens, using sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch to explore plants up close.
- Design and plant a garden assuming various roles (designer, landscaper, artist) and working as a team, and participate in nature challenges.
- Plant a seed or transplant a plant to take home, learning about germination and propagation.
- Enjoy nature, play outdoors, and be creative with your hands and ideas.
Ideal For:
- Ages 7/8+
- Grades 2/3+
- Elementary Schools
- Summer Camps
- Special Needs
Cost:
- $7 per participant, no HST.
- Minimum group charge $140.
- No charge for teachers, assistants or volunteers
All Food Begins with a Plant Program
In This Program, Children Will:
- Tour the sensory gardens, using sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch to explore plants up close.
- In the Edible Garden, learn parts of plants that are edible, play interactive games tracing foods back to plants, as well as play in nature challenges or make edible creations.
- Plant a seed to take home, learning about germination and propagation.
- Enjoy nature play and be creative.
Ideal For:
- Ages 7/8+
- Grades 2/3+
- Elementary Schools
- Summer Camps
- Special Needs
Cost:
- $7 per participant, no HST.
- Minimum group charge $140.
- No charge for teachers, assistants or volunteers
Further Notes:
- If you can’t visit the Garden, you may be interested in one of our virtual Garden Programs that one of our instructors can deliver to you online. These programs are ideal for Pre-School/Kindergarten/Grade 1 and are theme-based: Birds & Hummingbirds, Bugs, and Parts of a Plant. A nominal fee is charged. Please contact us if you are interested.
- Our Children’s Garden Programs meet the requirements of the Ontario Ministry of Education Curriculum (i.e. Kindergarten, Grades 1, 2, 3). As well, the design of the Garden is based, in part, on the design guidelines for early years-kindergarten play-learning environments published by the Toronto District School Board and Evergreen.
- If you have questions, please feel free to email us at info@gardenofthesenses.com
- For further resources, please see Ontario Curriculum Connections and Landscape and Child Development.