Program Info

Interested in getting a Growing Chefs! team into your classroom? Sign up now! You can also see our list of participating schools from past years.

The Growing Chefs! Classroom Gardening Program begins every year after spring break.
A team of three to four chef volunteers is paired with your class. The volunteers meet with you prior to their first classroom visit.
You receive a Teacher’s Kit that outlines the program and provides you with copies of handouts and extension and integration lessons.
The chef volunteers visit your class every two weeks from March through June, for a total of seven visits.

The Classroom Gardening Program is available for grades 1-3.
On their first visit, the chefs help the students plant an indoor window sill garden comprised of fast-growing vegetables.
As the chefs mentor your students and help them to grow the vegetable gardens, they lead the class through a series of lessons.
Each lesson uses a combination of discussions, games, and activities to cover themes including urban agriculture, vegetable exploration, cooking, nutrition, garden crafts, and foods around the world.
The lessons integrate with provincial classroom curriculum for a variety of subjects, including math, science, and art.
A fee of $400.00 per classroom goes towards seeds and soil, seeding flats and pots, gardening tools, books, cooking supplies, program administration, and lesson materials.