Our Lady of Sorrow School 2023

Outdoor Classroom and Teaching Garden

Several years ago our school community launched an outdoor classroom and teaching garden initiative. We transformed an underutilized outdoor space into our outdoor classroom and the community has benefitted ever since. As our school is located in Vancouver’s urban centre, the school’s greenspace is limited and the students spend the majority of their time learning and playing in a concrete environment. This garden space is a place where students can experience plants, and bugs, and watch the natural seasonal cycles of the local flora and fauna.

Our community’s dream of this outdoor learning space was not possible without the generous support from the Allardyce Bower Foundation. Transforming the space from an outlying patch of grass into a safe and functional learning space for our students has been expensive. The cost for even basic services and supplies was daunting and, at times, prohibitive. Despite extensive efforts, the project was unable to begin until the Allardyce Bower Foundation provided pivotal funding.

Since receiving the grants, our school has been able to do the following:

• Install a protective fence around the space to ensure students are safe when in the outdoor space
• Move a gate so the outdoor space was accessible for all students throughout the school day
• Build and purchase garden beds
• Fill the beds with soil and various plants; including an area dedicated to Indigenous plant species
• Launch pollinator systems including purchasing Mason bee larvae, a beehouse and creating pollinator-friendly gardens
• Purchase seating and work surfaces for the students
• Install a faucet/spigot and purchase a nozzle and long hose
• Purchase garden supplies and tools
• Plant shade trees
• Purchase sturdy and appropriate storage to ensure supplies are well-protected

With these systems in place, the students have benefited in the following ways:

• Learning opportunities associated with planning, caring and maintaining a garden and green space
• Outdoor classes for non-traditional subjects such as math, social studies and language arts
• Outdoor classes for more traditional subjects such as science and STEAM
• Places to sit and play games, draw and journal during recess and lunch breaks
• A quiet and safe place for students experiencing emotional dysregulation
• Opportunities for environmental stewardship
• Opportunities to learn and explore Indigenous plant species
• Opportunities to learn and explore food systems
• Multigenerational learning opportunities with grandparents visiting before and after school
• Seasonal activities in the garden (planting spring bulbs, decorating for Halloween and Christmas etc.)
• Learning about seed saving, harvesting and how to “overwinter” a garden
• Outdoor place for reflective practices such as journaling, meditation and sketching
• Arts, crafts and celebrations

Our school community wishes to extend its deepest gratitude to the Allardyce Bower Foundation for helping provide the gift of this outdoor classroom and teaching garden. The benefits (current and future) are invaluable and would not be possible without these grants. You have helped launch a future that recognizes and appreciates our natural world.