Junior Green Thumbs® (formerly Edible Classroom) is a passion project run by REALTOR® Laura McBride. It is an inspired hands on initiative that connects elementary school students to nature in an engaging way.
The program provides opportunities and empowerment for students to experience and participate in essential life skill learning such as seed starting, basic gardening, meal preparation, carpentry, community outreach and more.
To make the program useful to teachers, within guidelines of the Ontario Elementary School Curriculum, Laura collaborates with key partners in education, to ensure the project is a helpful, inspirational tool in the classroom.
Together with incredible teacher support, the garden initiative has been integrated into math, language, science, art and health to ensure every teacher who requests a garden in their classroom can use it in the best way for them and their students. The program currently runs in Durham Region, Ontario and supports classrooms from kindergarten to grade 8, with a focus on grade 4-5 students.
Every home, business or property that Laura sells, allows another classroom to receive a donated garden. Since 2015, hundreds of students have benefited and been inspired by the program.
Big thanks to the incredible home buyers and sellers who choose Laura McBride to guide them through their real estate sale, directly benefiting this project. If you are thinking of making a move, you too can help some little hands get dirty with another classroom garden.
Please help spread the word about this project. If you or someone you know is thinking of buying or selling real estate, your referral will greatly benefit the program!
A MESSAGE FROM LAURA
"This 4 season indoor gardening program was designed for Canadian elementary school classrooms, and currently operates in Durham Region, Ontario. The objective of the program is to connect young children with nature and empower essential life skills for a healthy, productive future. I founded the program with the collaboration and support of teachers, Robyn Hadder, Heather Spink-Turner and Kristy Dale, and the program has been successful at integrating engaging, natural experiences with core curriculum strands in math, art, language, science, health and nutrition. I designed the garden itself to be an object of beauty in the classroom, to inspire calmness and creative thought for the students and their forward thinking, collaborative teachers. I'm a very sensory aware person and find great inspiration through what my senses absorb around me. I wanted to provide a positive, useful sensory experience for students, especially those that may rely on different experiences to excel. As the project moves forward, new ideas, inspiration and collaborations will further expand the rich learning experiences the program offers to students from Kindergarten to grade 8”.
