Location: 130 Yorkview Dr, North York, ON M2R 1K1 – November 13, 2024
Yorkview PS is one of those schools that has all the different groups: staff, teachers, parents and parent council, working and supporting each other, so when Anca, on behalf of the parent council, approached Sayeh about winter-sowing programming for parents, Sayeh was all on board.
Krista teaches a grade 1/2 mixed class and in May 2024, her class had made a raised flower bed in the nature walk garden with cardboard mulch and soil. Sayeh and Pat from USS had then led the children in planting it so if the children collected seeds from those plants, it could bring the project full-circle. So Sayeh visited the school on October 25th. Each of the children collected a specific seed into a paper bag and the bags were left on a shelf in the classroom to dry.
The following week Sayeh went back to lead a seed-cleaning workshop with the children but also teach them how to winter-sow. Each table planted a different kind of seed and at the end, the children took the pots they had planted, covered them with chicken wire to protect them from foraging wildlife and put them in the nature path garden to grow.
Sayeh then packed the remainder of the seeds collected by the children and worked with Anca to make winter-sowing kits for the parent engagement night.
Yorkview Parent Council purchased soil, paper bags and chicken wire and USS provided washed pots. Sayeh worked with Anca to pack soil and cut up chickenwire. Some extra kits were also provided by USS as there seemed to be a lot of interest. Overall, maybe 100+ kits and seedpacks were distributed to parents, teachers and daycare staff.
The parent council had planned everything to perfection and had provided child-minding and a pizza and sandwich dinner. The attendees were eager to start growing and many were looking for specific varieties to grow. Remaining kits were put aside for teachers and staff who we knew would want to grow them, so this project had a very wide reach.
The Parent council has already planned the next steps and in March will reach out via email to remind the families participating to bring their plants inside. In April we are hoping to teach everyone how to pot up seedlings and the school will have a planting event to continue the Bus Loop planting.
