- 1216 North Park St, Victoria, BC V8T 1C9
- Wed-Sat, 10:00am-4:00pm - 250,386, WORM(9676)
Our environmentally focused and interactive programs serve children and youth in elementary, middle and high schools, preschools, clubs and summer camps in the Capital Regional District. Book us for your summer camp group, and come enjoy our teaching garden, or bring the programming to you! Scroll down to learn more about the programs we have available.
Follow Corey (a friendly apple core) and Brownie (a helpful leaf) in this interactive puppet show as they learn about “browns” and “greens” and how to make compost in a backyard bin. Students will engage through song, movement and play in this fun story-based workshop.
Workshop is only available on Saturdays, weekday bookings are on hold due to neighborhood construction. Explore the Compost Education Centre Teaching Gardens and Demonstration Site! Meet puppets, live worms and fish and learn about composting, growing food and sustainability through touch, taste and smell. This exploratory and interactive tour is action packed!
Learn the basics of composting by meeting fun puppets, and explore how red wriggler worms transform food waste into soil. Students will learn all about red wrigglers by creating a worm composting bin for your classroom to keep for continued learning! Follow resources for educators are provided. Option to harvest your bin in part 2 of our workshop.
Why is soil so important? This discovery-based workshop explores soil and compost up close while making connections to the role we play in maintaining soil health. This lively workshop includes puppets, song and movement. Students will also get the chance to meet live worms and learn about the amazing work they do for the soil!
Why are seeds so amazing? Explore the many shapes and sizes seeds come in and participate in a seed dissection to understand what’s going on inside of a seed, and how baby plants grow. Students get the opportunity to be creative and use their imagination, and learn through discovery. End the workshop by creating mini greenhouses to sprout bean seeds in your classroom!
Complete your students’ understanding of the compost cycle through an exploration of their finished compost! Students will get the chance to get up close and personal with their worms while discovering all the other critters that have been living with them in the bin! This lesson is hands on and filled with laughs.
*Note: Harvest workshops should be booked around 6 months after setting up the worm bin. The contents of the bin should look like soil and be a small particle size with little newspaper.
Workshop is only available on Saturdays, weekday bookings are on hold due to neighborhood construction. Explore the Compost Education Centre Teaching Gardens and Demonstration Site, with explorations of composting, native plants and pollinators, veggie gardens, aquaponics, and more. The tour offers inquiry-based education and applied learning, relating our gardens to the world surrounding the students.
Discover worms and the benefits of composting! Students will learn about the compost cycle and gain an understanding of worm anatomy while holding Red Wriggler worms. Putting their new knowledge to work, students will create a worm bin together to keep in your class for continued learning. Option to harvest your bin in part 2 of our workshop.
Students will have a chance to use their critical thinking skills to investigate a historical case study to learn the importance of soil to healthy ecosystems and communities. Hands-on, discovery-based activities encourage students to unearth the many things soil has to tell us and explore what it means to be a soil steward. Introduce your students to composting, ecological stewardship, land degradation and more.
What is a pollinator? Why are bees so important? Learn about the importance of pollinators, explore little known facts about native bees and engage in hands on activity. Discover how to care for and protect native pollinators, and learn about their integral role in local ecosystems. This spring and summer workshop is jammed packed with new info and involves opportunity for lots of exploration.
If your worm bin is starting to look like soil it may be time for a harvest! This follow up workshop revisits the compost recipe and worm anatomy through the exploration of the finished compost while removing worms. Students get the chance to solidify their knowledge on the compost cycle while uncovering plenty of new things about the food web in their compost bin.
*Note: Harvest workshops should be booked around 6 months after setting up the worm bin.
What is citizen science? How can we connect with the biodiversity in our neighbourhoods? In this workshop, students will conduct a biodiversity survey near their school, and learn how to publish the data they record using the iNaturalist platform. We will discuss the importance of citizen science as a tool for deepening our understanding of the world around us, as well as connecting with other nature enthusiasts and contributing to scientific research and stewardship.
Workshop is only available on Saturdays, weekday bookings are on hold due to neighborhood construction. Dive deep into the world of composting, native plants and pollinators, veggie gardens, aquaponics, and more with a guided tour of our Teaching Gardens and Demonstration Site. The tour offers a look into real life applications of sustainability practices and encourages discussion, critical thinking and reflection.
Learn the basics of successful composting, the various techniques used to compost, as well as the importance of soil to our society and the earth itself. This workshop can include a hands-on component to determine the best composting system for your class or school, or can involve troubleshooting an existing compost system.
Vermicomposting is an ecosystem and composting system all in one! Alongside an intro to composting, this workshop will introduce students to the anatomy and reproduction of red wriggler worms, and the many ways to create and maintain an active composting worm bin. Dive deep into the world of worms and keep the worm bin for your classroom!
This hands-on workshop dives deeper into the compost cycle while students get their hands dirty harvesting their worm bin and finding lots of other critters along the way. End by adding your compost to the garden and discovering its benefits and/or by starting the worm bin again!
*Note: Harvest workshops should be booked around 6 months after setting up the worm bin. The contents of the bin should look like soil and be a small particle size with little newspaper.
What is citizen science? How can we connect with the biodiversity in our neighbourhoods? In this workshop, students will conduct a biodiversity survey near their school, and learn how to publish the data they record using the iNaturalist platform. We will discuss the importance of citizen science as a tool for deepening our understanding of the world around us, as well as connecting with other nature enthusiasts and contributing to scientific research and stewardship.
“Your presentation was honestly brilliant. You were very clear, informative, fun, and really read the kids well. They were engaged and care very much about the worms and everything you taught them!” – Teacher, SD63
“Elora was amazing at keeping the children (and adults) engaged. She’s firm yet approachable. She actively listened to the children and adapted her lesson plan to guide them along the program. It was wonderful to sit back and watch a great educator in action.”