Pocket Sized Farms
Since 1994, LIFE*SPIN has been offering a free summer program, Pocket-Sized Farms, to teach young children about environmental protection, organic food production, literacy and building community.
Our Pocket-Sized Farms Program is specifically designed to benefit children ages 7-12 by teaching them to meet some of their own nutritional, health, and learning needs. Environmental stewardship, nutrition, and literacy are the fundamental core of this program. Pocket-Sized Farms is a great opportunity for your child to learn new things, develop new skills, and have fun!
Each family will receive a garden kit that includes:
a garden shovel (unless you’ve already received yours) or a trowel for container gardening if you live in an apartment building
sheep manure/compost
topsoil
vegetable seeds
plants
instructions on how to get started growing food at home.
The Garden Kits for Pocket-Sized Farms will be delivered by volunteers the week of May 18th.
Pocket-Sized Farms will be running activities five days a week this summer! We have two community garden sites where we will be meeting to explore the garden, do crafts, play games and win prizes! Once a week, we will be providing bus tickets for parents and older children to meet us for activities in the many free and amazing natural areas within our city. These events will run from June 29 to August 21.
Four days of the week, we will be tending our community gardens, doing crafts, and playing games. Each week, there will be a specialty event throughout the city. In years past, this included visits to the London Art Museum and exploration of the Sifton Bog.
Even if you are unable to join us for every outing, this year we will be providing a garden journal filled with fun activities for your kids to work on at home. Prizes can be won by completing journal entries.
This program is for children ages 7-12, but we invite all family members to join us on our weekly outings to natural areas, accessible by bus. A parent or guardian aged 16 or older is required to join the outings.
To join us, please complete the registration using the form below for each child participating and submit it. Please note that there are limited spots available for the program. Registration closes April 30th or when all spots are filled.
Funding for Pocket-Sized Farms provided by:
"On the first day back to school, I forgot my lunch. So I went out to the garden and made myself a salad. I put spinach, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers in it.
It was great!"
— Grade 4 Student
Ploughshares Project
With the onset of COVID-19, we reached out to our community to find ways to continue providing education and support to the children in our community this summer. LIFE*SPIN supported low-income families with children, by providing home-based start-up food garden kits.
We used this as an opportunity for us to increase residential food gardens and come together as a community.
Backpack Program
This program equips students with the tools they need and helps prepare them for a successful school year and beyond. Families actively participating in our Pocket-Sized Farms summer program and the summer program satellite site pick up their backpacks at their year-end outing, before the end of summer. Families are also invited to the Free Store for back-to-school shopping.
Our Mission
The Pocket-Sized Farms mission is to combat child hunger, improve nutrition, and create innovative educational opportunities. This is achieved by utilizing the combined skills of children, camp staff, parents and neighbours to grow organic food gardens. These gardens provide a stable source of food, learning and skill development for children.
At Home Gardening Tips and Tricks
Garden at home with LIFE*SPIN! Making your own garden is easier than you think, but if you need a hand getting started, watch some of these videos or read our step-by-step guide on how to prepare your garden. We also provide gardening books for children and parents, order yours below.
VIDEO: How to Grow Potatoes at Home
VIDEO: COMPOSTING Knowledge With Kaleb Elie
About the Ploughshares Project
About the Ploughshares Project