Jeanette McFarlane, a former Mansfield Outdoor Centre outdoor education instructor, has established a real-life experiential learning program called Dufferin Sustainable Educational Experiential Development School or SEEDS Learning Farm, which aims to teach local children about the environment, food, and agriculture, as well as food literacy.
Joan VanDuzen, owner of the 100-acre Mansfield Heritage Farm, approached McFarlane in early spring about developing an on-farm experience agriculture program for kids.
If Bill 126 is passed, McFarlane sees the program as a chance to re-establish hands-on engagement with food literacy. The Ontario Legislature is presently debating Bill 126, the Food Literacy for Students Act, which would mandate all school boards to provide curriculum on experiential food literacy and healthy eating for grades 1 through 12.
Twenty-five children, ranging in age from four to twelve, took part in the SEEDS pilot program and saw them grow potatoes, create butter, and ice cream, and learn about soil health and the importance of land. While the pilot program took place earlier this month, the on-farm program at Dufferin SEEDS Learning Farm will officially begin in September.
The Dufferin SEEDS Learning Farm will primarily cater to elementary age children between the ages of five to 12.