Welcome to the Kids for Kids Garden!
At the Kids for Kids Garden, we believe that planting the seeds of knowledge and nurturing a love for nature should start early. Designed specifically for moms and their little ones aged 0-6, our program offers a delightful, hands-on approach to gardening that emphasizes holistic practices.
Join us for a fun-filled exploration of the garden, where children can engage with the earth, learn about sustainable gardening techniques, and discover the joy of watching their plants thrive. Our initiative fosters creativity, teamwork, and a deep appreciation for nature, all while building lasting memories. Let’s grow together in this beautiful journey of learning and connection!
Children who garden improve their problem-solving skills and critical thinking by up to
50%
Regular gardening will help kids improve fine motor skills by
30%
70%of children involved in gardening take pride in their contributions and feel a sense of ownership over their tasks.
Kids involved in community garden projects have been shown to improve their social skills by
40%
Kids who garden are more likely to try new vegetables and fruits by
40%
Kids who garden report feeling happier and more relaxed, with their overall happiness increased by
25%
Studies suggest that kids who spend time garden, increase creative thinking by
60%
Gardening improves kids' understanding of basic biology like plant life cycles and ecosystems by
35%
Our Vision
- Working towards Goal #2 of the United Nations 17 Goals for Global Sustainability - End Hunger by 2030.
- Create a gardening space that is safe for children 0 to 6, available to young families in Penticton.
- Grow food in the garden that will be shared with our volunteers and our community. Volunteerism is honoured by taking home a share from the harvest.
- Grow fresh vegetables with those who don’t have easy access to them to nourish themselves and their families.
- Grow fresh vegetables available with those who want to learn how to grow and want to become lifelong gardeners.
- Encourage, invite and welcome the gardening business community in Penticton to donate and support. Encourage, invite and welcome in the local media community to promote awareness of community gardening.
- In respect to research: Share what works and what doesn’t work in community gardening and lift this experience up in research to share widely.
Stay in the loop
Sign up for more information about the Kids for Kids Garden and receive our Kids for Kids Gardening Calendar, with a years worth of fun family action steps to food sustainability, for free!
Zero hunger by 2030 - Goal number two of the United Nation’s 17 goals for global sustainability. It reads: “End hunger, achieve food security and promote sustainable agriculture”.
Food Security, sustainable agriculture – such complex issues worldwide, and even in our own fertile and abundant valleys. In community partnership we are trying new pathways forward. For 12 years now Medical Arts Health Research, Penticton, has been conducting Participatory Action Research “experiments” on community gardening for holistic health and wellness. I have been involved as a Program Manager the whole time.
This research project is called FOOD FOR ALL. The garden has 24 raised beds in the backyard of Health Research on Martin street: a tool shed greenhouse, all lovingly built by community businesses and individuals. First it was a garden where people with physical and mental illness, and addictions who were registered with the Salvation Army Penticton food bank, came to learn how to grow healthy vegetables together and the food grown was distributed through the food bank and gardeners were able to take what they grew to a community kitchen and learn how to preserve. Today, young moms with children 0 to 6 years old, provide an inspiring model for health research.
It is called the Kids for Kids DEMONSTRATION GARDEN now – and indeed the garden belongs to the kids. This group of young mom’s main focus is not on the yield necessarily but on rekindling the philosophy of kids just trundling about alongside (and in the arms of) moms as they garden and grow food for their family. I visited the garden recently and in reflection, this philosophy shines in every corner. The little ones explore using all their senses, and they plant when they want to, and water when they feel like it, and taste all the time, even bitter greens, and they teeth on carrots and cucumbers, and climb the compost heap and learn holistically.
What a joy this is to witness!
Barb Stewart
Program initiator
Our Proud Partners
Black Widow Winery, Farmers Market& Nutrition Program, Flowers on the Bench, Garden Works Penticton, Growers Supply , Penticton Heart and Solace Pottery, Home Hardware Penticton, Medical Arts Health Research Group, Penticton Okanagan Irrigation Systems, Similkameen Nurseries, The Feedway Penticton, Wayne & Freda Coffee Shop, West Coast Seeds, Nu Houz, Jim the videographer.