As part of a series, each class has put together their Top 10 things they think other kids will want to know about Via Vita. To start us off, please give a warm welcome to our Coyote Class! These students range from grade 1 to 3 and were excited to create their top 10 list for you to read! Enjoy the pictures, too, they really add something special to the post! We are the Coyote class and we’re so excited to tell you what we love about Via Vita Academy! We are in grade one, two and three. We’re Logan, Simeon, Payton, Danica, and Ms. Yolanda!
These are all the things we think you should know!
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A week ago our students took a school trip to Noggins Farm in Greenwich, Nova Scotia. The weather couldn't have been any better. The apple picking. The historic tour through the farm land. Carol. Oh Carol. Our wonderful farm guide, leader filled with kindness, knowledge, and remarkable patience and leadership. We asked her many times if we could take her back home with us. The corn maze. The picnic lunch. The exploratory play grounds. The parents. The parents! We had so many parents join us - it was like a family get together. To see so much support and smiles was heartwarming, to say the least. Aside from all of these memories made, we were most impressed with our students. Their respect and enthusiasm set the bar high for field trips to come. The knowledge our students, teachers, and families gained from walking through the back farm lands; the real life experience of leading, role modelling, listening, problem solving, and working together; the hands on learning of apple picking and life on the farm; and, the critical thinking and questioning throughout the tour - it was heartwarming to see our students engaged in the community in a positive way. The discussions that followed included everything from Acadians, Mi'gmaq, Ice Age, Maritime Industries, government, buying local, entrepreneurship, traditions, cooking, baking, trees, culture - even Celtic music! So many talking and learning points from a trip to the farm. There is no learning quite like a field trip. It's is, hands down (or hands-on!?) the best way to experience learning. Thank you Noggins for the experience, guidance, knowledge, and memories. Thank you parents for joining us and allowing us to plan this trip with your child in mind. Thank you students for the upmost amazing behaviour on a school trip, respecting everyone and everything around us, and for soaking up all of the wonderfulness that is Noggins. Thank you to our communities for supporting local farms and organizations that can teach growing generations so much about the world they're growing up in, a world we expect them to carry on and make changes for the better. We leave with a series of pictures that capture our day at the farm and discussions that followed. Grades Pre-K to grade 9 contributed a small token of artwork for this blog post to show you a few things they were thinking about post-farm trip. Hope you enjoy! And yes, the apple crisp was very, very good! For the recipe, see below! Apple Crisp
Topping ⅔ cup whole wheat flour 1 ½ cup rolled oats ⅔ cup coconut sugar ½ cup coconut oil 1-2 tsp cinnamon (optional) Filling 8 cups of apples ⅔ cup of coconut sugar 4 tsp lemon juice Directions Pre-heat oven to 350℉. In a bowl, mix flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and coconut oil together until crumbly. Core, peel and slice apples. In a bowl toss apples with lemon juice and sugar. Pour apples into a 9x13in pan. Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over top of apples. Bake for 35 minutes or until apple mixture is bubbly and topping is golden brown. Colleen Alexander is our guest blogger today and our garden advisor here at Via Vita Academy! Through her studies in Master Gardening, Colleen shares our passion for growing a new generation of garden-smart, healthy citizens. Stay tuned for her update posts on our garden as our students get growing! Does this sound familiar to you? Eat your veggies! Turn off the TV and go outdoors to play! I wish you would help around the house more often! Why can’t you be kinder to your brother? If you said “Yes!” to one or more of these complaints, then your family might benefit from a garden. Gardens are living laboratories where life lessons come from hands-on experience. They provide a unique opportunity to help children observe, discover, experience, nurture and learn to take responsibility for tasks and outcomes. Think it won’t work for you and your offspring? Then read on! As a life-long gardener, it has been my experience that most youth and virtually all young children become curious and enthusiastic when spending time in the garden tending plants and growing food. And I’m happy to report that there is a growing body of research to prove that I’m right! Studies show that gardening can help improve life-long nutrition, encourage more active lifestyles and build critical life skills in children. Whether it is potatoes grown in bags on a patio or a large one at school, any garden can be an invaluable tool to help your child get off to a great start in life. Health and nutrition Children who plant, grow, harvest and prepare fresh vegetables and fruit become excited about the opportunity to eat them. In light of the increased rates of obesity and childhood diabetes, many parents, teachers and policy makers are turning to gardens as an effective way to tackle these challenges. Using a garden to provide enhanced nutrition education is a profoundly engaging and effective way to establish healthy eating habits and food choices. A garden-based nutrition program that includes direct instruction and hands-on activities has been shown to increase children’s understanding of the relationship between food and their health. Start early! Positive eating habits that are established before the 6th grade are more likely to continue into adulthood. Physical Activity Regular physical activity in children develops strength, bone density and cardiovascular fitness, and helps prevent chronic illness like cancer, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease later in life. Gardening provides a unique opportunity to get kids moving while they learn curriculum based subjects and develop life skills. A 2014 study by Cornell University revealed that learning that takes place in a garden resulted in children who were “significantly more physically active” compared to an indoor class. Further, these children were substantially less sedentary at home and outside school than their peers in conventional learning environments. Enriched learning Studies have shown that school gardens can improve academic achievement, encourage community and social development, and connect children with global and local issues. Rutgers Cooperative Extension research has also found that students who participate in gardening develop new learning styles and curiosity, critical thinking, informed skepticism, flexibility and open-mindedness. So, what have you got to lose? Introduce your child to gardening. You might be surprised by what you grow! Together ,with Colleen Alexander, teachers, students, friends, and families, Via Vita Academy maintains its own year-round school garden. Planning, planting, growing, harvesting, cooking, preserving, sharing - the school garden is tended to by all of its members and is utilized daily as a valuable learning resource. To learn more about Via Vita Academy, click here.
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Welcome to Our BlogEach post is written by a supportive member of Via Vita Academy, be it a teacher, parent, student, community member, who is invested in the topic of education. Take a read and comment below! Archives
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