Educators playing with an edible patchwork... paradigms and passions for petite gardeners

Abstract

During this forum, relevant professional paradigms and personal passions will be explored. These reflect part of a patchwork that can help educators be leaders with children in Double-Green-Thumb edible gardening. We will start with paradigms or background theories related to early childhood education but in the context of gardening plots to tasting plates. Within such a framework - with calm, caring, respectful leanings - children and adults, edible plants and local climate are intertwined. We will play with a patchwork of ideas and ideals about the worth of edible gardening in early childhood settings. We will build upon all these concepts by focusing on children’s understandings (ethical head), believing (caring heart) and doing (helping hands) in relational atmospheres of meaningful interactions. People with 'green thumbs' enjoy gardening and their plantings actually grow well. 'Double-green' means you are not only gardening but you are doing it doubly-well. This is because you are using au naturale, caring approaches. Our focus is natural and organic from the garden plot to the tasting plate, so that we make smaller ecological footprints and healthier handprints. Such edible gardening links to place, space, and time. A 'My handi-gardening' image and metaphor as a foodcycle/practicalities model forms the basis for us to expand our patchwork of paradigms and passions into everyday practices. We will consider meaningful edible gardening processes; these encompass: plans, plots, pace, plants, planting styles, propagate & pamper, pick & prepare, partake, re-processing plant pieces, plant portfolios, pondering and succession planning. In summary, over time adults and children can cooperate deeply while planting, picking and picto-reciping. The overall message is -- commit to shared gardening with children and do this by starting small and establishing the habit.