International Museum Day (May 18th) may not appear relevant to the Plant a Seed & See What Grows Foundation. However, when you look at the mission of this annual event, it’s easy to see how International Museum Day interconnects with gardening and farming at a community level:
“Museums have the power to transform the world around us. As incomparable places of discovery, they teach us about our past and open our minds to new ideas — two essential steps in building a better future.”
The word “museums” can be interchanged with “community gardens” with ease. The interconnectedness grows even further when you consider the theme of this year’s International Museum Day. The theme explores the potential of museums to bring about positive change in their communities through three lenses:
- The Power of Achieving Sustainability
- The Power of Innovating on Digitalization and Accessibility
- The Power of Community Building Through Education
Let’s take a look out how your classroom or household can celebrate International Museum Day by integrating community garden and farming concepts through these three lenses.
How to Celebrate International Museum Day in Canada by Connecting to Community Garden and Farming Concepts
The Power of Achieving Sustainability
Talking about organic gardening and farming is a great way to educate people on sustainability. But how do you tie it into International Museum Day? Easy! Throughout Canada, there are all sorts of agricultural museums for households and classrooms to visit. For example, in the BC Lower Mainland you can visit the BC Farm Museum in Langley to view a collection of over 5,600 historical artifacts of farming equipment and pioneer life in the province. In Alberta, your students may enjoy a trip to the Agricultural Museum U of A (Edmonton). In Ottawa, you’ll find Canada’s Agriculture and Food Museum, which is one of the largest and most comprehensive interactive facilities of its kind. No matter where your home or school is there will be a nearby agricultural museum to visit. Perform an online search for one near you and plan your International Museum Day accordingly.
The Power of Innovating on Digitalization and Accessibility
Some believe that there is a disconnect between museums and digital transformation (DT). People once thought the same about organic gardening/farming until technology became the cornerstone of many urban gardening/farming concepts. Technology such as these mobile device applications help teach young kids about plant life and sustainability. Technology to promote gardening/farming knowledge is also leveraged at home as families gather on the sofa to stream these digitized programs. Let these concepts lead by example as you discover some of the world’s top green museums which each have online resources to better inform your kids/students.
The Power of Community Building Through Education
Ultimately, it all circles back to education. Teaching future generations about sustainability is the only path forward. This final lens of International Museum Day 2022 leads us to two very important initiatives from the Plant a Seed & See What Grows Foundation.
First, is our Plant a Seed—Read! program which provides (for FREE) preschool and primary grade educational materials inspired by two children’s storybooks written by Roland Gahler; Plant a Seed & See What Grows and What to Do with What You Grew. We also offer special programs for Libraries and Natural Health Product Retailers. Second, is our Seeds of Inspiration Educational Program which provides schools with tools to help engage children in planting activities right in the classroom. Discover more about the success of these programs by having a look at a recent year in review. From there you can decide how your household, school, or organization can get involved in some shape or form. Given that the goals of International Museum Day mirror those of sustainable gardening/farming concepts it makes perfect sense to help promote education in kind.
