Public Health Association of BC

 

Farm to School BC: Cultivating Curiosity Guide

Cultivating Curiosity is designed to support educators in strengthening agriculture education in secondary schools. This resource showcases examples of how agriculture concepts can be integrated into existing B.C. curriculum, provides guidance on developing Board Authority Authorized (BAA) courses, and offers opportunities to explore post-secondary and dual-credit pathways in agriculture. 

Download the Resource (PDF: 5.5 MB)

 

Sections Available for Download

  1. Full Guide
  2. BAA Course Creation and Dual Credit Options
  3. BAA Course Syllabus Outlines

 

Authors and Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge that this project was funded by the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food. We sincerely thank their team for offering guidance, insights, support, and connections that contributed to this resource and the Cultivating Curiosity project as a whole.

A special thank you to those who supported this project by sharing their experiences: Tania Toth and Joe Massie (Sardis Secondary School), Erin Eidsvik (Howe Sound Secondary), Krystle tenBrink (Squamish CAN), Daniel Schulbeck (Daaxiigan Sk’adáa Née), and Shelly Crack (Northern Health).

Additional thanks to the Thompson Rivers University Sustainable Agriculture program and Kwantlen Polytechnic University Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems program for sharing their knowledge. We also thank Simple Life Designs for making this guide beautiful.

 

Cultivating Curiosity Background

This resource profiles school-based agriculture programs across B.C., outlining how they were developed, implemented, and sustained. It also offers inquiry-based ideas and activity suggestions for integrating agriculture across subject areas and throughout the seasons. Educators will find links to dual-credit and post-secondary options, along with best practices for aligning classroom learning with weekly and seasonal farm cycles. 

 

Cultivating Curiosity Webinar Series

Innovative Models for Agriculture and Food Systems Literacy in BC Secondary Schools

This three-part webinar series featured conversations and presentations with BC educators who have firsthand experience creating Board Authority Authorized (BAA) certified courses and/or integrating agriculture concepts into existing curriculum. The series meets educators where they are and fosters connections to support the growth of agriculture education programs across BC. This webinar series was hosted by Farm to School BC and supported by the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

  • PART ONE: Joe Massie and Tania Toth, Sardis Secondary School
  • PART TWO: Krystle tenBrink and Erin Eidsvik, Howe Sound Secondary School and SquamishCAN
  • PART THREE: Daniel Schulbeck, Daaxiigan S k’adáa Née and Shelly Crack, Northern Health 

Webinar Recording Playlist (YouTube)

 

Resource Launch (October 28, 2025)

We officially launched this resource on October 28, 2025, to close out Farm to School Month. Watch the webinar recording on YouTube for a walkthrough of everything it has to offer. The event also featured a special presentation from Emmy O’Gorman, K–7 Teacher at Agnes L. Mathers Elementary School (SD 50 – Haida Gwaii), who shared how she used her Cultivating Curiosity grant to take students on an aquaculture field study and sustainably harvest SGyuu (the Haida word for red laver or seaweed). Rewatch to learn more!

Watch the Webinar Recording (YouTube)

 

Join the Agriculture Teaching Resources Group

Please join us in this virtual space to share relevant resources, lesson plans, curriculum connections and ideas related to agriculture in secondary education.

We’re hosting this email group on Google Groups. If you have a Google account, visit groups.google.com/g/agriculture-teaching-resources. If you don’t have a Google email account, submit your email below to be manually added to the group.