Dozens of students from Willoughby Elementary school didn鈥檛 mind the hail and the rain and the cold when they attended an outdoor education class at Maples Discovery Gardens Co-op last week.

They turned over chunks of heavy sod, dug in new soil and manure, weeded and raked in preparation for planting spuds and other vegetables.

Despite the weather, 鈥渢hey were having so much fun they didn鈥檛 want to go back to class,鈥� said Olivia Carnrite of LEPS, which organized the class with Maples Gardens.

For many children, especially those who live in condos and townhouses, the experience was a welcome novelty because some have never sown a seed, except perhaps in Kindergarten, Carnrite said.

Carnrite took four students away from teacher Dameon Lorensen鈥檚 Grade 7 class to prepare a garden bed for potatoes. Yeji Lim, Connor Fleming, Annie Chang and Juwan Richards were all excited about the prospect of sowing and weeding, and enjoying the fruits of their labour in a few months.

Back at Lorensen鈥檚 patch, two dozen students were digging away when he and another student pulled out a heavy sheet of plastic. With splashes of red print still vibrant, the plastic had the appearance of having been buried for a long, long time, giving Lorensen the opportunity to explain that plastic does not decompose and harms the environment.

He said that not only do students receive hands-on experience, they learn about the environment, and the local ecosystem and how it relates to the broader environment.

Willoughby鈥檚 Grades 4, 5, 6 and 7 students had the opportunity to take part in the workshop, learning where food comes from in a new program called Nature鈥檚 Classroom.

Developed in partnership with Envision Financial, Maples Discovery Gardens Co-op and 91原创 Environmental Partners Society, Nature鈥檚 Classroom allows students to grow their own food while becoming stewards of the environment.

鈥淲e鈥檙e really excited to support Nature鈥檚 Classroom because it鈥檚 a great opportunity to promote environmental awareness and responsibility in the community,鈥� said Susan Byrom, Envision鈥檚 manager of corporate citizenship.

鈥淭his is a fantastic learning opportunity for kids and hopefully it will have them thinking greener.鈥�

Students in six classes from Willoughby, 91原创 Meadows, and Alex Hope elementary schools will attend six workshops at Maples Discovery Gardens Co-op over a 12-week period from April to June.

During this time they will design and plant their own vegetable gardens at Maples Gardens, learn about soil and composting, discover what plants need to thrive, and learn about the watershed they live in and the ecosystem of Latimer Creek, which runs adjacent to the gardens.

The students will also attend a harvest celebration with teachers and volunteers at the program鈥檚 conclusion.

And while they will eat the vegetables they raise, the students will donate part of their harvest to 91原创鈥檚 Meals on Wheels.