Junior Green Thumbs®

Passion Project by REALTOR® Laura McBride

Buying or selling a home can do more than move a family forward—it can help a classroom grow.

Families who work with Laura McBride don’t just make smart moves—they help spark something lasting in their community. Through the Junior Green Thumbs initiative, every home sold provides a local teacher with a fully equipped indoor classroom garden, complete with raised wooden planter, seeds, soil, and carefully curated supplies and learning tools, designed to integrate with Ontario curriculum and ongoing ideas and support.

Laura believes that real estate can grow more than equity. It can facilitate growth, curiosity and a love of nature in our future leaders.

Since 2015, these gardens have given hundreds of students the chance to dig in—literally—while learning how plants grow, especially food, why it matters, and how they can make a difference in their world. It’s hands-on education rooted in real-life skills, health, and environmental awareness.

The gardens can be found in classrooms from JK - High school in: DDSB, DCDSB, TDSB, YRDSB, and a private Toronto day school.

Please help spread the word about this project. If you or someone you know is thinking of buying or selling real estate, your referral will greatly benefit the program! If you know of a Teacher who may wish to join the waitlist they can register HERE

A MESSAGE FROM LAURA

"This 4 season indoor gardening program was designed for Canadian elementary school classrooms, and has expanded to include High School as well. It is currently running in Durham, Toronto and York Region schools.

The objective of the program is to connect children with nature and empower essential life skills for a healthy, productive future, all while supporting Teachers in their role as inspired educators. I founded the program with the collaboration and support of Teachers, Robyn Hadder, Heather Spink-Turner and Kristy Dale, and the program has been successful at integrating engaging, natural experiences with core curriculum strands in math, art, language, science, health and nutrition.

The garden itself, was designed to be an object of beauty in the classroom, to inspire calmness and creative thought for the students and their forward thinking, collaborative teachers.

Being a very sensory aware person, I have always found incredible inspiration through tactile experiences. By providing a positive, curiosity evoking element in the classroom for students to explore, I am able to provide a supportive tool for teachers to inspire learning and awareness of the natural world.

As the project moves forward, new ideas, inspiration and collaborations will further expand the rich learning experiences for students from Kindergarten to grade 12.

Together, let's create a brighter future—one SOLD and one garden at a time."

SELLING HOUSES | GIFTING GARDENS!

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Click To Register

In Loving Memory of Brian Renaud. Brian's participation in our first two pilot years, helped the project flourish and grow into what it is today. Always in our hearts.