Did you know that March is Nutrition Month in Canada? This national focus on healthy eating aligns perfectly with the arrival of spring, creating a meaningful opportunity for families and educators to explore not only how food supports our health, but also the food science behind how it is grown. This presents an opportune time of year to introduce kids to horticulture, the part of agriculture connected to the business, science, technology, and art of plant cultivation. These hands-on activities also support learning across the Canadian curriculum, including science, health, and environmental education. Read on for more lesson ideas, activities, and resources to support student learning on this topic.

Teaching children about gardening and horticulture is a great way to spark a healthy hobby (and healthy eating habits). It also helps children build a deeper understanding of where their food comes from, encouraging more mindful and nutritious food choices. As we’re all about teachable moments at Teachers on Call, the start of spring presents a great chance for kids to start seeds with their families and classrooms. We’ve got some great educational talking points for making this a fun family or school project! March is Nourish to Flourish Nutrition Month by Dietitians of Canada, making this the perfect time for children to connect how healthy food choices begin and grow from the ground up. Kids’ cookbooks are also a wonderful way to reinforce these concepts at home, and we will be sharing some great recommendations in an upcoming blog.

Ready to dig in? Here are some practical and engaging activities to try at home or in the classroom that connect spring planting with math, science, and healthy living.

Great Teachable Lessons on Plants

• Talking about seasons and growth cycles - In southern Ontario, because our growing season is a little bit short, certain plants need to be started indoors where it’s safe from frost—otherwise they won’t have a chance to come to maturity. Be sure to look up how long it takes your seedlings to mature, and then also when the last-frost date is for where you live, so you’ll know when it’s time to start, and when it’s safe to move your seedlings outside!
• Talking about planning – Most gardeners have at least a basic plan for how they’re going to design and plant! Get your child hyped by having them plan and draw their garden designs with you.
• Talking about different kinds of plants – There are lots of ways to have age-appropriate conversations during the planning and planting processes. Even very young children can weigh in on their favourite sorts of veggies, or whether they like ‘big tomatoes or little ones.’ Older kids can start to examine the upsides and downsides to specific cultivars—such as whether the tomato plant is indeterminate or determinate (how big will it grow?) and whether seeds can be saved for next year!

Early March Plants to Know About

Good candidates for indoor seedlings early in March are peppers and onions. Both are extremely yummy and nutritious, and don’t hesitate to point out the meals that your children may love these foods in, like nachos and stuffed peppers. Fun fact: these plants also do good things for one another when planted together! (We call pairing crops together for mutual benefit companion planting.)

If you’re nervous about starting onions from seed, did you know you can regrow green onions (scallions) from the root ends of ones you pick up from the grocery store? It’s true!

Late March Plants to Discover

Towards the end of March is a great time to start tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Tomatoes are a great crop to try for beginners. Broccoli and cauliflower are a little more advanced, because they will need some extra TLC. But it’s still lots of fun to try to grow!

The Process and Science of Hardening

All plants started indoors have to go through a period called ‘hardening’ in which you gradually introduce them to being outside. This period lasts between 5-7 days before planting outdoors, so don’t forget to make sure your seedlings have a safe, protected area which they can enjoy a little sun and fresh air without heavy wind or rain!

If your students are interested to continue learning for national Nutrition Month, feel free to check out our blog on food science with hydrating snacks. Good luck with your gardens!

Making Mealtime Family Learning Time with Barbara Reid

For families looking to extend learning beyond the garden, mealtime can also become a powerful teaching moment. As highlighted in our recent Family Literacy Day blog with Barbara Reid, combining books, food, and conversation can help reinforce both literacy and healthy eating habits. Children’s stories and simple bake or cooking activities can be a wonderful complement to growing your own ingredients. Be sure to check out our recent feature for more tips and inspiration from iconic Canadian children’s author and Family Literacy Day Honorary Chair Barbara Reid.

Explore Cooking and Baking Books for Kids

What better way to teach children about nutrition and healthy eating than through books? Reading brings these concepts to life in a fun and engaging way, helping kids build positive relationships with food while strengthening literacy skills. As big fans of Canadian authors and stories, our in-person and online tutoring service has curated some favourite cooking and baking books to inspire learning at home and in the classroom—check out our recommendations here.

Sweet Inspiration from Baking Wonderland and The Baker Sisters

For families looking to bring more fun into the kitchen, Baking Wonderland by The Baker Sisters is a wonderful pick. Sisters Jean Parker and Rachel Smith, who live in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Northumberland County and Durham, and are known for their Food Network Canada show The Baker Sisters, bring their love of baking, creativity and family traditions to every page. Although, they are originally from Bayside, Ontario (a community within Quinte West, near Belleville).

Their kid-friendly cookbook invites young chefs to mix and match recipes for cookies, cupcakes and cakes, encouraging confidence, imagination and hands-on learning. It is a great way to blend mealtime fun with reading and following step by step instructions.

For families looking to bring more creativity into the kitchen, you may also enjoy our Hooked on Books interview with The Baker Sisters about Baking Wonderland, a delightful resource full of kid friendly inspiration.

More Family Fun with My First Recipe Book by Ricardo Larrivée

Another excellent kitchen companion for young learners is My First Recipe Book by celebrated Canadian chef Ricardo Larrivée. Based in Montreal, Québec Ricardo is a beloved television personality, cookbook author and food expert known for making cooking approachable and fun for home cooks of all ages. Ricardo has 13 bestselling books in French and 6 books in English. 

This children’s cookbook geared for kids and teens is much more than just a collection of recipes. Along with fresh and delicious ideas to try with family and friends, the book offers helpful tips on becoming a skilled cook, choosing the right ingredients at the grocery store and always keeping the environment in mind. In this first English-language Ricardo book for kids, young chefs are encouraged to stay curious, enjoy the process and learn useful life skills in the kitchen.

Learn with Kitchen Tools and Cooking Gear

Measuring cups and spoons are simple but powerful tools for enhancing learning during Nutrition Month, helping kids practice early math and numeracy skills like counting, fractions, volume, and comparison while following a new recipe. Reading ingredient lists and step-by-step instructions strengthens literacy, sequencing, and comprehension, while hands-on measuring builds confidence and reinforces real-world problem-solving. 

For some extra learning, families can layer in playful kitchen gear and gadgets such as blenders, air fryers, ice cream makers, or slushie machines (with parental supervision, of course, for the little ones). Our team loves Ninja as a teacher favourite for turning everyday cooking into hands-on learning, whether that means using blenders to make nutritious breakfast smoothies or afternoon snacks, or following a recipe to learn how to make favourite healthy desserts like frozen yogurt, which are always a hit with kids.

Read Food-Inspired Children’s Books for Nutrition Month

Picture and chapter books with food at the centre are a wonderful way to celebrate Nutrition Month. There is no shortage of books on this theme, so in this blog we’re highlighting just a few favourites to get you started. In particular, books featuring fruits and vegetables offer a fun and relatable way for children to build familiarity with healthy foods and spark curiosity about what they eat.

Veggies with Wedgies is a classic and playful children’s book that uses humour and imagination to introduce young readers to a variety of vegetables in a fun and engaging way. Its lighthearted storytelling helps make healthy foods more familiar and approachable for children, building positive early connections to nutrition.

It’s no secret that our online and in-home tutoring team loves the Forest of Reading, and many nominated titles use food as a familiar and engaging entry point for young readers, making stories more accessible and meaningful for families reading together. In our Hooked on Books series, we’ve had the pleasure of spotlighting food-inspired picture books such as The Blue Bowl by Toronto author Flo Leung, which explores identity, heritage, and family through a shared meal, and Are You a Cheeseburger? by Montréal creator Monica Arnaldo, a playful and thought-provoking story that invites curiosity and conversation.

Reading these books together adds a rich visual and emotional dimension to literacy, helping children connect words, images, and real-life family experiences in a joyful and age-appropriate way.

As families and educators embrace the start of spring, we hope these ideas inspire meaningful opportunities for learning, connection, and growth both in and out of the garden. From planting seeds to preparing meals and exploring food through books, these everyday experiences help children build lifelong skills in math, science, and healthy living, while fostering curiosity about the world around them.

At Teachers on Call, we believe that some of the most impactful learning happens through shared, real-life moments. Whether it’s gardening, cooking together, or reading a favourite story, these experiences support both academic success and overall well-being.

Here’s to a season of growing, learning, and nourishing both minds and bodies.