Beijing has been blessed with some glorious weather as the summer draws to an end and autumn arrives. This means one thing for Early Childhood Center (ECC) students - harvest season is here! Following the spring planting season and a summer of growth, ECC classes have been busy harvesting this year's crop from the sprawling sky garden on the ECC building rooftop. Each harvest season is an opportunity for students, faculty and families to engage with the natural environment right in the center of Beijing!

Last week, ECC students spent time in the garden learning about nature, the growing of plants and how to enjoy the fruits (and vegetables!) of their labor. With the abundance of eggplant, corn, peppers, tomatoes and spinach, parents of ECC students came along to the ECC kitchen to help students create delicious dishes out of their plentiful crop. Parents led students in food preparation, enhancing students' understanding of the garden to plate process, as well as encouraging them to cherish ingredients and the food that is prepared for them on a daily basis.

The annual harvest forms a part of the wider sustainability focused ECC curriculum, which is also supplemented with workshops by Inspire Citizens focused on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Bringing together members of the BCIS family community, this activity encouraged communication and engagement between families and the ECC learning environment whilst raising awareness of #BCISsustainability.