The child in Nature
Farm-to-Table Program / Farm School and Adolescents
Including nature in the learning environment is crucial in Montessori education. At Council Oak Montessori School, students interact with nature each day – in our green spaces and gardens, on the playground, and in our classrooms. All of our students enjoy a daily connection with nature. Our outdoor curriculum is a component of the classroom in every season and includes:
- Nature walks
- Planting and harvesting the gardens
- Caring for the chickens and coop
- Weeding garden areas
- Shoveling snow
- Learning to identify plant species
- Soil studies
- Dissecting flowers
Council Oak Farm School
Dr. Montessori theorized that land-based learning was especially important for adolescents who are going through a time of great change and preparing to join the larger, adult community. She taught that during this time students must learn to live and work together and that the best way to teach adolescents these skills through living and working on a farm, which acts as a microcosm of society. The Council Oak Farm and Orchards offer the ideal environment for adolescent students to learn in an urban farm environment. Our students focus on the science behind all the systems used by human civilization, such as:
- Building structures to live and work in
- Raising animals
- Water catchment systems
- Growing and cooking their own food
- Managing natural resources
- Overseeing a budget and operating businesses
- Repairing and maintaining facilities
- Providing services to the community
We encourage you to schedule a visit and see for yourself how students explore and excel through land-based learning.
