Teaching Big Ideas

The Edible Schoolyard:
At Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, CA a program called 'The Edible Schoolyard' was founded by Alice Waters in 1994. I've got to say, that this program is a resounding Montessori teaching style. The students are planting, harvesting and eating the fruits of their labor in their (very large) garden. The teacher incorporates science, social studies, math, and life skills into the garden classes. Teachers walk students through the process of where our food comes from. From the planting of the seed to the cooking of their harvesting. I am happy for these students because I know what a joy it was for my preschool students at Weinacker's Montessori School to have their own herb garden.


A Night in the Global Village:
At Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas students from Denver are experiencing what it is like to be from a totally different country with different lifestyles from their own. Like students at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, the students are immersed in learning. The students at Heifer Ranch make their own fire and cook their own food. These students are given specific living environments on this National Geographic-esque ranch. The students discuss problems they encountered there. I love this simulation-style learning.