A Children's Garden

We had been working so hard for this moment--for the garden to go live. The children took to it like ducks to water-- touching, smelling, tasting, running through. Finally our time had come to observe them in this environment we had made, and it was glorious.

The stepping stone path proved to be the perfect guide for the children to follow on their way to discover the garden.

 There were plenty of late summer vegetables ready to pick and taste in the moment or gather for our snack table or cooking class.

Bela the bunny got his fair share, as well.

 

Already that first week of school we were on our way to realizing the Edible Schoolyard, Montessori Children's House style. Happy Day!

Next: Harvest Recipes and Ideas--how Cooking in the Children's House began.

Garden Party

Every garden begins with a seed. Ours was planted years before the land was even purchased on the outskirts of Northfield, MN. Edible Schoolyard creator, groundbreaking chef and former Montessori teacher, Alice Waters, was a huge influence and inspiration as I dreamed about my ideal school environment. The school garden, from which we would gather vegetables and herbs for cooking and sharing with families, was the very first thing that took real form at our school site.

The months before our opening in the fall of 2007 were filled with renovation and construction. Lots of trucks, lots of debris, and what felt like very slow progress. It was quite an overwhelming and anxious time. The clearing and plotting out of the school garden was, in contrast, a much more manageable task. The demolition of a small barn behind the house had left a plot of very fertile soil (the barn had housed some calves over the years, I believe). Although we raked and raked the soil that summer, each spring we still find remnants of that structure, mostly window glass and splinters of red painted wood.

Many friends  came out to lend a hand, one was a master gardener who tested our soil and dispensed invaluable advice to this non-farming teacher.

The garden began to take shape. We were so eager to plant so that everything could grow over the summer and greet the children when they arrived in the fall. We chose vegetables, herbs and fruits that would be complements to the cooking program I had always enjoyed in my classrooms.

Enrollment was in full swing for this new school and we were ready to host an informal "Garden Party" for families to join us out at our property. The building was still very much a construction zone but everyone was eager to come help plant and finish off the edible schoolyard for their children.

Planting the garden was so satisfying and symbolic for all of us. It wasn't September yet, but already our school felt like a community--filled with love, joy and the promise of new growth.

Next: The garden goes live.

It's Summer--What's Cooking?

Summer cooking at Montessori Children's House means an outdoor kitchen. Our entire program moves outside for the months of June, July and August. The children arrive each morning and enter an environment designed to extend the Montessori method into a natural outdoor space. What a joy to be able to provide this environment, but it is not without an element of preparation. During these warm lazy days of summer I would like to outline the preparation of a Montessori summer kitchen, beginning with the details of how we built our outdoor environment.

Next post: "Garden Party" - a dream, a plot of land, a community working together for children