Although it may seem absurd, it must be stated that a person who has not learned to distinguish an ear of rye from an ear of wheat is no complete human being. Children themselves should be taken out and wherever possible, be brought to understand the plant world in its actual connection with the earth, with the rays of the sun, with life itself.
We must try to realize what it means for the evolution of humanity that for a long time past large numbers of people have been drawn into the towns, with the result that generation after generation of young people in the great towns has grown up in such a way that they can no longer distinguish rye from wheat.
Rudolf Steiner, Dornach Christmas Course 1921
SWS Gardening program is designed to support the students in developing a healthy relationship to the earth. Within our limitations as an urban school, we strive to provide our students with an experience of the natural world from an early age, through the nurturing of interest, respect, and caring capacities for their school natural environment.
Practical work strengthens the forces of will (activity) in the children. Through play, enjoyment of the garden, planning, planting, tending, and harvesting, students are given the opportunity to experience ‘cause and effect’, which in turns develop capacities for sound thinking.
Our program is articulated around the following five principles:
SWS gardening program is held by our gardener. He/she works with small groups in order to achieve the quality of work and respect for nature that are the essence of our program. Gardening classes are scheduled in blocks to allow for an experience of the seasonal rhythm. In order to have a unified and harmonious gardening program, the gardener is involved with every class beyond scheduled teaching times. The ability for the gardening teacher and class teachers to work together is a determining factor in the success of SWS gardening program. Although the gardening teacher is not formally teaching in every class, he/she is responsible for the students’ cohesive gardening experience. The gardener is supervised by the Site Manager who is responsible for the proper care of the grounds. The gardener cares for the garden in the summer. SWS is committed to developing a natural environment conducive to a respectful, informed, and caring experience of the natural world.
Teachers model enthusiasm and love of the natural world. Preschool through grade eight classes are entrusted with an area of the grounds for which they have stewardship. These specific areas are identified by the Site Manager and/or gardener, who guide class teachers in their understanding and proper implementation of a gardening plan designed collaboratively with class teachers.
The Site Manager and/or gardener assist class teachers in providing students with opportunities to build strong relationships with the natural spaces and gardens.
Preschool Through Grade Two
Preschool through grade two class teachers each oversee the care of a small garden space throughout the school year and cultivate a love of the plant kingdom and of natural environments. Teachers are encouraged to use garden and nature spaces for outdoor classroom activities, using whichever spaces he or she considers as the most suitable for each specific purpose, and always after consulting with the Gardener or Site Manager.
Grade Three
The gardener creates a gardening plan with the class teacher, including plowing, planting the large SWS vegetable and flower garden, a class building project, a day trip to a farm in the spring and/or the fall. He/she assists the class teacher during the “practical work” block during main lesson and during other periods throughout the year as needed to implement the plan, and accompanies the class on their farm field trip. The third grade harvests the garden in the fall of their fourth grade year.
Grade Four
In the early fall, the class harvests the garden they planted in grade three and prepares the plot for the current grade three. The gardener remains involved until the harvesting is completed.
Grade Five
No formal gardening class. The gardener is a resource for the class teacher in the Botany Block.
Grade Six
Gardening begins as a specialty subject taught by the gardener. Double-period gardening classes take place either in the SWS vegetable garden or at a nearby location accessible by bike if determined suitable by the grade six class teacher and his middle school colleagues. Classes are split between gardening, handwork, and woodwork, with possible emphasis on either one depending on the seasons, and potential integration of garden crafts during the winter months. This arrangement is considered on a yearly basis according to class size and teachers’ inclinations and abilities. Gardening class includes composting, soil preparation, planting, harvesting of the pea patch, depending on the season. Selling the produce from the school garden cart supports the sixth grade “business math” block.
Grades Seven and Eight
Grades seven and eight take up practical work in a farm setting. Students visit and work on a farm or orchard as part of an overnight astronomy, biking, or navigation field trip. The gardener develops an ongoing relationship with a biodynamic farm, and plans and organizes the farm component of the field trip. The gardener also organizes a community service project within walking distance of SWS (King County Parks Department). The sequence of this community service is revised yearly according to class size, middle school general schedule, and other pedagogical and practical considerations.
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