Land & Livestock - Montessori School of Raleigh

Land and Livestock is an experiential program designed to not only cultivate the earth, but cultivate students' appreciation and understanding of the natural world and guide them in becoming stewards of the environment.

Through hands-on activities and student-led initiatives, Land and Livestock engages students in the planting, cultivating, and harvesting of herbs, vegetables, berries, and eggs from its on-campus gardens and chicken coop. The program also teaches students about healthy eating and cooking. During seasons of harvest, students plan and prepare dishes from the garden. They gain cooking skills and create food challenges and tasting competitions to test their knowledge of the herbs and vegetables they have grown from seed.

The Farm

The Farm at MSR's Brier Creek Campus is composed of acres of cultivated and uncultivated land. It includes:

Multiple raised garden beds
Multiple in-ground gardens
Hydroponic seed starter
Greenhouse
Chicken coop
Wild berry plants
Pond
Miles of wooded trails

Land...

Vegetables
Arugula, broccoli, cucumbers, carrots, beans, corn, garlic, mustard, peas, peppers, squash Spinach, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, watermelon.

Fruits
Blueberries, blackberries

Herbs
Basil, cilantro, mint, parsley, rosemary, thyme

Grains
Wheat, barley

...and livestock

Chickens
Fresh organic eggs from chickens living in our on-campus chicken coop

The land is where our roots are. The children must be taught to live in harmony with the Earth.

—Dr. Maria Montessori

Program Objectives

Observe and understand the natural world through her own senses and first-hand experiences and observations
Develop a confident expectation and a virtue of patience in tending, growth, and change of the natural world around him
Cultivate and grow in the role of caretaker of her natural environment as the foundation of all other creations of our community and industry
Work with his hands and body to contribute meaningfully to the community and natural world in a way that brings dignity and value to one’s labor
Provide opportunities for observation and contemplation of the larger natural world, the minutiae of soil and flora, as well as of oneself
Find a space for application and experimentation of academic pursuits, questions, and explorations.
Explore food literacy by familiarizing themselves with locally grown foods, understanding how to grow, harvest and prepare natural, healthy foods.

Program Ethic

Ethic

We are partners with the environment. We are in a relationship with the natural world. In order to develop that relationship, we must observe, feel, hear, and experience the natural world by our own hands.
Our land and its resources are to be cherished, protected and replenished. We will use resources wisely, reuse and recycle wherever possible, and create sustainable practices for our own land and communities.
If we pay attention, our relationship with the land has the potential to change us. Direct contact with the natural world is crucial in the personal growth of our ability to extend our ethics beyond our own self-interest. The more we see ourselves as a part of something larger, the broader will be our understanding of community, responsibility, and ourselves.