Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School

OPEN HOUSE - Sunday January 29th, 1:00-3:30 pm

2012-01-27T10:40:00.002-05:00

The Nation's Capital Was the Setting for Original Theater Based on the Cultures of Ancient China and Mesopotamia

2012-01-12T14:13:00.000-05:00

The US Botanical Gardens became
the setting for this portrayal of the
leader of an ancient Chinese dynasty

At the end of each Humanities Project, the students write original historical fiction based on their research.We call these pieces Dramatis Personae. We spend the day in Washington D.C. performing all around the city

At dusk, part of an original epic poem
styled after Gilgamesh

The students on the capital lawn

Each student chooses the location for their dramatis personae based on the physical scene they want to portray. For example, the US Botanical Garden has a desert room that has been used for cultures in arid climates, the US Capital was the backdrop for a portrayal of a Roman Senator because of the historical connections between the governments of Rome and the United States, and the grassy area of the National Mall was recently used to represent a wide open plain.

More of the epic poem

The location may be chosen for visual effect or historical significance. In this way, the students are challenged to make connections between various cultures, times, and places and to think about how the past is connected to our own lives today.

Genghis Khan

Tamworth Piglets Arrive!

2012-01-05T18:17:00.001-05:00

Eagerly welcoming the new piglets

Cute but with a very loud squeal

Three Tamworth weanlings have joined us at the Farm School this winter.

An Explosion of Creativity

2011-11-30T17:38:00.000-05:00

At Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School this Fall, students and faculty have been painting, dancing, building, making jewelry, learning about electronics and more. Dr. Montessori believed that having opportunities for creative self expression is an integral part of forming identity during adolescence. Here are photos of our recent Creative Expression projects.

Building a computer

Jewelry making for holiday sales

Learning to use the pottery wheel

Colorful oil painting

Mixing paints

Concentration

Notice the studio dog enjoying a nap!

Turnip Time!

2011-11-10T13:43:00.000-05:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students grew turnips from seed and are reaping the fruits of their labor this November.

Farm School students have the option to become managers of an area of the farm in their 9th grade year. The 9th grade Garden Manager and one of her current garden crew members came in from the garden with a basket full of freshly dug turnips this week asking "can we please cook them up for people for lunch?!?" We were happy to oblige.

They used a cookbook recently donated by a parent, "From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce" to learn about preparing and cooking turnips.

They then peeled, chopped, sauteed and baked the white and pink roots and shared them with all of the students and faculty members. We compared the taste of those sauteed vs. baked and salted vs. unsalted.

The initiative and follow-through demonstrated by these 12 and 14 year old girls is characteristic of the Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School. Such amazing young people!

Rappahannock County Farm Tour Sept 24th & 25th - join us at the Farm School!

2011-09-17T22:18:00.000-04:00

Join us for the third annual

Rappahannock County Farm Tour!

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School will be open and ready for your visit both Saturday and Sunday from 9-4.

Farm School students will be waiting to give you a tour, introduce you to the animals, and tell you about their school.
You'll be able to pet the sheep, hold a chicken, gather eggs, and feed the pigs!
We'll be serving a delicious lunch made by our students using our home-grown meats and vegetables.
You'll also have the opportunity to hand-dye wool yarn and try your hand at spinning wool into yarn.
There will be games, face painting, and more for children of all ages.
Our Farm Market Stand will be open both days.

Tickets are $5 and may be purchased in advance on line: farmtour.visitrappahannockva.com or at Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School on the day of the tour.

Children under 16 get in free!

At the Farm Tour website you are also able to get directions, check out the other 17 venues, look for special tracks (family friendly, horticulture, crafts, etc), and learn about the "All Things Rappahannock Market" at The Link in Sperryville.

Welcome Smithsonian Campers!

2011-08-05T10:22:00.002-04:00

On Wednesday, 52 campers came down from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) to learn about Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School. These rising 9th and 10th grade students were part of the Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) camp.

Thank you

to Mountain Laurel Montessori students who came out to give tours!!! The campers' favorite part of the tour was reported to be learning to catch chickens!

It is exciting to be right down the road from an institution doing amazing international conservation research and we are very happy to be able to share our school as a model of land-based education.

For more on SCBI: http:nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi

Our eggs join the best in the world!

2011-07-22T20:01:00.000-04:00

If you are fortunate enough to dine at the world renowned Inn at Little Washington in the near future, you'll likely be eating food containing Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School eggs. The Inn has many awards and accolades, including "the best inn restaurant in the world." Now our eggs will be part of those delicious meals!

Our chickens have been cared for with tender loving care all summer by campers, counselors, and guides at the Mountain Laurel Montessori School elementary camp - thanks everyone! (see mountainlaurelmontessori.org for more information on camps).

Our chickens get to do what chickens love to do: scratch for insects in the pastures, take dust baths, and eat surplus vegetables from our gardens. We rotate the chickens throughout the farm, providing them with fresh pasture, and providing the pastures with nutrient-rich manure. You should see the color of those yokes! - the way eggs should be.

Toddlers visit the Farm

2011-06-02T23:52:00.002-04:00

Farm School student introduces a chicken

The Toddler Program students visited the Farm School for their end-of-year picnic.

Animals, songs, and watermelon - a great combination!

Farm School students invite toddlers to fill pig water buckets

The pigs provided lots of entertainment

A Farm School student and a toddler look for eggs in the chicken tractor

Toddlers dance to rock and roll

Meet our rooster

Watershed Studies Trip: backpacking, swimming, beachcombing, and more!

2011-05-06T22:09:00.000-04:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students spent a week-long adventure in and around Virginia Beach. It was the culmination of the students' watershed study. Having studied our individual water use and tested the water in the Farm School pond and local rivers, we traveled to the end of our watershed where the rivers meet the ocean.

Backpacking False Cape State Park - Day 1 (sun!)

Camping on the ocean

Reading original writing on Back Bay

Finding our watershed address: which way is North?

Backpacking False Cape State Park - Day 2 (pelting rain!)

Wet but doing ok

Watershed studies at the Virginia Aquarium

The marsh walk at the Virginia Aquarium

Watershed studies: identifying marsh grasses

the students found a live horseshoe crab

beach drawing

Ft. Monroe

Community Plant Sale

2011-05-06T21:37:00.000-04:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students sell homemade food at the Waterpenny Farm Plant Sale

Farm School student spins wool into yarn

5th grade students take a trip to the Farm School

2011-04-29T23:56:00.000-04:00

Farm School students have been studying the water quality of the pond and local rivers in the Watershed Occupation Project. This week, they taught Mountain Laurel Montessori 5th year students how to test for dissolved oxygen, nitrates, and pH.

Farm School pond water testing

testing for nitrates

canoes for deep water sampling

testing for dissolved oxygen

a curious little turtle

Spring produce donated to Plant a Row for the Hungry

2011-04-29T23:42:00.000-04:00

Proud of their harvest, Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students bring their produce to the Rappahannock Food Pantry and Plant-A-Row-for-the-Hungry

student grown broccoli, spinach, and kale

Mimi weighs in the broccoli

Thanks to Hal Hunter for getting this all started by donating the hoophouse!

Students harvest...

the broccoli they planted in March...

and bring it to the Food Pantry the same morning - couldn't be fresher!

First Hoophouse harvest!

2011-04-24T00:09:00.001-04:00

Our first Hoophouse for the Hungry harvest is in!

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students have planted cool season plants, and have already harvested spinach and kale. The garden chore group has taken on seeding, transplanting, and daily watering.

We took our first harvest to the Rappahannock Food Pantry and helped unload a bread delivery while we were there.

Thanks Mimi for your leadership at the Food Pantry!

Spring Lambs Arrive!

2011-04-02T23:32:00.000-04:00

We have 3 new lambs at the Farm School!

We were all able to observe this ram lamb being born

This lambing season was challenging, but provided many opportunities for biology lessons and real life decision making. Many thanks to Brandon, our Farm Manager, for his attention to the sheep; he is going to be happy to get a good night's sleep now!

Come to our Conference 3/26/11: "Technology and the Child: A Montessori Perspective"

2011-03-10T21:20:00.000-05:00

Technology & the Child:

A Montessori Perspective

Saturday, March 26, 2011

A One Day Conference

For Parents, Teachers, Administrators & Friends

of The Adolescent & Elementary Age Child

We are very excited to announce our keynote speaker:

Greg MacDonald, AMI Trainer

Click here for more information and to register:

http://www.mountainlaurelmontessori.org/welcome/2011mlmsconference.html

Plastic Goes Up On the Hoophouse!

2011-02-28T22:16:00.001-05:00

There may have been snow and ice on the ground in the morning, but by the afternoon it was 80 degrees inside the hoophouse! Eric Plaksin, co-owner of Waterpenny Farm, volunteered his day to teach us how to put the plastic on the hoophouse.

The first step - getting the plastic up

Ron Makela, owner of Yellow Brick Road Construction,

has spent countless hours volunteering his time to build the structure.

Working together to pull the plastic up and over

Thank you to both Eric and Ron
for your time, energy, and patience!!

Securing the plastic with "Wiggle Wire"

The Hoophouse For The Hungry is a joint project between Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School and Plant-A-Row-For-The Hungry (Rappahannock Food Pantry). Hal Hunter generously donated the hoop structure, and has helped coordinate community volunteers.

Eric teaching how to add the "wiggle wire" to the bottom

We will raise fresh, healthy food year-round to be eaten by students at Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School, and to be donated to the Rappahannock Food Pantry.

Helping out

The idea is simple and makes a meaningful impact: plant an extra row in your garden to give to those in need who might not otherwise have access to fresh vegetables.

Trimming the plastic

If you are a gardener and want to "Plant A Row For the Hungry" go here for more information:

Plant A Row: http://www.gardenwriters.org/gwa.php?p=par/index.html

Plant A Row Rappahannock County, VA:
http://plantarow.rappahannock.com/

Trimming the plastic and getting ready to staple and add the furring strips

Farm School Always a Home to Alumni

2011-02-21T22:38:00.000-05:00

Some schools in our area were closed for President's Day. Students could have stayed home. But not our alumni - they came to spend the day with us at the Farm School! It was wonderful to see four of our alumni (current High School Sophomores and Juniors) joyfully jump right back into the routines of the day (and give us a challenge on the soccer field!).

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School alumni visit during the Winter Coffeehouse

Five Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School alumni also spoke to a full house at our parent night last week. Here is a sampling of their reflections on their Montessori experience:

Clayton (high school Junior): "The best thing I learned at the Farm School was the ability to learn and to make sure you really know the material. You can ask your teachers anything and no one will make fun of you."

Rory (high school Junior): "Getting to interact with people, to be really good friends. That was one of the best things about Mountain Laurel."

Jimi (college Freshman): "The best thing about the Farm School is the relationships you build with your teachers. There is no reason to be scared about telling them your weaknesses. You just go ahead and get help."

Phillip (high school Junior): "The maturity and responsibility you get at the end of the Farm School were the best parts for me. My teachers now see that I am someone who can be trusted with responsibility, so they give me more freedom."

Ursula (high school Sophomore): "I found out who I really was. That helped my develop confidence in myself. I learned to accept who I was and that has helped me."

Students create artifacts inspired by study of Ancient Greece

2011-02-13T23:29:00.000-05:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students have been studying Ancient Greece. Each student has developed expertise of a particular Greece city-state. The students will demonstrate their knowledge through research papers, persuasive essays, and a "meeting of the minds" in which they will try to convince a council why their city-state is fit to rule all of the Greek world.

Creating a mosaic inspired by mosaics from Ancient Greece

In addition, each student is creating an original artifact inspired by their research. Here are photos of the students hard at work on their artifacts and research.

Students collaborate on research and creation of artifacts

Creating a map of the Delphic League - mixed media

Students learn to extract DNA

2011-02-11T17:30:00.001-05:00

Thanks to microbiologist and Farm School parent Dr. Lilburn for leading a DNA extraction lab this week!

The 9th year Biology students have been studying genetics and heredity. The lab was such a great opportunity that all of the students in grades 7-9 participated. We extracted the DNA from dried peas (a nod to Gregor Mendel).

Biology students preparing for the DNA protocol

Students pour smashed pea mixture into a test tube

Students add rubbing alcohol

The white strands are the pea DNA!

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School: Live On Air!

2011-01-23T21:41:00.001-05:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School: Live On Air!

Farm School Director, Susan Holmes, and 2 Mountain Laurel Montessori students were interviewed live last week on the Valley Today Show, The River 95.3.

You will find the link to listen to the show here:

http://royalbroadcasting.net/Podcasts/Valley%20Today/20110120VT.mp3

Thanks so much to Lonnie Hill and Mario Retrosi for inviting us on the show!

MLK Jr. Day 2011:"Everybody can be great because anybody can serve"

2011-01-18T18:31:00.000-05:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students and faculty honored the 25th anniversary of the Federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by helping in their community. They visited senior citizens in two Front Royal nursing homes. Together, the adolescents and seniors made collages, played games, and spent time telling stories about their lives. We hope to make this a regular event throughout the year.

"Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love".
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

For more information on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and community service, visit the Corporation for National and Community Service: http://mlkday.gov/

Coffeehouse Showcases Talents of all Students

2011-01-03T17:53:00.000-05:00

Our first Coffeehouse of the year was a great success! Students performed a wide variety of music, and were joined by teachers, Farm School alumnae, and even a Mountain Laurel Montessori School Board member.

Coffeehouses are a creative collaboration resulting from the Creative Expression curriculum.

Sisters

Student stage managers

Farm School alumnae

We All Pitch In To Make the Playground Safer

2011-01-01T18:05:00.000-05:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students joined in with parents and teachers this fall to make the playground safer for our youngest students. Together we moved and spread 9,000 pounds of rubber mulch to our playground at the Front Royal campus. Our Toddler (ages 16 months to 3 years) and Primary (ages 3-6) students use the playground every day and will be much happier now.

It was wonderful to see the faces of our youngest students watching with fascination as the "big kids" worked, and to have an opportunity for our adolescent students to give back to the campus that nurtured them from the time they were toddlers and on through elementary.

One of the unique aspects of Mountain Laurel Montessori is the strong community that nurtures children through the whole continuum of childhood, from birth through 9th grade.

Writing Across the Curriculum - Language is Everywhere!

2010-11-28T14:40:00.000-05:00

Study of the English language is woven throughout the curriculum at Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School. Students read and write in every aspect of their studies. Here is an example of creative writing as part of a Geometry exam. This story was written by an 8th year student.

The Story of the Points

Once upon a time there was a point named Will. He occupied no space and had no dimension. He was very lonely and set out on a journey to find a family He came to the line family. He joined the line family which had an infinite amount of points. This line extended infinitely in opposite directions, but had no length or depth. All of the line family points were mean so he went to find another family.

The family he came to was called the plane family. The plane family was made up of a flat expanse of points extending in every direction. The plane family, like the line family, had length and no depth, but unlike the line family it had width. Will thought that the plane familty was very nice, and he loved that it had width, so he joined the family.

One morning, Will woke up to see that the plane family was playing collinear / noncolinear. Collinear / noncollinear is a game like musical chairs. A point will call out a name such as collinear which means that the points must form a single straight line. Whomever is the last to get in the collinear line will have to sit out. It is the same for non-collinear. When the point calls out noncollinear, you must make sure that you are not lining up with any other points, and whoever is lining up will have to sit out.

During the game, the points got ino a big fight. Half of the poinst thought that Will was out of the game, and the other half thought he was in. All of the points were so mad that they split up into different planes: one called Plane 1 and the other called Plane Elephant. Points would refer to Plane 1 and Plane Elephant as the noncoplaner crazys.

One day, Plane Elephant wanted to spy on Plane 1. They sent 5 of their points out in an infinite straight line in the direction where they thought Plane 1 was. They called this mission (which failed) Mission Ray. Points were sad that this mission failed, so they sent 5 more points out infinitely in the opposite direction. They called this Mission Opposite Ray.

The Opposite Ray mission succeeded and they saw that Plane 1 was soing horribly. There were angles everywhere. Angles are hated by points. Young teen points put them up kind of like graffiti. They are like a bad version of rays, because like rays, they share an end point and extended infintely in opposite directions. But, unlike rays, they are not straight (plane family points like to be straight).

The Mission Opposite Ray points came back to Plane Elephant and reported the horror they found. They sent the 5 points back to talk to Plane 1 about becoming one plane family again. Plane 1 agreed to come back and they vowed never to leave again, extend infinitely, and to always be straight, creating a line segment.

The End

Northern Virginia Daily prints story about the Farm School

2010-11-16T23:34:00.002-05:00

Home on the farm

Student-run school combines studies with agriculture

By J.R. Williams --jrwilliams@nvdaily.com

Printed in the The Northern Virginia Daily Newspaper on November 12, 2010. Click here to read the story and see the photos: http://www.nvdaily.com/lifestyle/2010/11/home-on-the-farm.php

Students Study Simple Machines

2010-11-09T23:07:00.001-05:00

The Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students pictured here are getting deep into applied mathematics through their study of Simple Machines.

The students have been studying various levers, the wheel and axel, the Archimedes screw, and inclined planes. They have been designing and building machines to make life easier around the Farm, and at the same time working out the mathematical equations that explain how the machines work.

The students recently took a field trip to an operating mill to see how a simple machine enables humans to life thousands of pounds to turn a grind stone.

This study of simple machines is an example of an Occupation Project. Occupations are project-based science classes. The term Occupations comes from the idea that young adolescents are exploring their identities, testing out what it means to function in the social and economic world of adults - what might I be when I enter this society? How might I contribute? What might my occupation be? The projects are based on the real needs of the Farm School Community and on real occupations (beekeper, engineer, botanist, etc.) and change each term.

Toddlers and Adolescents - a magnetic attraction

2010-10-24T22:03:00.001-04:00

Dr. Maria Montessori noted an affinity between children in the 1st plane of development (toddlers) and the 3rd plane of development (adolescents). Toddlers and adolescents seem magnetically attracted to one another. It is magical to observe.

How's the Water?

2010-10-18T22:09:00.001-04:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School 9th year Biology students investigate the water quality of the school's pond.

The students used a kick-net to collect samples of aquatic macroinvertebrates. We found damselfly and dragonfly nymphs and even a mayfly nymph! Mayfly nymphs will only live in very high quality water with lots of dissolved oxygen.

This aquatic study is part of a species inventory the students are undertaking of the entire property to determine the level of biological diversity of the farm.

Students Bicycle from DC to Harper's Ferry

2010-10-08T22:43:00.001-04:00

Bicycle Odyssey

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students and guides cycled from Washington, DC to Harper's Ferry on a 3 day bicycle and camping trip.

Here's part one of the travelogue:

Georgetown

We love simple machines

Experiencing the power of levers at the locks

The mighty Potomac River

Taking a break to admire the geology of Great Falls

The teepee tent

I love this tent!

A peaceful evening on the river

A Volunteer Park Ranger helps us with the maps

Eggs cooked on the Coleman stove for breakfast by the culinary crew

Carrying gear 0.5 mile to the second camp site

The only hill: from the trail to the camp

Ready to go on day two

Montessori Farm School on Rappahannock Farm Tour!

2010-09-26T22:02:00.000-04:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students led tours of the farm and school, demonstrated how to spin and dye wool, served fantastic homemade food, and helped young children paint pumpkins during the 2010 Rappahannock Farm Tour.

Join us for 2 Fun Filled Days on the Rappahannock Farm tour: Sept 25th and 26th

2010-09-24T23:25:00.001-04:00

Join us Saturday and Sunday

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School is a stop on the Rappahannock Farm Tour again this year.

Join us any time between 10 am and 5 pm Saturday and Sunday, September 25th and 26th.

Ongoing Events:
Student led tours of the farm and school all day (meet the pigs, chickens, and sheep!)
Paint pumpkins

Schedule (both days):
11:00-1:00 Lunch: Homemade Pork BBQ (made with Farm School pork), quiche (made with Farm School eggs), apple crisp, mashed potatoes and more!

10:30 Learn to spin wool into yarn.
11:30 Learn to dye yarn
12:30 Introduction to Montessori Farm Schools
1:30 Learn to spin wool into yarn
2:30 Learn to dye yarn
3:30 Planting seeds in the Hoophouse for the Hungry

Hoophouse for the Hungry - Students Work Together to Make Fresh Food a Reality

2010-09-20T22:35:00.000-04:00

Filling the raised beds with topsoil

Students from Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School and Rappahannock Public Schools' Farm-To-Table program worked together last week to move a mountain of topsoil and gravel into the Hoophouse for the Hungry.

Connecting the hoops

The Hoophouse will be used to grow fresh, nutritious, produce for Rappahannock Food Pantry clients during colder months of the year. It will also be used to grow plant starts in the spring so local residents will be able to start their own gardens.

Raking the topsoil smooth

The Hoophouse for the Hungry is a wonderful intergenerational community project bringing together middle school students; Master Gardeners; professional builders, landscapers, gardeners and chefs; and community volunteers.

Old Rag - Traditional First Day of School

2010-09-10T23:37:00.000-04:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School Students begin the 2010-2011 school year with our traditional hike up Old Rag. It was a beautiful day and we were rewarded with spectacular views.

A True Community

2010-08-17T23:40:00.000-04:00

This morning at Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm school 15 children and youth (current students, incoming students, graduates, and siblings), 2 parents, and 2 staff members gathered for community work. Community work is a weekly event - students, siblings, parents, staff members, and neighbors gather voluntarily, taking time out of their summer vacations, to work together at the Farm School.

While we worked very hard moving our chickens to fresh pasture, weeding the garden, mowing paths, turning the compost, and cleaning the beekeeping equipment, it was truly joyful work because we worked together as a community.

Building community is hard work and a long term process. It takes dedication by all included. Joyful days like today remind us what good work it is.

Mountain Laurel Montessori MOVES

2010-07-13T20:31:00.001-04:00

First Lady Michelle Obama is traveling the country encouraging people to move: to walk, run, play, just get out there.

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School
students MOVE every day!

We work hard, play hard, and study hard outdoors -

in all kinds of weather.

This photo was from a muddy spring day's soccer game. As we hear about the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States, lament the occurence of "nature deficit disorder" among our country's youth, or worry that people don't connect farms with food, I like to look at this photo. There is pure joy there.

Students Perform Music and Drama at Coffeehouse

2010-06-24T22:08:00.000-04:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students perform at the final coffeehouse of the year. The evening included original songs, drama, guitar, drums, duets, solos, group songs, and more. The beautiful early summer night was perfect for the outdoor concert.

Creative Expression is an important part of life as a Mountain Laurel student. Students choose from among classes such as guitar, voice, watercolor painting, drawing, drama, drums, pottery, and dance.

Lambs for Sale!

2010-05-23T20:41:00.000-04:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School is selling 5 beautiful Border Leicester ram lambs.

They are pedigreed with papers. Born in March. They have been hand raised by the students and are very gentle. Would be great for 4-H or another setting where they will be around children and youth.

Border Leicester sheep are a dual purpose breed: good for both wool and meat. These lads would make great breeding stock.

Their fleeces are gorgeous: two black, three white.

Call for more info: (540) 675-1011 or e-mail mlmfarmschool@earthlink.net

As part of the Microeconomics curriculum, Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students manage the money that is made through sale of farm products, as well as the expenses generated by the farm. Raising, breeding, and selling the sheep are part of learning about economics hands-on.

Open House! Visit the Montessori Farm School Friday and Saturday (5/7-5/8)

2010-05-03T23:15:00.003-04:00

OPEN HOUSE

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School

7th - 9th grades

Friday, May 7th, 9 am - Noon

Saturday, May 8th, 10 am - Noon

23 Sunny Slope Ln, Flint Hill, VA

(on 522 / Zachary Taylor Hwy, just North of Flint Hill)

You are invited to visit Mountian Laurel Montessori Farm School; Find out for yourself why students love going to school here!

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School is:

An academically rigorous, college preparatory curriculum
A strong community that fosters mutual respect among students and adults
A safe place to explore self-expression through the arts & sports
An environment that encourages a balance of freedom and responsibility
A great place to grow into a confident, capable, young adult

Education for a Sustainable Future

(540) 675-1011

Backpacking the Massanutten

2010-05-02T23:09:00.000-04:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students backpacked 22 miles in the Signal Knob area of the Massanutten Range in VA.

In addition to helping each other to accomplish a physical challenge, the students learned many other skills.

Here, they learn how to light a one match fire:

Brandon McCrary of Weasel Creek Outfitters taught us about the geology and the Civil War history of the area:

Students also enjoyed the plants and animals of the mountains:

The Farm School Live On The Air!

2010-04-23T22:04:00.001-04:00

Congratulations

to students Ursula Bell and Zoe Pettler

who did an outstanding job in an interview on the local radio show The Valley Today!

You can listen to the podcast online here:

http://www.theriver953online.com/page.php?page_id=41558

Scroll down and click on
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010: Mountain Laurel Montessori School Staff

The students, along with Farm School Director Susan Holmes, were interviewed about upcoming events and recent happenings at Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School.

Thanks to Mario Retrosi for inviting us to be on the show.

Harnessing the Sun's Energy

2010-04-22T23:35:00.001-04:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School students made solar ovens from simple materials: cardboard, aluminum foil, plastic, and black paper. They applied their knowledge of the properties of heat and light in their designs. We hope to really get cooking by June!

The solar ovens were part of the Solar Energy Occupation Project (project-based science class focused on the physics of energy). This project helped us to prepare for the installation and use of the new greenhouse.

First Fruits of Spring

2010-04-10T21:44:00.001-04:00

The strawberries are back! They remained dormant under all that snow this winter and are now finding their way up through the mulch.

We are taking on the finicky process of putting down landscape cloth - cutting holes for each emerging plant - to keep the weeds down.

Two 9th year students wanted to find out how many of the plants survived the winter. They took a random sampling of 2 foot square plots, counted the number of strawberries in each plot, then measured the area of the total bed and used a ratio to estimate the number of strawberry plants. Good news! The strawberries not only survived, they have multiplied.

Strawberry jam and sticky red fingers are just around the corner.

Rappahannock Garden Club Donates Cold Frame

2010-03-24T22:08:00.000-04:00

THANK YOU to the Rappahannock Garden Club for donating a beautiful cold frame designed and constructed by Louise Bondelid.

We will use it to extend the growing season earlier in the spring and later in the fall.

It is modular so it is easy to move and reconstruct in place in the garden.

Adolescents Mentor Younger Children

2010-03-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

Farm School students mentor younger children during community work.

The pigs helped out too.

Farm School Students Perform at the Folger Theater

2010-03-11T23:31:00.000-05:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School

presents:

William Shakespeare's

Much Ado About Nothing

The Farm School students performed as part of the Folger Theater's Secondary Shakespeare Festival.

They received a critique from professional actors and directors after the performance.

Three students received individual awards, and the entire cast received an award for their ability to work as a cohesive ensemble.

Spring Lambs Born

2010-03-10T21:57:00.001-05:00

Spring lambing time is here! The students were able to witness the birth of twin lambs at school last week. They watched in wrapt silence for over an hour while one of the ewes delivered.

It was an amazing experience to watch both the process of the birth, and the reactions of the students. The moment elicited great compassion from the students for the ewes they have cared for so diligently, and for the new lambs.

The students had prepared for lambing through their studies in the Sheep Occupation Project. They studied the anatomy of the sheep, the nutritional needs of sheep and lambs, and prepared for the lambs by building housing and providing food and water.

So many science and history lessons have grown spontaneously from caring for the pregnant sheep and new lambs. For example, we had an impromptu genetics lesson in the barn as we tried to determine the genotype of the black ewe and ram who produced two black lambs and one white one.

Not to miss out on the attention, here one of the pregnant ewes takes time for a conversation with a student.

Students prepare for Folger Shakespeare Festival

2010-03-02T22:24:00.002-05:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School
presents William Shakespeare's

Much Ado About Nothing

On March 3rd, 2010, Farm School students will perform on the world famous Folger stage in Washington, DC. They have condensed Much Ado About Nothing into a 25 minute performance. Middle and High Schools from around the region will perform during the festival.

Students sewed all their own costumes, staged the play, and practiced to an audience of appreciative sheep in the hoop barn.

Farm School students take on New York City

2010-02-23T23:53:00.000-05:00

"Above all it is the education of adolescents that is important, because adolescence is the time when the child enters on the state of manhood and becomes a member of society...the adolescent needs an understanding of the society which he is about to enter to play his part." - Maria Montessori

As part of their study of the Industrial Revolution, Farm School students spent a week in New York City. Their Odyssey included visits to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, a tour guided by staff of the Tenement Museum, and a visit to the site of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

One Day Conference: "What's Next? The Adolescent in Montessori." 3/6/10, Flint Hill, VA

2010-02-09T20:33:00.006-05:00

You are invited:

What's Next? The Adolescent in Montessori

A One Day Conference

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Location: Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School

Flint Hill, Virginia

$35 ($40 after February 27th)

Brochure and registration: http://www.mountainlaurelmontessori.org/

Featuring:
Student-Led Tours
Yummy food by the Thornton River Grille

Q&A with Farm School Alumni

Keynote Speakers: Laurie & Jim Ewert-Krocker. Together they have more years of experience than almost anyone in Montessori adolescent work. They founded and have continued to be the driving force behind the world renowned Hershey Montessori Adolescent Program on the Farm.

Breakout Sessions: led by Mountain Laurel Montessori faculty

Sustainability: Integrating sustainable agriculture into education
Compassion and Community: Fostering civic responsibility through shared responsibility and decision-making
"The Erdkinder": Dr. Montessori's design for the adolescent. What is it? How does it meet the adolescent's needs? Why do studenets love the Farm School environment? How does it support the academic and developmental needs of today's youth?
Montessori: An Education for Now and the Future. What is the curriculum for the adolescent? Why does it work? How does it meet and exceed state standards?

For more information: (540) 675-1011, mlmfarmschool@earthlink.net, http://www.mountainlaurelmontessori.org/

Montessori on self-confidence and adaptation

2010-02-05T20:36:00.001-05:00

"For success in life depends in every case on self-confidence and the knowledge of one's own capacity and many-sided powers of adaptation"

- Maria Montessori

MLK Day: A Day of Service

2010-02-03T14:24:00.000-05:00

“Life's most persistent and urgent question is,

'What are you doing for others?'”

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On January 18th, the Farm School Community celebrated the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by doing service for those in need in our wider community.

One group cleaned up the grounds and garden of the Fauquier Family Shelter in Warrenton. The work inspired some of the students to suggest bringing vegetable seedlings grown by Farm School students to the Shelter's garden in the spring.

Another group helped to organize and price donated goods at the Fauquier Food Bank's Thrift Store. This group also enjoyed the work, and appreciated the element of recycling while also helping those who need access to lower cost household items and clothing.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is often quoted as having said: "Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education." Setting aside time to recognize the needs of others around us, and to lend a hand to those in need, builds character.

The Farm School students returned from their service projects on Monday filled with optimism.

"Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

OPEN HOUSE: Sunday, Jan. 31st, 2010

2010-01-28T22:16:00.000-05:00

You are invited to visit Mountain Laurel Montessori School!

OPEN HOUSE
January 31st, 2010
1:00-3:30

Both campuses welcome your visit.

Farm School
(grades 7-9)
23 Sunny Slope Lane
Flint Hill, VA

Front Royal Campus (toddler - elementary)
155 Biggs Dr
Front Royal, VA 22630

Call (540) 675-1011 for more information

Students and Sheep Star in Shepherd's Play

2010-01-24T17:31:00.000-05:00

Two Farm School students acted in The Shepherd's Play in December. The Shepherd's Play is a local tradition in Washington, Virginia ("Little Washington"). One of the sheep had a surprise cameo as well!

In a Word: Synonym for Whine

2010-01-22T18:17:00.000-05:00

Synonym for Whine:

Sit by the trees, where the leaves have blown.

Sit by the trees, and listen to them moan.

Sit by the trees, and enjoy a plum.

Sit by the trees, like a lazy bum.

Sit by the trees, and watch the stars.

Sit by the trees, and ignore the cars.

Sit by the trees, and sleep, sleep away.

Michael, 8th year student

Hoophouse for the Hungry

2010-01-17T21:25:00.000-05:00

Montessori Farm School students will be able to grow food for those who need it most during the winter months.

Thanks to a generous donation from a Rappahannock citizen, Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School is working with Plant-A-Row for the Hungry and the Rappahannock Food Bank to move a 70 foot long hoophouse to the Farm School.

The students will grow cold-hardy vegetables during the winter months. These will be donated to the Food Pantry so those in need will have access to fresh produce year-round. They will also be able to start vegetable plants in the spring that will help Food Bank patrons grow their own gardens.

Pictured here, the students take the first step - measuring the dimensions of the greenhouse in order to plan for the space and order new plastic covering.

Invitation to Hear Farm School Alumni Speak 1/12/10

2010-01-11T23:02:00.000-05:00

Is there life after Montessori?

Have you ever wondered what it is like to make the transition to high school after graduating from the Farm School?

Would you like to know if Farm School students feel prepared for the academic and/or social experiences of high school?

Join us as Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School alumni speak at the Parent Night on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010. Event will take place at the Front Royal Campus at 6:30 pm. Public is welcome. Call for directions (540) 636-4257.

Abundance of Eggs in Winter!

2010-01-09T17:02:00.000-05:00

While we are bundling up against the cold, our chickens don't seem to know it is winter. They haven't slowed egg production one bit.

We are enjoying the wide range of egg sizes and colors, as you'll see here in these photos. Many of our brown eggs are so large we can't close the cartons!

Students hold a silkie (our smallest breed) and a Jersey Giant (our largest breed)

Students sell the eggs at local Farmer's Markets as part of the Microconomy curriculum. They learn to track revenue and expenses, and make decisions about running the farm based on these numbers.

The students learn about economics through hands-on, experiential learning every day at the Farm School.

In a Word: Humble

2010-01-06T20:49:00.000-05:00

Each Wednesday afternoon, the Farm School students are given a word as they leave school. They go home and write a creative composition using that word. Thursday morning at tea / snack time, they read their composition to the group. The exercise has very few boundaries. It might be poetry, prose, a story, a fable, a dialogue, etc. The given word may be a common word, such as "fire," or it may be a new vocabulary word requiring research before use. Often the words are an extension of something happening in the school community. Every so often we will share one example of the "In a Word" series.

HUMBLE

Out in the dips and tips of many valleys, there was a mountain, covered in a wonderful blanket of snow. It shone past all the other mountains and had out-grown them by far. And below this blue mountain was a large valley, breathing in the cold snow that was covering it. It shone past all the other valleys and had out-grown them by far. And tucked beneath this valley was a humble cottage, smoke billowing out from its little brick chimney. It's old wood grain; deterioriating from the harsh winds that blow down from the mountain and clean-sweep the valley. And tucked under a blanket next to the fire, sitting in a little chair, sits an old man, breathing in the winter air.

-Ursula, 9th year student

Battletown Inn to Serve our Sausage!

2010-01-06T20:45:00.001-05:00

200 Year Old Fine Dining Establishment Now Serving Farm School Sausage!

You will soon see sage sausage from Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School on the menu at the Battletown Inn in Berryville, VA. For more information, check out the following: http://www.thebattletowninn.com/

Proud of our Heritage

2009-12-31T23:26:00.000-05:00

Here at Mountain Laurel Montessori we are proud to be raising heritage pigs.

Our pigs are Tamworths, one of the oldest known breeds. They are listed as threatened by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.

Heritage breeds are important because they help preserve the genetic diversity of our livestock. They tend to be hearty, withstand disease, and are often better suited to being raised on pasture.

Our Tamworths are happily soaking in all of the belly-rubs offered by the students and eating vegetable scraps from both of our campuses and a local restaurant.

Digging out from the snowstorm

2009-12-21T23:04:00.000-05:00

Good will abounded as students, parents, teachers, and neighbors came back to school on the first day of winter vacation to help dig paths to the animals.

Two feet of snow fell during the weekend before Christmas 2009 in the biggest December snow storm ever in Flint Hill, Virginia.

Volunteers dug paths to the pigs, sheep, and chickens, and made sure all were warm and had access to fresh water and food.

It was a wonderful demonstration of the dedication of the Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School Community.

Holidays are a time for appreciating and enjoying family, and at Mountain Laurel Montessori we really value ours.

Students Give Presentations

2009-12-17T23:35:00.000-05:00

Students deliver final presentations at the end of each Occupation and Humanities Project.

It is, in Montessori terms, the 3rd period of a 3-period lesson.

It is a time when the students share their newly developed expertise with the rest of the Farm School Community, and are recognized as true experts in that particular area.

Montessori students have many opportunities such as these to develop their public speaking skills.

Here, students from the Sheep Occupation talk about pregnancy and lambing, including DNA (the Sheep Occupation).

The Wind Energy Occupation is demonstrating their first successful anemometer

This Little Piggie Went to the Farm School...

2009-12-13T21:33:00.000-05:00

We have new pigs!!

We have recently been joined by 3 young Tamworth pigs. Tamworth is a heritage breed that originated in the United Kingdom (notice the Irish red hair) and is now listed as "Threatened" in the United States.

It is fun to watch them interact and to check out their freshly painted home. They are playful and inquisitive.

We will raise the male for meat, and breed the two females in the Spring.

Students Portray Ancient Mayans in Washington, DC

2009-11-29T16:27:00.000-05:00

As the culmination of our Humanities study of the Ancient Mayan Civilization, Farm School students wrote Dramatis Peronae (short monologues) of individuals from the Ancient Mayan Culture. On Monday, we went into Washington, DC, and each student found a place to perform that best suited their character. Here are some examples:

Left: Maya King building temple (steps of the sculpture garden)

Right: Maya girl prepares to be sacrificed to the gods to give her people a good harvest (benches along Constitution Avenue)

Left: Jaguar hunter (natural history museum under a jaguar in the mammal room)

Right: Maya Weaver (in front of Southwestern Native American weaving in Native American Museum)

Left: Maya Scribe (using the stone in front of the Natural History Museum)

Right: Heir to Maya Throne describes plan for peace (sculpture garden)

Left: Spanish Conquistador (riding a horse on the carousel)

Students become characters from history

2009-11-25T11:03:00.000-05:00

Montessori education aims to inspire in young people the idea that every human being is worthy of great repect and is capable of doing great things.

At the Farm School, Humanities Projects are driven by the attempt to get inside the perspective of individuals from different cultures in history. What was it like to be a Roman architect? What did it feel like to be the heir of a Mayan king? What if you didn't want to be the next king? What did Elizabeth Cady Stanton struggle with as she helped women win the right to vote?

Students write traditional research papers on an aspect of the culture we are studying; then they write a Dramatis Persona, a fictitious (although grounded in facts from their research) first person account of a moment in that person's life.

By writing and speaking as these people from our past, young adolescents have the opportunity to explore what it feels like to be one of these people, and in turn, to think about what great things they will do in the world.

"Let us in education ever call the attention of children to the hosts of men and women who are hidden from the light of fame, so kindling a love of humanity...a reverent consciousness of its dignity and worth" - Dr. Maria Montessori

In a Word: Expansive

2009-11-13T07:52:00.000-05:00

Seconds turn into minutes, minutes to hours, hours to days. The expansive plain devoured each step he took, so that it seemed the dry, hot desert would never come to an end. Exhaustion and dehydration began to sink in, hunger followed shortly after. Images skipped past his sight, tricking him each, miserable time. A vulture spiraled above him, trailing a dark shadow in its wake. A small, blue feather floated to the ground.

He fell to the got, dry earth, making a soft thud. His head swam as he dragged himself across the ground, heat beating the life out of him every second. He collapsed again and rolled onto his back. Water, water...water was all he could think as he tasted grains of sand on his tongue.

A gulp of hot air, a last beat of a heart, and then..."Bobby! Get in the house now!" A small boy lying in a sandbox jumped up and ran to the back door of his house. As he ran past his mother in the doorway, she swatted him gently and picked a blue feather off of his shirt.

-Rachel, 9th year student

Spontaneous Wind Exploration

2009-11-09T18:54:00.001-05:00

Today the Farm School students explored the properties of wind using a parachute. The Wind Occupation group is developing a windmill prototype using the cloth from an old parachute. First, they had a great time testing their strength against the wind. The lessons that will grow from this fun include drag, lift, forces, and more.

Open House Nov. 8th 1:00-3:30

2009-11-03T19:53:00.000-05:00

FARM SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE!

Please join us on Sunday, November 8th, from 1:00-3:30 at the Farm School. Students and faculty will be on hand to give tours and answer your questions.

The Farm School is a unique educational setting, and it really takes seeing to believe it.

As a parent of a 9th year Farm School student recently said, "it is such a great place for the heart, soul, and mind!"

We hope to see you on Sunday.

"So, it is good when a sheep burps?"

2009-11-01T13:15:00.001-05:00

One of the Occupation groups (see below for explanation) this Fall is studying sheep. The students noticed that the sheep frequently burp. The question, "why do sheep burp?" led to a lesson on ruminant digestion and a fermentation experiment.

To simulate the fermentation that happens in one of the sheep's four stomachs, the students combined yeast, water, and sugar in flasks and attached balloons to the top of the jar. Learning about variables, some changed the amount of sugar or yeast, or varied the temperature. The amount of gas released was measured by placing the balloons in water and measuring the displacement.

Many Montessori Adolescent Programs use the terminology Occupation and Humanities Projects for the long term interdisciplinary studies in the curriculum. Occupation projects are science based, and revolve around the real needs of the farm (for instance, Sheep because this will be the first time we breed the sheep, or Wind Energy because we need to install a windmill to aerate the pond). The science standards of learning are covered through this project-based approach. They are called Occupations because they reflect the developmental needs of young adolescents as they look to the adult world and wonder "how will I contribute to society?" "What will I do?" They are trying on the occupation of farmer, naturalist, biologist, engineer, or veterinarian to see how it fits.

"a limitless field for scientific and historic studies"

2009-10-25T23:23:00.000-04:00

“Work on the land is an introduction both to nature and to civilization and gives a limitless field for scientific and historic studies.” -Dr. Maria Montessori , Italian Physician and Educator (first published in 1948)

Dr. Montessori believed that we could achieve a better and more peaceful society by improving the education of young people.

The farm provides the basis for the curriculum at the Farm School, lending itself to project-based, experiential, learning.

Food, Inc. Makes an Impression

2009-10-23T17:59:00.000-04:00

Farm School students, faculty, and parents attended a showing of the film Food, Inc. in Warrenton, VA with a follow-up Question and Answer session with Joel Salatin. The film made quite an impression.

At breakfast and lunch the next day, there was a lot of talk about food choices and analysis of where the ingredients for our meals were grown.

While the movie painted some pretty dire problems in the US food system, the students noted that they were proud to be a part of the solution - raising our own pigs for pork, chickens for eggs, and garden for fresh and healthy vegetables and herbs using sustainable farming practices.

In A Word: Braggart

2009-10-20T17:34:00.000-04:00

Each Wednesday afternoon, the Farm School students are given a word as they leave school. They go home and write a creative composition using that word. Thursday morning at tea / snack time, they read their composition to the group. The exercise has very few boundaries. It might be poetry, prose, a story, a fable, a diaglogue, etc. The given word may be a common word, such as "fire," or it may be a new vocabulary word requiring research before use. Often the words are an extension of something happening in the school community. Each week we will share one example of the "In a Word" series.

To choose the word this week, we opened the dictionary and one of the students closed her eyes and pointed. The dictionary brought us this word: Braggart. Here is one example of how it was used in a composition.

BRAGGART

I lay down in cool grass facing syward,
where the birds and clouds took turns chasing one another in endless blue.
The smell of flowers filled the air.
The trees, tall and mighty, seemed like braggarts,
dancing with color when a breeze blew.
It was the most beautiful day I had ever...

"Erika, keep paddling!"

-Erika, 8th year student

Saving the Basil from the Frost

2009-10-19T15:34:00.000-04:00

We harvested the rest of the basil on Friday and are proccesing it into pesto to be frozen for the winter. It will be wonderful to have something to eat from the garden when there is snow on the ground outside!

The basil crop did very well this year. It germinated better, grew better, and has continued to grow longer into the Fall than we expected. This explains the huge piles here in our final harvest. The de-stemming was a whole community effort.

Looking at Algebra Geometrically

2009-10-18T00:52:00.000-04:00

The Farm School teaches Algebra using manipulative materials that represent the dimensions X and Y. Rather than memorizing abstract equations without any reference, the materials help the students to develop a concrete image of what the equations mean.

This is a natural extension from the Montessori

Elementary materials that lay the groundwork for advanced algebra and geometry. Here the students are using the Algebra materials both individually and in collaborative groups.

Grapes make great community service

2009-10-14T22:32:00.000-04:00

Grape vineyards and wineries are integral parts of the landscape and culture of the Blue Ridge.

Farm School students learned about this aspect of our local agriculture up close this week when they picked Chambourcin grapes at Narmada Vineyards in Amissville.

The group picked over 3 tons of grapes!

Many thanks to Pandit Patil and Rob Cox for the opportunity.

No school today? No way!

2009-10-09T17:12:00.000-04:00

Friday was technically a holiday. Students and teachers did not have to go to school. So what did we do? We went to school anyway! Students, younger siblings, teachers, and parents gathered at the Farm School to do community work.

In the morning, we built greenhouses to cover the raised beds, worked on the portable chicken house ("chicken tractor"), dug the hole and began to build the walls for the primitive pit fire (in which we will fire our clay pots), unloaded hay, and reorganized the Farmer's Market materials. In the afternoon, we ate lunch and played soccer.

It was a wonderful day. I was touched by the willingness of so many in the school community to volunteer their time and talents when they could have been sleeping in. The students have such ownership of the Farm School that they love to be there working together to get things done. It is a joy to work with these young people.

-Susan, Farm School Director

In a Word: Force

2009-10-08T15:56:00.000-04:00

Each Wednesday afternoon, the Farm School students are given a word as they leave school. They go home and write a creative composition using that word. Thursday morning at tea / snack time, they read their composition to the group. The exercise has very few boundaries. It might be poetry, prose, a story, a fable, a diaglogue, etc. The given word may be a common word, such as "fire," or it may be a new vocabulary word requiring research before use. Often the words are an extension of something happening in the school community. Each week we will share one example of the "In a Word" series.

This week the word "force" came from the study of wind energy. The writing this week was an stream-of-consiousness exercise. After breakfast on Friday morning, the students were given the word and 15 minutes in which to write. The only rule was that they must keep writing the entire time. This piece is one example.

FORCE

The force of the blow shook the earth. The tectonic plates rattled and slammed as San Diego dissapeared into the ground. Tsunamis swept through southern Asia, tossing fishermens' boats like a toddler throws its toys when it is angry. Volcanoes erupted and Pompeii returned to its beginnings. Earth is on the verge of collapse and all the world can do is watch helplessly.

-Sam, 9th year student

Philosophy Discussion: Aristotle

2009-10-06T16:50:00.000-04:00

9th year students took advantage of the beautiful day to hold Philosophy Seminar outdoors. Here they are discussing Aristotle with a Farm School faculty member.

Farm School students participate in Socratic Seminars and Literature Seminars throughout their three years at the school. The process of exchanging ideas is formalized further in 8th year Logic, and 9th year Euclidian Geometry.

Microbial fun with All Star Septic

2009-10-02T18:42:00.000-04:00

Chris Boucher, owner of All Star Septic, and father of a Farm School student, showed students how the septic system worked while he pumped it out.

It tied in perfectly with our recent lessons and experiments on microbial digestion in the Sheep Occupation Project. Students have been conducting experiments to measure the amount of gas released from yeast fermentation under varying conditions.

In a Word: Fire

2009-09-29T22:12:00.000-04:00

Each Wednesday afternoon, the Farm School students are given a word as they leave school. They go home and write a creative composition using that word. Thursday morning at tea / snack time, they read their composition to the group. The exercise has very few boundaries. It might be poetry, prose, a story, a fable, a diaglogue, etc. The given word may be a common word, such as this week's "fire," or it may be a new vocabulary word requiring research before use. Often the words are an extension of something happening in the school community. This week, the word "fire" was chosen because the students are studying the Maya culture, and are digging a fire pit in which to recreate ancient pottery firing techniques. However, the students may interpret the word as they wish. In this case, the author uses the word as a noun, verb, and adjective. Each week we will share one example of the "In a Word" series.

FIRE

If you watch as the fire burns bright
You will see me dancing in the flickering flames
Waving back and forth with the power of fire

Some love me, some fear me, but all respect me
For they know my strength is that of the earth
The earth that they come from and to which they'll return

I am real, more real than you can comprehend
I am the spark of life that flickers within each of you
Anyone can look for me but only believers will succeed

I am the fire queen, dancing for life
Burning bright in the darkness to show the way
I am the essence of the element of fire

-Zoe, 8th year student

Alisa Gravitz, Green America Director, visits Farm School

2009-09-29T20:02:00.000-04:00

Alisa Gravitz, Green America (Co-op America) Executive Director, visited the Farm School during the Rappahannock County Farm Tour 2009! Here she is purchasing produce from Allie, Farm School Market Manager and 9th year student.

The mission of Green America is "to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society"

Candidate John Lesinski visits Farm School during Farm Tour

2009-09-26T21:10:00.000-04:00

John Lesinski, candidate for Virginia State Delegate, and his wife Heidi visited the Farm School during the Rappahannock Farm Tour. We were pleased to be able to share our program with him.

Buy Fresh Buy Local Market in Warrenton

2009-09-26T20:55:00.000-04:00

The Farm School participated in the First Friday Buy Fresh Buy Local event in Warrenton on a Friday night in August. The bus and chicken were big attractions for children of all ages (and a few adults as well!). Here's a photo of Mona Nixon, Mountain Laurel Montessori's Head of School, getting to know the barred rock hen.

Garrison Keillor Comments on Farm Schools

2009-09-22T16:26:00.000-04:00

The February 11, 2006, broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion (from Minnesota Public Radio) originated from the University of Minnesota, Morris, whose campus is the former West Central School of Agriculture. WCSA was a residential high school for farm children from 1910 to 1963, offering traditional high school studies as well as agricultural and practical home skills. Montessorians may notice a striking resemblance to the Montessori concept of the Erdkinder (adolescent Farm School).

Host Garrison Keillor described WCSA and commented, "Someday, somebody is going to do a study on this and discover that animal husbandry is a valuable tool in building character, and they’ll come up with an idea for a residential high school where you can learn carpentry and cooking and each week taking a couple of hours to take care of an infant, and it’ll be like the Montessori of the future, except they’ll call it the Morris movement." http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2006/02/11/ Go here to visit the Prairie Home Companion web site and hear the entire show or just Segment 3, where Mr. Keillor gives a bit of the history of the University of Minnesota, Morris and the West Central School of Agriculture.

Text from North American Montessori Teacher's Association (NAMTA)

We now bus from Warrenton and Marshall!

2009-09-20T21:30:00.000-04:00

If you live in or around Marshall or Warrenton, VA, it is now easier to get to both the Farm School and Front Royal campuses of Mountain Laurel Montessori School! We have morning and afternoon bus routes to transport children to both campuses. Please call the Front Royal campus for more details: (540) 636-4257. We are able to take Farm School students on a rolling admissions basis, so check us out any time of the year!

Warrenton Green Drinks Comes to the Farm School

2009-09-18T07:24:00.000-04:00

Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School hosted the monthly Warrenton Green Drinks event on Wednesday, September 16th. Green Drinks is a national organization that meets monthly for informal social events where people working on, or interested in, environmental issues can gather and network. Narmada Winery served their delicious wine and talked about their philosophy, and many representatives of the upcoming Rappahannock Farm Tour previewed the events they have planned for the 26th and 27th of September.

It was a lively and interesting evening. We were proud to show off the Farm School.

Plant-A-Row for the Hungry

2009-09-01T23:21:00.000-04:00

Throughout the summer, Farm School students have donated their extra produce to the Plant-A-Row for the Hungry program, part of the Rappahannock Food Pantry. It is amazing to walk in to the Food Pantry and see a wall of fresh produce; many of the Pantry's clients would not have access to fresh food if it weren't for the generosity of local gardeners and farmers.

Visit the Plant-A-Row website to see Allie's photos (Allie is a 9th year student at Mountain Laurel) and to learn more about this great organization: http://plantarow.rappahannock.com/gallery?album=8

Students Sell Produce to the Inn at Little Washington!

2009-08-20T19:14:00.001-04:00

Four of our brave students knocked on the kitchen door of the Inn at Little Washington today and were rewarded by the chefs buying their cherry tomatoes, purple beans, and anaheim and jalapeno peppers. The Inn at Little Washington is "the best Inn restaurant in the world." Yes, the entire world! Imagine, the cherry tomatoes that we lovingly grew from seed are now being served as part of some amazing cuisine. Congratulations to the Farm School students and Thank You to the Inn! The Inn doesn't just talk about supporting local agriculture, they source as much food locally as they can from growers large or small. Thank you to the parents, faculty, and community volunteers who have all helped to nurture the garden, and in so doing have nurtured the development of these fantastic adolescents as well.

Rappahannock County Farm Tour

2009-08-19T19:39:00.001-04:00

Come visit the Farm School during the 1st annual Rappahannock County Farm Tour Weekend: September 26th-27th.
Students will be giving tours, you can join us in planting garlic in the garden, or learn to spin wool into yarn or felt it. We'll be serving up pork BBQ from our own school-grown pigs and many yummy side dishes, all cooked by the students and teachers. And, you can pet the sheep, hold a chicken, gather eggs, and generally spend a nice day on the farm.
For more info: http://farmtour.visitrappahannockva.com/index.html

On Sports

2009-08-18T12:45:00.000-04:00

Amanda: "I was in the best shape of my life at the Farm School…I appreciated gaining confidence in myself playing speedball, or canoeing, or hiking Old Rag – doing things I didn't think I could do."

Jimi: "At the Farm School we had more activity – not sitting at a desk for an hour and half at a time."

Alex: "Now [at a traditional high school], by the end of the day you have to hold my legs down because I am so fidgety."

Clayton: "I thought about going to public high school in 9th grade because I am a sports fan and wanted to play sports. But then I realized that at the Farm School we get to play speedball, or soccer, or softball for about an hour every day all year, in the rain, snow, whatever. We play hard in these games. They are intense. In public school I would have to sit most of the day, then if I did play a sport it would only be for a few months, for a little bit of time after school."

(Quotes from Farm School Graduates)

On Academics and Work Ethic

2009-08-16T23:54:00.000-04:00

Alex: "This school taught me to have a work ethic."

Alex: "I want to learn more than what is on the SOL (Standard of Learning) test…You learn more than what is required here [at the Farm School]."

Bronte: "I shadowed recently at a private school in Hagerstown, Maryland. I went to Geometry, Spanish, and Biology. The things they were learning I pretty much already knew."

Alex: "I learned the true meaning of education...This school taught me the value of an education…Even when things are hard, you just have to get over it. Things aren't going to be handed to you – you need to work hard…This school taught me to appreciate what educators do for us…This school brought out the joys of childhood and learning. You actually like to go to school…It is everything that is good for you and what you like all mixed into one."

Comments made by Farm School Alumni

On the Farm School as Family

2009-08-15T17:23:00.000-04:00

Amanda: "It is fair to say that my years at the Farm School were the best years of my life."

Amanda: "The Farm School is more like a family than like a school."

Clayton: "We are more of a family atmosphere – The other day Susan, Phillip and I drove to a farm to help someone out and on the way home I asked, 'Are we going straight home? I mean…are we going straight back to school?' I always slip and call it home because that is the way it feels."

(Comments from Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School graduates)

Work Made Noble Through Integrity and Passion

2009-08-15T17:04:00.000-04:00

Ninth grade students have the opportunity to apply to be managers of one area of the farm. Here is a manager report from Rory Grambo, Animals Manager, Fall 2008

In the animal chore group we take care of the pigs and the chickens. They all seem to be doing well, and we are saving a lot of money on feed by feeding the pigs the food scraps from school. We are studying both the pigs and chickens in Occupations projects, and have various plans for them. We hope to breed the pigs this fall. However, if that doesn't work out, each of the pigs easily weighs 300 pounds and they will provide meat for the community. We have 16 chickens, of which 6 are new hens. However, not all of our hens are laying eggs at this point; we are trying to figure out which ones are laying and which are not. We also got new nesting boxes for the chickens. They started to use them immediately and this makes it much easier for us to collect eggs. Overall, the animals are doing very well and we hope to add more to our menagerie in the future.

Like Gardens, students grow throughout summer

2009-08-14T23:39:00.001-04:00

By Roger Piantadosi Rappahannock News Staff Writer
Source: Rappahannock News
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13 2009

At the Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School in Flint Hill, you probably wouldn't want to automatically associate the words “summer” and “vacation.”

Summer is a break from daily classes for the 15 seventh- through ninth-graders who attend the five-year-old Farm School – and thus tend its 23 acres of pastures, woods and a pond plus the main schoolhouse, a large hoop barn and assorted outbuildings, a few pigs, a dozen chickens and some sheep.

But throughout the growing season, Mountain Laurel students return at least one day a week to pick tomatoes, peppers, beans and greens from the garden they planted in the spring, and to help farm manager Sarah Cooper transport and sell them at the Front Royal Farmers' Market, among such other chores as mowing, trimming, weeding and cleaning.

The other day, the farm's three Border Leicester sheep needed to be moved from a front pasture to a clover-laden enclosure with a new sheep house built from 2x4s, heavy-gauge fence and waterproof tarps by student Phillip Grambo, 15, who actually graduated from the farm school in June. Helping out were Phillip's not-very-identical twin brother, Rory, also bound for Fauquier High School next month, and current students Joshua Owens, 13, and Allie Mingo and Erika Hughey, both 14.

Students come by in summer, as they do throughout the school year, for “community work,” says school director Susan Holmes, meaning the school community – this being a Montessori school – but the greater community as well.

“In fact we're hoping this fall to be doing some work with the Plant-a-Row people,” she says, speaking of the county's new food bank. “I want to get the students down there to see the fruits of their efforts, to help out, and meet some of the people who are picking up produce. And it's so wonderful to see just all of what people produce and donate all in one place like that.”

The sheep go quietly, sort of, to their new pasture. Rory turns on the new solar-powered electric fence; Holmes fills the water buckets that Erika and Joshua have carried over.

The students chat quietly with each other when they aren't helping to lift and turn the sheep house, fetch corn, bring the water hose. Except for the occasional random vault over a low fence or playful leap up to swat a low-hanging oak branch, they seem more like young adults than teenagers.

Someone asks Holmes: So, are you teaching these young people to be farmers?She smiles, glancing at the students around her. “We are just teaching them to be well-rounded people,” she says. The farm, it turns out, is a way of taking what they learn inside about chemistry, physics, history and math and giving it a grounding in . . . well, yes.

The ground.

http://www.rappnews.com/news/2009/aug/13/mountain-laurel-farm-school-has-year-round-curricu/

Local 9th grade student sells her photography at the Front Royal Farmer’s Market

2009-08-14T23:26:00.000-04:00

Source: Warren County Sentinel
Thursday, July 30, 2009

Allie Mingo, 14 year old and rising 9th grade student at Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School, smiles as she sells her hand made photo cards at the Front Royal Farmer’s Market on Thursday, July 23rd. Sales from the card and from the meat and vegetables, go back into the Farm School’s microeconomy to pay for plants for the garden and food for the animals.

At the Farm School, students run both the farm and school alongside their teachers.

The Farm School is one of the vendors at the new Farmer’s Market, held each Thursday 4 to 8 and Saturday 9 to 1 behind the gazebo in downtown Front Royal. At Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School, students in grades 7-9 run the farm alongside their teachers.

The curriculum is project-based and hands-on, based on the needs of the farm. The students study biology, for example, by learning about the sheep as they also learn about how to care for them. Studying topics such as cell structure and the nitrogen cycle take on new excitement when they are applied to a real life situation.

The students at the Montessori Farm School raise pigs, sheep, chickens, and bees and have a large market garden. They sell their pork, eggs, and produce at the market, and put the proceeds back into the Farm School’s microeconomy to pay for feed, hay, and tools. The students manage the microeconomy and cooperatively make decisions about how to spend the money. And, there is room for invention.

Allie has an interest in photography. She decided this year to make her photos of the farm: pigs, chickens, landscapes, into photo cards to be sold as part of the microeconomy. First she sold them at school functions. Then, Herb Melrath, owner of Front Royal’s Daily Grind, offered to sell them at his store. The cards have been so popular that Allie now sells the cards at 3 local businesses: The Daily Grind, Hands to Create, and Delilah’s. All of the proceeds from the cards still go back into the Farm School’s microconomy.

By acting on her idea, this local youth is gaining experience in running a small business: from inspiration and design, to production, marketing, and accounting. You can also see Allie’s cards, along with the produce from the Farm School garden, pork sausage from their pigs, and eggs from their chickens every Thursday at the Front Royal Farmer’s Market.

http://www.thewarrensentinel.com/editions/view/EC.mont.school.html/2009-07-30