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

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!

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

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.