Rappahannock Garden Club Donates Cold Frame

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

Farm School students mentor younger children during community work. 

The pigs helped out too.

Farm School Students Perform at the Folger Theater

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

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

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

"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

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)

Register on-line or by mail

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/