Post #16: Pod Casts with a Purpose

I am very impressed with what I watched on the video pod casts. The Edible Schoolyard is awesome! What a great way to get students interested in learning. When I began watching the video, I admit I was a little skeptical. How is working in a garden going to teach these kids anything but how to sweat? Boy was I wrong. Not only does this wonderful program at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, California teach students about gardening, but also about life. This program was started in 1994 by Ms. Alice as a way to improve school lunches. Since that time, it has morphed into something so much better. Edible Schoolyard is actually a Social Studies class for the middle-schoolers, but it teaches them science, math, and social skills.
I would really like to implement something similar to this program in our area. When I was a child, I was taught to work in the garden. Not only did it teach me to appreciate what I have, but it also taught me about working well with others, multi-tasking, and it was amazing to watch something I planted grow and be harvested. The lessons taught at MLK Middle School are invaluable. Most of it could never fully be grasped in a classroom setting. Edible Schoolyard gives all children a chance to learn and succeed at life.
A Night in the Global Village is a real eye opener. It is a 5 acre campsite in Arkansas, with different "camps" mimicking living conditions in South America, Africa, and the United States, to name a few. It lets middle and high school students experience life as someone living in poverty. It is called the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning. It teaches these kids to work together as a team in order to "survive" the night.
I am from a rural area and this would be a great way to illustrate to my students what doing without is all about. I could implement a program similar to this one on property I own, and let them work together to find solutions to problems most of them have never had to worry about in the past. My students could learn by "living the lesson." You can find out so much more information on these projects and similar ones on the Edutopia website.