I recently had a parent ask me about our food program; the “why” behind what we do. I found myself desperate to tell her about what we do now, what we want to do in the future, and most of all, the reason we have a food program in the first place. Since I live daily with the thoughts of how to make our food program better, more local, more delicious, and more of an experience that inspires our learners, I don’t often stop to think that many in our community may not be familiar with how we think about food and the role it plays in Montessori education.
The land that The Children’s House occupies was a nursery before we bought the property, complete with the greenhouse you see when you enter the driveway. For me, that greenhouse is a daily reminder of our commitment to Maria Montessori’s mission to foster voracious lifelong learners who are self-motivated, curious, and passionate about becoming contributing members of the community. Each step of the food chain process, from planting seeds to sitting down to a meal together, requires patience, observation, flexibility, craftsmanship, camaraderie, and investment in a positive outcome for everyone. I believe the more time we spend asking ourselves “what is the first step in this process,” the more we get to know the world around us, and the more invested we are in caring for that world. Growing food is a joyful step-by-step process we can see from start to finish.
As the program grows, I want to create more opportunities to engage our students in the garden and kitchen. Before working here, I had not spent much time with children, and cooking as a career can be quite stressful. I love that our students are always jazzed about Kitchen Classroom and Della Terra where they practice essential life skills in an environment that supports and encourages them to learn something new. To me, the “why” of our food program is the “why” of anything we do here at The Children’s House; to prepare our kids for life.