Learning on the Farm at the Lionheart School

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

We are excited to welcome a new generation of farmers to the G&G family this week: the kids at The Lionheart School. The folks at The Lionheart School make the most of farming's healing nature to help contribute to their students' special needs, all while growing beautiful fruits & veggies. The students worked hard in the garden this summer to grow tomatoes that will be featured in our Stewed Okra & Tomatoes with Creamy Cheddar Cheese Grits. To learn a little more about these young farmers, we chatted with Katherine Kennedy, Lionheart's Gardens Manager and overall wonderful person.

Tell us about the Lionheart School and your gardening program.

The Lionheart School is a non profit that is dedicated to providing a developmentally appropriate education for children who need a specialized learning environment, therapeutic interventions, supported social interactions, and strategies to accommodate their individual profiles. We serve children with special needs, ages 4-21. The school was founded 15 years ago by three local families who could not find an appropriate educational setting for their students, and has grown to serve 40 students in a caring, supportive educational program.

The Lionheart Gardens is a vocational organic garden and experiential learning environment, where students learn about growing and eating healthy food, maintaining sustainable garden practices, recycling and composting and the science associated with farming. The goal is to teach them job skills for future employment and independent living. 

Why did you choose to engage the students in gardening?

Lionheart students run the spectrum of autism and similar disorders, so the garden is a peaceful environment to explore at their own pace and the manual labor of the garden assists our students in remaining calm and focused for classroom time.

For some Lionheart students, garden education focuses on deepening their understanding of their place in space, the way their body moves, and visual and aural comprehension.  Once these strengths are established in our students, they may begin to do more of the farm work.  

For some of our older students, the garden is part of their job training.  Their gross motor skills are being honed and hopefully will one day help them to get a job. 

Other students are excited about the opportunity to get more in-depth understanding of biology, so their time at the garden is split between classroom learning and application in the garden. 

What has been your favorite reaction from a student about gardening?

I feel the garden allows our students to make connections with their bodies, their peers and the world around them. I love seeing students learn a new skill like weeding or mulching and then teaching that skill to a friend.   The garden is also a gateway to igniting our students’ curiosity and independence, so when a student decides to pursue an earth science subject on their own or ask a thoughtful question of the class, we know that we’re doing our job!

What is the kids’ favorite thing to do in the garden? 

Our students are so unique! Some students could mulch all day in the gardens, some students love our high-energy “farm exercises,” some love the independence of our science experiments. Many students enjoy the fruit of their labor in our kitchen science class and through honing their sales skills at our garden market!

How can people help support what you’re doing?

We love visitors at the garden and absolutely could not accomplish all the work of a full-time farm without them! We have family and friends work days at the garden once a month, so check our calendar here.

We also frequently host corporate and community groups at the farm for volunteer days, so reach out to kkennedy@thelionheartschool.com if you are interested in bringing a group out to get their hands dirty on the farm! 

Of course, as a non-profit, donations are always welcome! People can donate online here.