Edutopia Podcast

I was very shocked by what I saw when I learned about the Edible Schoolyard. I honestly expected this to really be more geared towards teaching kids more about just how to care for a garden, eat healthy, etc. I was wrong...This Edible Schoolyard, started by Alice Waters, was actually started to "improve school lunch programs," because they have learned that the kids are more likely to eat the healthy foods if they are the ones who grew it. But it does not stop there. This project is teaching the children Math, (you have to be able to measure,) Science, (these children are having to learn about cycles of the plants, weather, soil, etc.) Responsibility, (they have to take care of these plants, and they have to learn how to cook the food!) These teachers are using everything that is occurring in this garden, surface tension with water molecules, etc., to teach the children. And they are having fun...HEAD FAKE...This one idea is teaching these children how to take care of themselves and how to take pride in what they do. These children are learning a "sense of magic!" Is this not AMAZING!!!!!
A Night in the Global Village struck me as one of the best ideas for students I have ever heard of in my life. It has been said over and over that our kids are becoming some of the most self centered and "spoiled" than ever before. They don't see past their blessings and they don't care to look to the places all around us that are so much less fortunate. In the Mountains, there is an organization called Heifer International that has a ranch that sponsors this activity for these students. They must split up into their countries full of poverty and starving people, and live as they do for a night. These students are having to learn about poverty, etc. all over the world. They are having to learn how to survive in conditions that are not what they are use to. They are going to have to learn how to make it through the night which is going to require learning how to be independent and how to work together. They can chose to "beg" from their neighboring countries which, as part of the project, they had to find a way to communicate with others without using language. They had to keep in mind that because they don't speak the same language, they would have to find other ways to communicate.

This is one of the best ways to teach the children about problem solving skills, how to work together, and how to communicate with others. Also, it made them realize that they need to be involved in the problems going on all around our world. This is making them know why they need to get up and get involved and not just be a citizen who is here doing nothing but taking up space. I think that the students learned to give more thought about how their decisions they make on a day-to-day basis affect others. I think they learned that they have the power, even as just one person, to speak up and make a difference.


I hope that it is possible for me to have an Edible Schoolyard when I am teaching. These podcast have made me realize that there are things that you can do that are not going to just teach one or two lessons. It IS possible to use "out of the box" ideas and instill lessons with my students that are going to last a life time. Also, they have made me open my eyes a little more to the fact that there are so many ideas out there and because of technology advancing in the direction it has/is, you can actually listen to experiences and problems along with solutions that other people are trying everyday. By listening to these podcast and others along the lines of teaching and ideas, we can use their experience to make the experiences for our students even better by applying ideas that have worked so well for others and learning how to eliminate as many problems as possible.

My biggest lesson I got out of his was that there is no excuse to continue to teach unsuccessfully. There are too many resources available to us for us to chose not to use them. Who would have ever thought having students maintain a garden, they could learn more about math? I also would have never thought about the Global Night project!!! These are lessons that are going to stay with these students forever. Isn't that why we are becoming teachers??? To make a difference.. I can honestly say that I will probably LIVE on Edutopia when I am a teacher!!