This blog contains direct quotes from websites as of 2023. Programs and policies do change, at colleges, from time to time, so please check with the colleges directly to receive any updates. These are not, necessarily, the biggest, best, or most popular programs at the college, but they are the ones that just “caught my eye” as unique, special, interesting, or just plain awesome. Enjoy!
From the Monmouth College website, 2023: “You’ll see lots of red and tartan around campus, but don’t let that fool you – we are more than proud of our green thumbs.
“Our Educational Garden & Farm, funded in part by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, lets students literally get their hands dirty while learning about the basics of agriculture, food production and sustainability. It also plays an important role in the work of our Educational Studies majors who are preparing to become teachers, especially those who seek to serve rural school districts.
“Berries, beans and bees: The garden packs a lot into half an acre: garden beds for more than 20 vegetables, a mini-orchard, a grape arbor, bees, a solar-powered rainwater irrigation system, an edible herb garden, a small rain garden, a flower garden, and a small prairie plot of grasses and wildflowers. Whew, that’s a lot of good stuff!
“The farm sits on a larger plot of 6.7 acres, which was generously donated by a Monmouth resident. It features berry bushes, vegetable patches, peach and apple trees, asparagus, corn, bee hives and a chicken coop. The on-site hoop house, tractor and work shed are used by the all-student garden crew to grow and harvest the crop sold at local farmers market and area restaurants. The chicken coop provides the community with farm-fresh eggs.
“Sustainable Scots: Students work directly on the farm and in the garden to help produce a variety of crops and products, including kale, spinach, lettuce, chard, tomatoes, bell peppers, soybeans, corn and squash. The chicken coop produces a couple dozen eggs per week and several bee hives produce delicious honey.
“Products are used by students in Monmouth’s dining services, cooked by students in their residence halls, and sold at local farmers markets.
“Monmouth’s living classrooms offer unique opportunities for authentic, hands-on learning. Immersive field trips, gardening workshops, collaborative lesson design, student project support and community education events all work together to tell a story of learning from the land* and of sustainable land use and good nutrition.
“*The Educational Studies Department works closely with the Educational Farm & Garden to help you take advantage of these offerings to strengthen your teaching and enrich student learning.
“Learn how to plan a field trip, bring experts into your classroom, and find resources to support your students through local ecology. Work with mentor teachers, professors and staff to design memorable lessons in real-world contexts.
“Maybe you’ll run soil labs, make edible art, write journals or create projects that address hunger in the community.”
Monmouth College is one of the featured colleges in my new book (click image for additional information):
Comments