Amazing.

There is an amazing adolescent Montessori program taking place in Huntsburg, Ohio called the Hershey Farm School.  Montessori envisioned a program for children ages 12-15 that encompassed living on and working a real farm, called Erdkinder.  The children truly become "Children of the Earth".  The Farm School is the only existing Montessori adolescent project with an “Erdkinder prepared environment,” including a youth “hostel” (dorm), a bed-and-breakfast, an operating farm, and a functioning micro-economy with a community farm market (shop).  There are no words that I can use that truly describe this program.  A few years ago, there was talk in the Montessori community of a farm school opening in New Jersey, but unfortunately, that idea never came to fruition.  I embedded a video from Hershey Montessori School, which describes their entire program.  If you would like to watch the section about the farm school, it starts about five minutes in- just slide the small button to the right until you reach the 5:00 mark.




I recently spoke with a woman who is passionate about Montessori and is on her way to becoming a middle school teacher.  I mentioned the aspect of the farm school and she seemed intrigued.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that maybe she or another brave soul will take on a project like this in our area.  Maybe that will be my retirement project down the road!