Far Brook School’s new garden inspires learning and discovery
Imagine being a second grader at Far Brook School in Short Hills. After Morning Meet- g, your French teacher leads you and your classmates down the outdoor path to jardin (the garden), where you pick up a pelle (shovel), unearth carottes (carrots), d harvest fresh épinards (spinach). Then, le onto the carefully placed benches and surrounded by nature, to enjoy a snack by your own hands.
Far Brook School’s new teaching garden is intentional. An extension of the private school’s 1948 founding mission, the garden serves to engage the children in planning, creating and caring for the space, thus enriching their educational journey.
“A school garden is so much more than just a space to grow plants,” says Amy Ziebarth, head of school at Far Brook. “It’s a living classroom where children learn firsthand about sustainability, the cycles of nature and the interdependence of all living things. It engages students in hands-on learning, teaching them responsibility, patience and the rewards of nurturing something from seed to harvest. They discover the importance of healthy food choices, environmental stewardship and many of the sciences that explain our natural world.”
The school broke ground on the garden last June and completed it by September. Designed by Hadley Peterson of Hadley Peterson Landscape Design in Summit, the project was inspired by the school’s emphasis on a “culture of freedom of play,” says Peterson. To reflect this philosophy, Peterson designed the garden organically, placing rocks at the center, while allowing the surrounding plants to grow and evolve naturally. Prioritizing nature over formality, the design fosters a sense of spontaneity that matches the school’s environment.
Toby Adams and Alexandra Forrester, co- founders of Kaleidoscope Garden Design, collaborated with Peterson on the project. “Kaleidoscope helps develop school gardens and provides support services to make those gardens a successful component of the school’s campus,” says Adams. Through planting seeds, nurturing seedlings, and observing seasonal plant growth, students gain a meaningful understanding of change and environmental stewardship. “Far Brook School’s garden is not meant to be just a pretty garden,” Adams continues. “It’s meant to serve to support the instruction that takes place here, and the learning.”
The school’s commitment to inquiry-based learning, collaboration and problem-solving is reflected in the integration of the garden into the curriculum. “The garden offers opportunities to explore math, science, art, literacy, social studies, and even music, woodshop and drama. More importantly, it cultivates a sense of amazement, wonder, patience and respect for the earth,” continues Ziebarth.
Beyond academic connections, the garden provides valuable experiential learning opportunities, helping students build a strong, everyday connection to nature. In six months, the garden has already provided many life lessons.
Megan Gottlieb, Far Brook’s Lower School science teacher and sustainability coordinator, says, “There was something so special about doing the harvest with the first and second graders. It was the second week of November, we were dirty, our fingers were cold, and it was hard work. We had bags and bags of peppers, parsley, kale, lettuce and swiss chard. It was a tremendous amount of food, but there was something about this concrete task and that we had to keep going until we got it done that was so amazing. The grit and perseverance they demonstrated was unexpected yet proved to be such a valuable teaching moment in the garden.”
Except for the carrots, the school donated all the fruits of their efforts to The Isaiah House in East Orange, in time for Thanksgiving. In December, the kids went back into the garden and pulled up more than 450 carrots. The children cleaned them, separated them and bagged them for the school community to enjoy.
“There have been some really nice moments,” says Gottlieb. “We picked a carrot with two prongs and one that was sort of wobbly. We looked at a tomato that wasn’t perfect. We all talked about it and decided that it was OK and that it doesn’t mean that we can’t eat them, even if that’s not what we typically find in our grocery stores.”
While studying horticulture and learning about the determination and patience required to cultivate a thriving garden, the students have more opportunities for thought-provoking discussions, such as how does food get on our table and why we should reconsider eating mangoes in January and strawberries in February. “We couldn’t plant strawberries right now, they wouldn’t survive,” says Gottlieb. “The cost of getting those things here is not just about human labor, it’s also about fuel. And so we talk about it. It’s OK if we don’t all agree with one another.”
When Essex County faced a drought last fall and wildfires were rampant, the school navigated the challenge of keeping the garden watered. “After an in-depth discussion, the children agreed that everyone could fill up their watering can twice but that they must work together to distribute the water evenly across the garden,” says Gottlieb. “They were careful to make sure that they didn’t drip any water and that it only went into the cans and onto the vegetables. Nothing was accidental. The carrots didn’t get any more water than the kale.”
This spring marks a new chapter. Robert Olazagasti, the school’s art integration specialist, is in the process of curating a student art installation, designed to extend into the garden, seamlessly blending creativity with nature.
“The kids are thrilled to get back in the garden,” says an enthusiastic Gottlieb. “There’s an incredible sense of pride, not just in what their grade is growing but in the garden as a whole.” Every month, Toby Adams from Kaleidoscope visits the school to collaborate with each class, guiding them in choosing what to plant and how to nurture it.
This summer, the school is including the garden in its day camp program, welcoming children from Maplewood and South Orange to join in the fun. More details can be found at farbrook.org.
Amy Lynn-Cramer is a contributing writer for Matters Magazine and the founder of Cramer Connect. A culture changer at heart, she specializes in marketing and communications and is a certified health and life coach. Amy’s moments of Zen and reflection are spent in her own garden, tending to her herbs and succulents.
Comments