As a natural progression, after the building of our new school and its playgrounds, the VMS community of staff, parents and board members have been looking to develop and use our land to benefit the children. We are fortunate enough to have an existing “butterfly garden” for the elementary children to enjoy on their playground, and some garden boxes for our younger children to care for as part of the Montessori “practical life” experience which helps the children develop independence and a feeling of competence and confidence.

We have over three acres of undeveloped land which, at the request of the VMS community, we have committed to to utilizing. Following a vision set by the VMS community, Kat Weiss, our landscpe designer, has created a master plan concept of the hillside (pictured above) that includes native landscaping and a garden area to be created with our elementary students.

As part of the Montessori experience, the children would be actively involved in all phases of the garden’s development -- from planning the project, to maintaining the garden, to selecting a unit of study for the classroom, to deciding how best to use what has grown. It is our intention to have the children and teachers plan a project in an effort to reach out to the community. For example, they may sell vegetables at our local farmers market or give to our community food bank. The enthusiasm surrounding this project is high and many teachers, parents, and children are busy formulating ideas on how best to use the garden for its produce. In addition, our science teachers are excited by the prospect of using the garden for experiments as well as for generating discussions surrounding our health, and projects relating to our stewardship of the earth.