Salmonberry School flipped the farm-to-school education model when its teachers took the students to local farms.

Salmonberry’s Early Childhood class visited farmer Rhonda Barbieri at La Campesina Project Farm on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Students toured the farm, harvested winter squash, and visited with Barbieri’s honey bees. Students learned about many kinds of veggies and the special needs of each.

Two days later, Salmonberry elementary students and teachers spent a full day at the Bullocks’ permaculture farm in Deer Harbor. There students toured the gardens, orchards, farm animals and wetlands. They learned about permaculture design and ways the farm uses a systems approach to growing food. Students baked apples, observed green building skills, and played games while being taught ecological growing and living practices. Salmonberry parents participated in a separate guided tour and introduction to permaculture from Douglas Bullock.

According to Salmonberry School director Paul Freedman, the school has a strong commitment to environmental education and ecological literacy. Teachers are tasked to seek out experiences where students can practice caring for life in various ways.

“Knowing nature is not enough. Salmonberry students also learn to love and care for nature,” Freedman said. “So we take kids out into nature, and into the garden, to island farms as well as intertidal habitats, and wilderness settings. To us, this is a high standard every bit as important as any of the state’s Essential Academic Learning Standards.”