Teacher and Students Learn Life Skills by Digging in the Dirt

Kelly Simpson's 1926 Laguna Beach cottage is being renovated and the backyard is just a slope with a few old trees and a lot of dirt. But that will soon change as Simpson has allowed science club to turn her backyard into an edible garden.

Her son Conor Simpson attends Fusion Academy. Among other interests, Conor enjoys gardening and cooking. He joined the science club at Fusion Academy. By growing food, he and his fellow club mates will learn about math and science.

CLICK ON THE BOX TO THE RIGHT TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE GARDEN ----->

"Conor's teacher Stacey Anderson told me the science club was going to learn how to compost and plant," said Kelly Simpson. "They were going to go to farmers' markets, bring produce from the farm to the table and cook. Stacey had such a great concept."

Simpson said, "I asked Stacey if they were going to give her a plot at the Academy to do some growing. Because they couldn’t have a plot at the school, I offered our backyard."

"I’m in the middle of renovating this old 1926 cottage," said Simpson. "It’s fun, I’m having a great time and the kids are loving [the garden].

There is a composting area and raised vegetable beds that Anderson and her students built. Right now, the beds are at the north portion of the property. Eventually there will be trees and raised beds covering the whole backyard.

"I wanted to do this for Stacey and for Conor," said Simpson. "I always loved vegetable gardening when I was a kid in Fountain Valley. So this is kind of in my blood. This is a great way for me to give. It’s something that’s easy for me to do and I’m super happy to do it."

Fusion Academy instructor Stacey Anderson said, "I got into organic farming in college at New College of Florida. I worked on an organic farm near the campus."

Anderson now works at South Coast Farms in San Juan Capistrano on the weekends.

"I have been to Alice Waters edible school yard in Berkeley, California," said Anderson. "Waters created a beautiful curriculum called 'Making Mathematics Delicious.' At the Berkeley garden, they integrate history, science and math. For example, they talk about the silk road and make dishes from China and India and the Mediterranean using the produce they've grown."

"Waters has a huge garden for an entire middle school and then they have a kitchen classroom as well," said Anderson. "There’s another field trip destination school garden at UC Santa Cruz. They are able to integrate the sciences and math."

Anderson had been working with edible school gardens for a couple of years through a non-profit organization called Slow Food (as opposed to fast food). Then she started teaching.

"[The Fusion Academy] helps kids develop life skills," said Anderson. "It’s a very holistic approach to becoming a valuable member of society…being resourceful and being compassionate...getting through the core curriculum while developing who you are."

"For example," said Anderson, "Conor excels so much in the kitchen and garden lessons. His cooking skills allow him to be a teacher for his peers."

Anderson said, "I’ve just been getting such a positive response from the idea of this project. Today I surprised the kids with an apple tree gifted to us by Kim and Rob Lombard."

Anderson's science club is always in need of tools, seeds, pots and plants. Anderson is also looking for guest speakers to come and share ideas with the students.

"This garden will be a resource for all of our core curriculum classes," said Anderson. "We’ll be able to apply lessons in the garden. We use math, for example, when we’re making a jam recipe. We use the point-slope formula to see the relationship between cups of sugar and cups of fruit. The students learn about a direct relationship versus an indirect relationship."

The students are already trying one experiment. One of the raised beds is filled with the Simpson's dirt. The other is filled with purchased dirt. The club members will observe which plants will become more abundant and create hypothesis about their results.

Fusion Academy student Amanda Williamson said, "I saw the club fliers. I had never gardened before so it was my first time.It’s really fun. I like the hard work and getting out of the classroom and into the garden."

"When we cook, said Williamson, "we don’t go to the grocery stores to make our food. We try to go straight to the farms to buy produce so it’s still fresh."

Bruce Taylor is also a Fusion Academy student.

"They put posters up at the school," said Taylor, "and it just sounded like fun. I’ve gardened some in my backyard. We’re growing herbs, tomatoes, lemons and limes right now. I like the satisfaction of putting a seed in the ground and watching it become something so much bigger and so much more beautiful."

Conor Simpson said, "I like to cook. I guess I started cooking at home first. I just used stuff that was around the house to make something. Now the club goes to farmers' markets to buy fresh ingredients."

Anderson said, "In an ideal world I would love to see really fresh lunch programs in schools that are supporting local producers. Not just farmers, but fishermen and livestock providers, too."

"The garden wouldn't be possible in this capacity without the generosity of Kelly Simpson and her family," Anderson continued. "We planted an apple tree in the ground yesterday! We are also planting corn, pumpkins, and melons. That wouldn't be possible in the small area of space behind our school. Kelly is our biggest fan, and for that, we are beyond grateful."