Sustainability education in the biodynamic garden and kitchen classroom
1. Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Bobi Harshfield for being wonderful as a
supervisor and friend, Mrs. Allen for warmly inviting me to her
classroom, and Mrs. Allen’s third grade class for making my
internship experience extra-special during out time together.
About Desert Marigold
Desert Marigold School located in Phoenix, AZ is a public
charter school that runs from early childhood and
kindergarten to twelfth grade. Its twelve acre campus
includes a biodynamic garden, protected pond, and farm
animal barn. This alternative learning community deals in
developing students’ critical minds and creative being.
Vision
Desert Marigold’s role as a Waldorf school strives to
uphold an individual student’s education as an ongoing
enrichment process of mind, body, and spirt. This
philosophy first developed by Dr. Rudolf Steiner in the
1920s puts emphasis on a holistic approach to education as
‘anthroposophy’ as a path of knowledge. The principles of
biodynamic gardening stem from this holistic knowledge
base as well. It involves understanding the land and
cycling materials through the ecosystem in an open loop
system. One example of this can be seen with Desert
Marigold’s biodynamic garden through its use of salvaged
wood for projects and designation of a compost field.
Lessons from the Kitchen Classroom
A large part of my internship experience consisted of conducting and overseeing projects with Mrs. Allen’s third grade class inside and
outside their classroom. Most of these projects ranged from cooking in the classroom as well as building a Judaic sukkah on their
playground area. I appreciated this educational aspect of the capstone internship as I was able to develop skills in supervising children
and helping them reinforce math concepts in a practical demonstration.
Concluding Thoughts
As a public charter school intent on remaining a non-
competitive place of learning, Desert Marigold holds onto
practical sustainable living ideals and actions. The
presence of its biodynamic garden, aquatic pond, and
animal barn represent the biotic ecosystems in which
different species may thrive. Toads hopping between
garden beds, ducks swimming across the water, and goats
resting in the pen show a dynamic and lively surrounding
world to the children from an early age and encourage
them to be gentle stewards.
Familiarization with the garden through more formal
lessons goes from second grade until eighth grade. The
older grades may delve into different aspects of the
farmers’ market from marketing to event planning to
understand the economics of their sustainable practices.
The students understand equity and equality as a large
part of their education which relates back to sustainability.
Teamwork and respect with one another is emphasized.
Each individual’s learning experience is catered to without
resorting to favoritism or popularity. Each student is highly
regarded and remembered by all in the school community.
This practice of fairness leaves the groundwork for critical
thinking regarding justice.
My internship experience at Desert Marigold exposed
me to a new understanding of biodynamic gardening and
early age sustainability education. I attained skills in
maintaining patience and providing guidance as well as
immersing myself in functional nature.
Sustainability education in the biodynamic garden and kitchen classroom
M. Shapna Islam, BA in Sustainability | Capstone Internship: Desert Marigold School
For further information
Please feel free to contact me at the following email address:
m.shapnaislam@asu.edu
Fig. 1. Snapshot of the garden’s mesquite
tree and surrounding ‘you-pick’ garden area.
Fig. 2. Snapshot of the garden’s classroom and
shade structure made from natural materials.
Fig. 3(a-c). Mrs. Allen’s third graders are divided into groups and each student is given a role such as recipe chef or head chef.
They follow the instructions they have written into their handmade booklets. Everyone works together in turns with the ingredients
and final product of their weekly cooking lesson.
Fig. 4(a-c). Mrs. Allen’s third graders learned about ancient traditions and their practical lesson culminated in the building of a
sukkah, a temporary gathering place in the Judaic festival of Sukkot. The other adults and I helped the children measure and
construct the separate parts of the sukkah. The third grade class then used the sukkah for a potluck.
Fig. 5. Part of my internship involved garden
maintenance such as pruning the branches of
the mesquite tree.
