Anonymous wrote:To each his own, but for me the problem isn't that MV hopes to have their students do some gardening/cooking. It's that they want to do that in addition to the many other things they're trying to do. You can't be everything to eveyone, and I worry that the school--which is only a few years old--is doing just that.

This is already a huge part of the curriculum. It is a major aspect of the sustainability program and teaches the children a lot about science. Sustainability includes a lot more than just environmentalism, it is also about nutrition to sustain your body, gardening and cooking to sustain resources, playing nice to sustain your community, etc. Moreover, all of the children already have integrated gardening and cooking lessons so that they cook (and eat) from their own garden. The goal would just be to integrate it further and have the facilities to do so. The new building will already be equipped with the larger gardens to make this program easier to run year-round. It doesn't actually involve much more additional work, just better facilities and a thoughtful use of them. At Mundo Verde very little is done in a one-off type of way, it is all integrated.

To each his own, but for me the problem isn't that MV hopes to have their students do some gardening/cooking. It's that they want to do that in addition to the many other things they're trying to do. You can't be everything to eveyone, and I worry that the school--which is only a few years old--is doing just that.

Growing your own food doesnt take that much time. It could be part of a science class in the expeditionary learning theme. You start the seeds inside --maybe takes a few hours. After the seeds start to grow, you transplant them outside--another few hours, then you pick them after they grow--could be a simple chore. Cooking also isnt a big deal. The kids in my DC's montessori cook the food for their snacks regularly. That is how DC learned fractions, in fact. I think it is a great idea to also teach kids where food comes from before it gets on their plate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dc bilingual teaches half the subjects in English and half in Spanish. So science was Spanish, math was English. I can't remember the rest. Does MV do a split like that?

Other differences to consider from what I remember from tours:

MV has a strong environmental focus
Mv is expeditionary learning

Dc bilingual seems to have an awesome nutrition program from the tour and a no junk food policy (why aren't more schools like that?)

Does anyone remember what DC bilingual uses for curriculum or learning philosophy?

I think many schools are like that, Mundo Verde is, Creative Minds has a whole nutrition and wellness policy (you can read their "snack policy" on their website).

Not PP, and I agree that some schools have a focus on this--but no one comes close to what DC Bilingual does, based on the open house I went to. DC Bilingual has a full-time nutritionist on staff that meets with families to do meal-planning. They cook all their meals in-house. It is such an integral part of their mission that you meet with her during the open house. It seemed really different at DCB than at other schools I went to, including Stokes, CM, and MV.

This is what MV is aiming towards in the new building. It probaly won't happen in the first year to the full extent planned, but it is the overall goal and I anticipate it will be seen within 3 years if not sooner (depending only on fundraising efforts to fully equip the kitchen properly). The plan is to have the kids grow and cook the food that they eat (or at least some portion of it), and learn about nutrition in the process.

I liked MV a lot and currently have it high on my list. However, I do worry when I read things like this that it is trying to be everything to everyone. Dual language AND expeditionary learning AND environmental AND nutrition. What will they add next? I can't imagine having kids grow and eat their own food. When will they have time for doing other things? A simple step would be to simply hire someone to make the food in-house rather than to contract it out, as Stokes and DC Biligual do.