Homeschool Cooperative Gardening Class

The Nature Detectives

“Today’s child is more familiar with the drive-thru menu than the garden.” This belief is what led Suellen Mullins of DeSoto, Texas, to begin one of the only known homeschool cooperative gardening programs in Texas. Her class of third through seventh graders has been named the “Nature Detectives” and is led to discoveries primarily through gardening experiences.

Homeschool Cooperatives

Most of the home school cooperatives (co-op) in Texas are held in churches and are meant to provide an educational setting within a Christian environment that enables parents to supplement their existing curriculum with extended learning opportunities. Suellen’s gardening course is one such extended learning opportunity. The co-op Suellen teaches at meets twice weekly at Faith Bible Church through the Dallas Christian Home Educators (DasCHE) Association. The school gardens are located on the church grounds as part of the Faith Bible Community Garden.

The purpose of DasCHE is to provide a support group with high standards of excellence for individuals and/or families who are interested in educating their child(ren) at home. This association serves as a link between families who choose to educate at home by encouraging resource exchanges, providing open discussions and promotions of educational opportunities, such as field trips and group activities. This association also provides a venue for students in homeschool cooperatives to be recognized for their achievements.

One of Suellen's students takes a closer look at a plant from their gardenWith the realization that children today lack a relationship with nature, Suellen began teaching the gardening course in August 2011. By teaching through a homeschool cooperative, Suellen is able to be flexible with her lessons. As part of a Christian cooperative she is able to freely express religion in her teaching. Although she states that she doesn’t talk about God every week, she is able to include Christian beliefs in a more global sense.

On one nature walk the Nature Detectives observed a bush which had put on berries. Suellen commented, “Look what God has done since our last visit!” While the science is still integral to the learning, they give credit to a higher authority. From this discussion starter, Suellen engaged the students by inquiring about the purpose of the berries and how berries develop.

Educating the Family

Suellen agrees with the philosophy that when you educate a child you educate a family. Through this cooperative she believes she is able to have a better connection with her students’ families partly due to the small class size and because she has a captive audience. The students are in her class because they chose it along with their parents.

Members of the Nature Detectives school garden harvesting lettuceIn August, one of the first homework assignments Suellen gave was for students to take home seeds planted in a pot. Students were instructed to maintain a journal to document how the plants grew and how much sunlight and water the plant received.

With her class, Suellen created a worm bin (http://www.kidsgardening.org/faq/worm-composting). They used Red Wriggler Worms to learn about decomposition first hand. Students contribute to feeding the worms and take turns bringing the worms home over weekends and holidays to continue caring for them and to share their knowledge with their family.

Suellen often receives phone calls from parents inquiring about garden-related topics. Many parents even request Suellen to come to their house and provide advice for their home garden, which she gladly does. She also regularly sees her students at the school garden with family members.

Educating Nature-Deprived Youth

Suellen describes her teaching experience as “being in the moment.” She explains that there’s no limit to what they can do. She can spend four weeks or ten weeks on studying leaves. She could spend the entire fall and spring gardening with her students. She is able to “see through the students’ eyes” to identify what they like, what they’re learning, what they want to know more about and expand on those components. Suellen clearly states that they still have to do the core curriculum, but most of the learning is hands-on.

The Nature Detectives on a nature walkSuellen equipped herself with the knowledge necessary for educating her students by participating in the Master Gardener training. The gardening program she leads is primarily funded by herself and parents of her students. However, she has been able to obtain some support through donations from the local Ace Hardware and Faith Bible Church. Her class currently has seven students along with one high school helper.

Suellen promotes the relationship her students have with nature by answering “YES!” when her students ask if they can explore the nearby woods during class. She takes her students on hikes regularly where they learn through their experiences. Her students expressed that their families don’t go hiking or explore nature. This point reminds Suellen of the distance that is growing between children and nature. She sees a social fear these days of something happening to children by interacting with the natural environment. In nature, children are given the ability to thrive by using their imaginations to discover and learn.

Curricular Resources

The curriculum used for the Nature Detectives is compiled from several sources. Suellen pulls information from her own experiences, her Master Gardener training, books, and online sources. Topics they have covered thus far in the school year include:  how to build a raised bed, soil science, plant propagation, composting, hydrology, and integrated pest management.

When discovering the wonders of soil science, students learned about various soils in Texas. They collected soils from several locations, moistened a small collection of the soil, and then squeezed it to determine the soil type. If the soil held its shape in a ball form the students determined it was a clayey soil. If the soil did not hold its shape they identified it as having more sand particles.

While teaching the students through gardening, Suellen takes advantage of the opportunity to educate her students about nutrition and the value of growing and consuming fresh, locally-grown food. Suellen states, “I have observed through my own experiences as a gardener that most children don’t know where their food comes from or how it is grown. So not only are we raising a generation of nature-deprived children, but a generation of children who do not know how to grow their own food or understand the value of nutrition in their diet.” She continues, “If this isn’t corrected, we will not only lose a generation to obesity-related diseases, but we will also lose a much more precious commodity, our ability as a nation to feed ourselves a well-balanced diet.” Students are able to share in the harvest of their school-grown produce while some of the produce is distributed to the local food bank and families in need.

Advice for Exploring Nature with Youth

For those who are timid about bringing children into the garden and other natural settings you’re not alone. Joining a community garden can give you access to many other gardeners who can help you and your child learn together. Suellen recommends that you seek resources that can serve as a guide for you and your child in nature. You can visit your local state park and go for a hike. The local Audubon society can offer some points of interest for you and your child(ren) to encourage an interaction with nature.

The Nature Detectives gathered around their school garden harvestA self-proclaimed pioneer in the homeschool cooperative gardening world, Suellen has great passion for today’s youth. The need for connecting children to the garden provides a source of food and an educational foundation to support many other subjects. The hands-on lessons that take place in Suellen’s class will not soon be forgotten as her students develop a love for the outdoors.