30779 Blanton Road, Eugene, Oregon 97405, United States
Mind-Full Background
How Did We Get Here?
Greetings from Tiffany, and a bit of Mind-Full background…
Mind-Full Education has been a part of my approach to working with children and families for years. I came to education not through a family history of teaching and school success, but from a place of burning curiosity and sense of wonder for the natural and imaginary. My natural curiosity resulted in lots of questions, many of which were not well received by my teachers. Those that welcomed my inquisitive nature are bright spots along my educational path.
Wanting all children to find support as they pursue answers, I chose to step into the classroom as a teacher. My instructional experiences are wide-ranging, including K-9, and K-5 multi-age. I've taught all academic subjects, including Social Studies, PE, ELA support and extension, PBIS instruction and monitoring, and guest principal. All of these are a fantastic background for the structure of Mind-Full Meadows Learning Farm.
The focus of my chosen educational path is also well-suited for such a small, robust FARM program.
- BS in Elementary Education, WOU, Integrated Sciences, Geography, and Music
- MEd., Lesley University, Integrated Teaching Through the Arts
- Current Oregon Legacy Teaching License
- Educational Leadership and Administration, U of O
- Current Oregon Principal License
- Ongoing Preschool and Early Learning professional development
Thoughtful questions from parents and adventurous interactions with children at my first Mind-Full Meadows summer camps in the summer of 2020 shifted my plans from simply leading camps to altering my career path. Mind-Full Meadows became the home to a developing experiential Learning Farm!
Circumstances in our world and our state lead many to think very creatively about how to will best meet the educational and social-emotional needs of the children in our lives. The benefits of of an education founded in a robust relationship with the natural environment are many, and the integration of FARM* concepts results in highly engaged learning.
Program Description
The Site
The property and its inhabitants lend themselves to experiences both whimsical and real-world, magical and scientific thinking often running side by side. The property includes both Douglas Fir and Oregon White Oak forest, as well as a seasonal creek and open meadow. There are four bridges across the creek, an adventure trail, and a variety of learning spaces in the woods. We have a greenhouse on site, as well as both raised bed and meadow gardens. Student interests are supported as they integrate what is outside with tailored learning materials.
The Approach
The learning of skills and their practical application take place in many settings. Students are grouped in a variety of ways throughout the week to support ongoing growth and collaborative problem-solving.
These are examples of some of the curricula we explore. Program offerings change as learning opportunities arise.
- Outdoor Math and Science, including Wild Math and the National Curriculum Outdoors
- Students explore math in the natural world and learn practical outdoor skills.
- Hands-On Physics, including the use of winches, levers, wedges, screws, and ramps
- Students learn by doing, and see simple machines in use on a daily basis.
- Native Edible and Medicinal Plants, including Herb Fairies and the Wildcraft game
- Students develop an understanding of the uses of many plants found on site.
- Self-Regulation and Self-Advocacy
- Students are given opportunities to gain insight into their strengths and challenges.
- We explore and practice a wide variety of strategies to develop positive relationships.
FARM STEAM
After teaching K-9 public school for almost three decades, with the last ten years immersed in a multi-age, project-based, child-focused K-5 school, I left my public school position over the summer of 2020, and began the process of designing a unique instructional program for the 20/21 academic year. I chose to integrate my interest and experiences in STEAM education with the natural and FARM resources available at Mind-Full Meadows (MFM).
When I first arrived on the property, I knew the location and site layout of MFM was ideal for children, so my approach to developing the site is through the eyes of a child. I chose to create my FARM concept to capture these actions we all focus on in some way:
FARM
- Farming Practices - Children help select crops, start veggies in our greenhouse, then plant and harvest in our organic gardens.
- Animal Care - Children help care for developing chicks, chickens, rabbits, Muscovies, ducks, goats, & a Great Pyrenees.
- Responsible Choices - Children are taught expectations, from teachers and elder peers, are guided as they grow, are trusted, and are given broader choices when responsible behavior is demonstrated.
- Making Things - Children learn to think creatively and use available resources.
STEAM
Engineering Challenges, including marble courses, domino races, Lego design, buoyancy experiments with rafts constructed from natural materials, and much more.