Success StoryUrban Farm Summer School



Urban Farm Summer School

Author: Stephen Lewis

Planning Unit: Jefferson County CES

Major Program: Community Gardens and Horticulture Therapy

Plan of Work: Promoting Sustainable Agriculture, Natural Resources and Urban Forestry

Outcome: Initial Outcome

The idea of attending summer school used to be a dreaded thought amongst school students, but to this group of homeschooled kids, it's a chance to learn about the natural world during its most active time of year. Mizizi Homeschool cooperative, is a collective of homeschooled students that meet twice a week to engage in learning activities, while having the chance to socialize with other children. This summer they participated in a 6 week Urban farming and outdoor education program at Louisville Grows' people's garden, a 5 acre urban oasis in West Louisville. Students made their weekly visit to the farm, excited for the day's activities. In the first week they planted a small garden of okra, tomatoes, peppers, squash and herbs. They also picked ripe blueberries fresh from the bush and made their own refreshing mint water to beat the summer heat. In the following weeks, students learned about the parts of a seed and flowers and learned how to identify edible plants around the farm. They learned how to identify certain trees by their leaves and did some coloring using natural plant chlorophyll. Some of the activities they enjoyed the most were learning about the life cycle of frogs using the numerous tadpoles in the pond and feeding scraps to the friendly pigs that live on the farm. On the very hot days students had free time to play in the sprinklers and run around with friends. In the last class, students learned about soil layers, soil texture and even conducted a soil test in a jar. Although they were coming to the bitter end of a fun filled 6 weeks, class finished on a sweet note as, students made edible soil, complete with gummy worms and insect sprinkles.


















Stories by Jefferson County CES


Middle School After School Sphero- Coding Help to Combat Stress

Middle School After School Sphero- Coding Help to Combat Stress

about 1 years ago by Chanda Hall

No one really wants to relive the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 and 2021. However, we are finding that ... Read More


Breckinridge Franklin Vision Camp

Breckinridge Franklin Vision Camp

about 1 years ago by Chanda Hall

Sometimes as humans, we forget about the importance of being inclusive to those individuals who are ... Read More