Terra Summer 2009! Ages 11-14

Time is closing in quickly on the beginning of summer and the inaugural session of Terra Summer 2009, a cool experiential program for students ages 11-14 that uses the study, growing, and cooking of food to teach children about science, history, and geography while exploring local and global environmental, economic, and ethical issues related to food.

This year Terra runs from July 20 through August 14 -- one four-week session (shortened from the original dates because we are building a brand new beautiful kitchen lab/classroom and it is a taking a little longer than expected!). In that time we will take field trips, learn about bugs and worms, make pizza in our own bread oven, plant gardens, make art, and run a special mobile produce stand called the Veggie Van. We will also discuss a variety of concepts that are central to the Terra School mission: where our food comes from; who grows it and under what circumstances; the empowerment of the individual to make choices; our responsibility towards the earth, communal resources, and other beings; awareness of other lands and peoples; respect for our bodies through nutrition and exercise; and how food connects us all, in strife and joy. There is a story—and an impact—behind everything we eat, and we should know what it is. The idea is to empower children as human brings, help keep them from falling behind in summer, and affect their character development by connecting them to themselves, others, and the world at large. Everything we do and teach at Terra should foster care, compassion, respect, and a sense of global awareness and responsibility.

If you are a child in grades 6 through 8 who likes to spend time outdoors and in the kitchen, who likes to question things, learn about new things, grow things, and taste new things, check us out at www.terraschool.org, send in an application, and join us this summer. Come make new friends, taste new foods, and look at the world through a new lens!

Terra Summer takes place on a 16-acre working organic farm on Kimzey Road in Mills River, 20 minutes south of Asheville. The program runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (early drop-off begins at 8:30 a.m.). The cost for the program is $600. SCHOLARSHIPS AND TRANSPORTATION ARE AVAILABLE. Contact Sybil@terraschool.org or call 828-782-7842.

Terra Summer Camp 09 near Asheville NC!

Terra Summer empowers, builds knowledge, and heightens awareness of our world!!

Hey kids!!! What are you doing this summer? Sitting around bored, hot, wondering what is going on out there, maybe summer camps are too expensive, or maybe you are bored of the wonderful summer camps you usually attend... Maybe you are getting ready for high school and you want something different and interesting .... Here is a fun, affordable, cutting-edge, cool summer program that will get you looking at the world in a different way. www.terraschool.org

What will you do at Terra Summer? Make pies, pasta, and pizza, make your take-home worm home, learn to compost (and be kind to the earth), learn to cook great food from the coolest chef, Chad Gibson -- you will love him; learn all about how to grow your own .... watermelon from guru master horticulturist Pat Battle, learn to make some real Italian food, bake bread in our clay oven, grow your own veggies, make some pottery, learn about trade and fair trade and treating people on the other side of the globe in a cool way, the way you would want to be treated .... Learn what the world really looks like when you study it through food. And maybe sometimes we can throw some food around, too, depending on the mood of the chef. Maybe we can make MoonPies Terra-style, and cookies and do some really cool art and research a recipe that your grandma cooked for you. And sell produce from the Terra Veggie Van. And make new friends. And we can invite your parents to share with us. We will get all dirty and sweaty and learn that we can all have fun together in a very relaxed but smart way. And we are going to go for a field trip a week -- and at least once to pick berries and make jam for PB&Js. The whole idea is for you to understand that what you choose to eat and do matters -- not only to the people you see at dinner, but people you have never seen, around the globe. Children like you. Why should you care? Because you are one of those people, too.

We have changed the times and dates to best accomodate parents: July 6-August 14, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. (drop-off as early as 8:30 a.m.!) We will facilitate late pick-up if needed. Let us know if you have any questions or comments or if we can facilitate you in any way. Yes, the program is six-weeks long, but we will learn and accomplish a lot.

What do you say? The first three kids who complete and mail in an application for Terra Summer, fully committing to coming, can come for free. On me. (You must be in grades 6-8.) Sign up. You will learn, have fun, be well taken care of, eat great food, be different when school rolls around again, understand the world better, and perhaps even yourself. And be in the most connected summer program around.

Best to you, Terra Staff
www.terraschool.org
828-782-7842

Asheville: TERRA SUMMER Camp Ages 11-14

We are launching this summer in Mills River, NC a six-week summer academic enrichment program called Terra Summer. It is an experiential, interdisciplinary program that uses the magical world of food—from growing to cooking to eating—to teach children elements of a rigorous academic curriculum while exploring local and global social, environmental, economic, and health issues.

Terra Summer is a fun, exploratory program designed to accelerate student learning, keep children from falling behind, and positively affect character development by connecting children to themselves, others, and the world at large. Through the process of growing food at the school's organic farm, cooking in the school kitchen lab, and eating together, students deepen threads of their school curriculum—from math and geometry to plant science, chemistry, history, geography, economics, and anthropology. Also, we reflect on and discuss a variety of concepts that are central to the Terra School vision: where our food comes from; who grows it and under what circumstances; the empowerment of the individual to make choices; our responsibility towards the earth, communal resources, and other beings; awareness of other lands and peoples; respect for our bodies through nutrition and exercise; how food connects us all, in strife and joy. There is a story—and an impact—behind everything we eat, and we should know what it is.

Terra Summer is inquiry-based, aimed at making children active engines behind their own learning. Our program provides opportunities for meaningful readings, journaling, portfolio projects, reflections and discussions. We take field trips, learn about bugs and worms, make pizza, plant gardens, make art, and run a produce stand.

The Terra School believes that all activities should foster care, compassion, respect, and a sense of global awareness and responsibility. Terra Summer is not a remedial program or an alternative program or a program designed for children with any particular needs. It is simply a program that uses a non-traditional vehicle to link and make sense of the array of wonderful topics that make our world. We seek a diverse group of children ages 11-14 (grades 6 through 8) who like to spend time outdoors and in the kitchen, who like to question things, learn about new things, grow things, and taste new things. Come make new friends, taste new foods, and look at the world through a new lens.

Terra Summer takes place on Jafasa Farm, a 16-acre working organic farm 20 minutes south of Asheville. The program runs for six consecutive weeks from July 6 through August 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The weekly cost is $150; scholarships, full and partial, are available. Because Terra Summer is an academic enrichment program, students are expected to attend the full session.

Terra Summer and The Terra School are founded by Sybil Fix, a former journalist and education writer and researcher, an animal lover and a foodie who in her 40s got serious about making her role on the planet more meaningful. Sybil is a graduate of Yale University and Columbia University. She resides in Charleston, S.C. and Asheville, N.C.

For more information visit http://www.terraschool.org/ or call Sybil at 828-782-7842.