McDowell Farm School
- 205-387-1806, ext. 106
- farmschooldirector@campmcdowell.org
McDowell Farm School Overview
SINCE 2014.
Our mission is to inspire curiosity, teach problem-solving, and empower community connections through sustainable agriculture.
Here at the farm, we believe that experiential education through inquiry and self discovery leaves long-lasting impressions and deeper understanding across all content areas. Using sustainable farming as a lens, students are reintroduced to food. From feeding a chicken, to collecting an egg, to making a frittata, students become immersed in our food system. They make connections between their choices at home and the large-scale systems that work to feed us every day. As active participants on our farm, students leave with a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the time, planning, energy, and emotion that goes into food production.
On the farm, students are encouraged to explore, ask questions, and arrive at their own conclusions through experience. Our multi-day, overnight program allows students to carry over concepts from class to class, creating a cohesive understanding of the science of sustainable farming. Students share living and dining spaces, complete projects as a team, and are asked to support one another through new challenges.
Our classroom extends beyond the walls of our teaching kitchen, beyond our 40 acres of gardens and fields, and even beyond the 1,140 acres of forests, streams and canyons of McDowell! We make the world our classroom and our place to discover.
"This place is amazing!!!! The kids are working hard, but having fun doing it and learning some many wonderful things & they don't even realize it. The instructors are energetic, supportive, engaging, & really love what they are doing!!! The facilities are wonderful!!! I could go on & on, highly recommend McDowell Farm School." -Jennifer Pouncy Pannell, Facebook Review