Farm Education as Sensory Processing support

Hello to fellow farm educators. I am in the midst of a Ph.D. in Ecopsychology with a focus on the ecopsychology of nurture in education through nature interaction. Sounds fancier than it is. It is basically taking developmental knowledge, i.e. sensory processing styles in elementary school learners, and plugging in all the sensory grounding and support that happens in a farm visit or farm interaction. This can help children enhance behavioral and learning readiness.

I operate a small garden demonstration site for homeschoolers in my area, do some afterschool garden play for school children, and run a sensory grounding garden area for stressed adults - giving them skills to create their own vegetable gardens at home.

My background is as a family educator and former organic farmer of twenty years. I managed pasture, planned rotational grazing, planned breeding, shearing and weaning and created markets for wool and value added products on our farm.

I am interested in hearing from anyone who is integrating sensory processing with farm education. Thanks! Leslie

Tags: early, education, elementary, farm, garden, processing, sensory, therapy

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Permalink Reply by Michael Roman on February 14, 2011 at 10:16pm

What angle are you thinking about with sensory processing?

We have a program on our farm called "Farm Senses", which is for preschoolers. It is based around hands-on discovery on the farm with a focus using our senses. As you mentioned, most programs on farms engage the sense quite well.

Is there something specific you are measuring the impact of in your research?

Are there any specific activities or methods you are particularly excited about?

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Permalink Reply by Leslie E Whitcomb on February 14, 2011 at 11:52pm

Now that sounds like fun, Farm Senses! I am measuring the capacity for time spent in nature and farm education to support emotional equilibrium during the stages of learning to read. Dr. Stanley Greenspan and Dr. Rosemary White's work highlights the fact that learning takes place in emotional centers of the brain as well as cognitive centers of the brain. And is integrated through movement, sensory balanced environments (you can't get more sensory balanced than a farm) and activities that soothe emotions.

The measurement I will eventually use is an assessment of cognitive/affective self soothing behaviors that support learning, developed by White and Greenspan. Time in a farm education, garden education or nature education program would be hypothesized to stabilize cognitive group learning activity. And so before and after observations of specific escalating or self soothing behaviors would be part of a study.

I am also drawing on Dr. Murchie and Dr. Cohen's work that the five senses are supported by forty eight other senses - such as gravity, balance, light sensitivity, which are activated in outside learning environments and support bridging of left brain/right brain learning skills.

I am in the design stage, and trying different learning games and activities for kids in my garden before I design research. At which time I will consult with a statistic/r.d. colleague who really knows how to think about this stuff much more than I do! My strength is in connecting to the kids, connecting them to the dirt, and designing activities that do that.

Thanks for asking, I'd love to hear more about your program, it sounds exactly right for reaching kids and bringing them into the experience. Leslie