Meridian Micro Farm

First harvest of the season 🌱

Summer Stewardship is now underway as young stewards care for the garden, prepare the hoop house site, and take increasing responsibility for the daily work of Meridian Micro Farm.

Meet the Founder: Ms. Tasha

As Founder and Director of Meridian Micro Farm, Ms. Tasha works alongside students as they learn through hands-on, real-world projects. After nearly 20 years in education, she became increasingly concerned by the growing disconnect between what adolescents experience in school and the skills they need to navigate adult life.

Inspired by Maria Montessori's Erdkinder vision for adolescence, Ms. Tasha helped bring Meridian Micro Farm to life as a place where young people can explore entrepreneurship and experience what it means to be part of a community. She believes adolescents thrive when they are trusted with real responsibility and given opportunities to contribute to something larger than themselves.

Meet the Guide: Mr. Ben

With a background in philosophy, sustainability, environmental education, and hands-on outdoor work, Mr. Ben brings a thoughtful and grounded approach to our Summer Stewardship program and adolescent community. Passionate about meaningful learning, he values environments where students can work independently, ask questions, and engage deeply with the natural world through real-world projects.

This summer, Mr. Ben will guide students through gardening, stewardship, creative projects, and community-based work as they prepare for the transition into our adolescent program year.

Last week, our lab schools gathered at the garden for our annual butterfly release. We watched as the butterflies emerged in their own time, surrounded by students, guides, families, and neighbors who have shaped this school year.

Moments like these remind us what meaningful learning can look like when designed intentionally. Without prizes or manufactured novelty, children grow within community, participating in the world with curiosity, independence, and intrinsic motivation.

As we move into summer, our feed will grow quieter for a season. We’ll continue sharing occasional updates through stories, and we look forward to reconnecting after Labor Day.

FAQ Friday

Do you offer a summer program?

Yes. As a working micro farm, our adolescent program operates year-round to honor the agricultural cycle. From June–August, adolescents participate in a lighter Summer Stewardship Session. Summer Stewardship is not required, but strongly encouraged for students who wish to remain connected to the land, community, and responsibilities of the micro farm year-round.

Full FAQs here:
https://www.meridian-learning.org/lab-schools/meridian-micro-farm/adolescent-program/adolescent-faq/

A summer rooted in meaningful work, hands-on learning, and real community.

Meridian Micro Farm’s Summer Stewardship is a small-group program for ages 12–15 centered around gardening, building projects, sustainability, makerspace activities, and community-based learning.

Summer Stewardship - Meridian Learning Summer — designed specifically for adolescents. Our Summer Stewardship is a two-day-per-week experience grounded in land-based work, shared responsibility, and the rhythms of the season. Students return each week to ongoing work at the micro farm, contributing to projects that evolve over time. At...

FAQ Friday

Isn’t this a radical new approach to the typical high school experience?

Not really. Before consolidation and standardization, adolescents were educated in small, multi-age environments where learning was closely connected to real responsibility and practical contribution.

There are also more recent examples, such as Metro Chicago’s “the school without walls” that demonstrate how community-based, experience-driven models can be highly successful, even if they were never intended to scale system-wide. Our program builds on this lineage by prioritizing adolescent development, meaningful work, and participation in real life rather than adherence to a factory-style school model.

Full FAQs here:
https://www.meridian-learning.org/lab-schools/meridian-micro-farm/adolescent-program/adolescent-faq/

The adolescent program at Meridian Micro Farm balances a focused morning work cycle with hands-on, real-world experiences, where students build responsibility and explore entrepreneurship in a small-group setting.

Explore 2026-2027 enrollment options: https://www.meridian-learning.org/lab-schools/meridian-micro-farm/adolescent-program/

Each Meridian Micro Farm workshop begins with hands-on work that invites curiosity through the senses.

For Harvest, Herbs & Seasonal Flavors, we’ll start with detailed botanical coloring pages — a simple, creative way to notice form, pattern, and texture before exploring the scents and flavors of the season. 🌿