When the Riverside County Office of Education’s (RCOE) Project Search Program was forced to suspend their school-to-work transition program for students at Riverside Community Hospital in March 2020 due to safety concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic, the critical life skills and vocational learning program for students with special needs was interrupted with no re-start options in sight.
“The first 30-60 days of distance learning was difficult for our students as they truly missed the opportunity to work at the hospital,” said Dr. Barbara Sorter, Administrator for Special Education/Vocational Education at RCOE.
Distance learning options were identified to keep students engaged, but there was simply no replacement for immersive, hands-on learning experiences that built a sense of personal and professional responsibility and a sense of belonging for students.
The Project Search team began thinking about out-of-the-box ways to bring a vocational focus into the “learning from home” setting—and a seed of an idea took root that was so out-of-the-box, that it included actual boxes.
“We were already thinking long-term, that the shut-down might be extended and that students would be at home for a while,” said Dr. Sorter. “We kept asking ourselves ‘How do you get students with severe disabilities outside safely to do something they will enjoy?’”
The idea? Teach the benefits of horticulture for the well-being of students with disabilities by providing personal gardening boxes and building lessons that help them grow alongside their own vegetables and plants.
The idea not only connected to healthy habits, but also allowed for the development of independent skills, was low maintenance, and would be easy to implement via distance learning.
“We really believed it would be something that would help them feel positive about themselves and help them continue to grow as individuals,” Dr. Sorter said.
In May 2020, the Project Search team submitted an application for a Unique Projects grant that is offered annually by the Riverside County Board of Education for programs and services at RCOE. In November 2020, the team was notified that their application was accepted with a budget of $3,100.
The Project Search team immediately took out their calendars and began planning, and making schedules to capitalize on the upcoming planting season.
Sue Ream, the teacher for the Project Search program, immediately started assembling lesson plans and curriculum to introduce lessons on the growth cycle, soil, seeds, sun, and water, as well as the materials that would soon be arriving at students’ doorsteps.
The materials arrived in late January 2021, and the boxes, seeds, soil, tools, gloves, and a gardening journal, were delivered to students’ homes beginning in February. Staff worked with parents to ensure that backyards at home and apartment patios were ready to accommodate the personal garden boxes.
Students were given choices of what they wanted to grow—flowers, radishes, tomatoes, squash, peppers, or zucchini. Through videos, PowerPoint lessons, and customized lessons, students learned what they needed ahead of each step of the planting, growing, and harvesting process. Along the way, they would measure their progress, record their observations in journals, and share with each other during online class sessions.
“Everybody would bring their computer to their planter, put on gloves, and then we’d say, ‘Let’s water together!’ It was very cool and collaborative,” said Mrs. Ream. “When you grow a flower or your first squash, you can hold it up and share that you’re proud of something and that bumps up your levels of happiness and purpose. Along the way, students were gaining independence, vocational training, how to take care of something, and all of the mental benefits that come along with it.”
One student, named Matthew, shared that it was “great fun to plant the plants and watch them grow.” Feedback from families was that they enjoyed spending time with their (young adult) children as they did something that made them happy and taught them a skill.
“We are excited that, even in a pandemic, we can offer this creative vocational training, pursued independently, delivered safely online, and able to keep the students engaged all the way through the summer into the fall,” Mrs. Ream said.