Students at MSNE work on multiple motor, cognitive, sensory, language and social skills within the relaxing context of gardening.
At the Foss site, the greenhouse and multiple vegetable and flower gardens promote gardening most of the year. Indoor lights, raised beds, and an "Adopt-A-Spot" garden bed allow gardening at the Williams site.
In lessons designed and adapted to incorporate curriculum and individual education plan goals, students learn about the life cycle of a plant, from planting seeds, to caring for plants, to harvesting seeds and edible plants. Many of the gardens are based on themes, such as the octagonal "pizza garden," in which the various ingredients of pizza sauce are grown in each "slice."
In the fall, the students harvest the ingredients, make pizza sauce, and create individual pizzas for a pizza party.