KALE
Outreach Environmental Education
KALE, Kid’s Agricultural Learning Experience, is two part, agriculture-based education program for students grades 5K – 12. Consisting of an in-class lesson and a field trip to the GRP farm, KALE invites students to get their hands dirty and discover the wonders of where our food comes from. Our goal for KALE participants is to connect classroom concepts to concrete, joyful experiences of ecology in the context of a working farm. Exploring the farm as an ecosystem, students learn about our role in the food cycle, farming practices, and protecting the environment through the everyday choices we make.
At GRP, we are committed to providing environmental education experiences that are accessible for our surrounding communities. We operate payment for the farm visit on a sliding scale, and are more than willing to work with you to make the field trip possible. If the field trip portion of KALE is not possible for your class, we are happy to provide an in-class ecological experience for free. For 2023, KALE will be running from late March-May on weekdays. Schools and homeschool groups interested in planning a KALE experience should contact our Americorps service member, and our Director of Education and Outreach, .
Our Educational Farm
Green River Preserve maintains a five-acre working farm for the benefit of all our programming year-round, generating a half a ton of produce this past year for our farm-to-table initiative during summer camp and SEE programs. However, our farm is not only designed to produce food, but also to be an outdoor classroom for all who visit the preserve.
Unlike most farms that line the Green River Valley, the GRP farm does not use industrial-scale equipment, pesticides, or herbicides. Rather, everything is done by hand, employing the resources our land and community provide. Using regenerative farming practices that promote biodiversity, our farm is structured to assimilate with the surrounding natural ecosystem, and show students how we are a part of that ecosystem. Situated alongside the Green River itself, our farm is home to an orchard, an abundance of pollinators, vegetable and flower gardens, and several different types of livestock- all of which are open for student exploration.
To learn more about KALE and our farm, click here to download and read our Program Guide.
2023 Dates
| Dates Available | School Served |
|---|---|
| April 3rd | Brevard Academy |
| April 5th | Open |
| April 7th | Open |
| April 12th | Open |
| April 14th | Carolina Day School |
| April 17th | Open |
| April 18th | Brevard Academy |
| April 19th | The Mountain Community School |
| April 21st | Spartanburg Day School |
| May 8th | Mountain Sun Community School |
Last week in April reserved for small groups (25 or less). Dates in May available upon request.
Directions to KALE:
Please use the address 6371 Green River Road, Zirconia, NC 28790.
- From I-26, take Hwy 25 South toward Greenville.
- Take Exit 3, Green River Road.
- Turn right going west toward DuPont State Forest.
- The farm is 6 miles down Green River Road, on the left. It is the last house on the left before the road turns to gravel. The house is grey with green shutters.