Aquidneck Community Table has partnered with Thompson Middle School to bring its Food Explorers garden education program to students in the school’s Life Skills Program, the nonprofit announced Thursday.
The curriculum-integrated program, which launches this month, will provide hands-on garden education and STEM learning focused on food literacy, the organization said.
“Food is power. It sits at the center of community, culture, and health,” said Rose Jones, ACT executive director. “Providing young people with meaningful opportunities to learn about, and grow, their food is an important part of building a strong and fair food system that serves all and supports healthier people and communities.”
The partnership builds on ACT’s work at Pell Elementary School, where the organization has operated the Food Explorers program since 2018. That school’s outdoor classroom includes 13 raised-bed gardens where students develop science skills, environmental awareness and healthier relationships with food.
Alexander Hoglund, a special educator in Thompson’s Life Skills Program, said the collaboration will help students develop practical skills.
“Knowing where food comes from, and how to grow and prepare it, is a vital life skill,” Hoglund said. “Through this partnership, students will not only tend garden spaces, but also connect more deeply with nature and their peers, and build confidence and competencies that support their broader work inside and outside the classroom.”
Food Explorers is described as an inclusive, sensory-friendly STEM and garden education program that supports students’ technical skills along with self-regulation, leadership and social connection.
ACT also offers Food Explorer programming at its farmers’ markets. More information is available at actlocalri.org.
