Kim Aman teaches schoolchildren the joys of working in the garden.
Kim Aman, known as “Farmer Kim” to hundreds of students since she created the Moss Haven Farm in 2004, has won the Harmony Hero Award from EarthKind, a plant-based pest prevention company. EarthKind has recognized one teacher each month over the last year, and Aman received their overall grand prize – an all-expense paid trip for four to Mexico’s Kingdom of Monarchs Habitat.
“Aman has been a trailblazer in eco-education for 30 years,” says Kari Warberg Block, CEO and founder of EarthKind, which has been celebrating the Year of the Monarch. “She is a one-of-a-kind leader who imparts new ideas and skills to her students as they move through their educational journeys. Her inspirational impact on children, schools and her community, along with her commitment to preserving and protecting the threatened monarch butterfly population, drove our decision in selecting her as the 2021 Harmony Hero award winner.”
Aman impressed judges with her Grow Garden Grow program, which works with 13 schools to bring outdoor garden-based learning to 3,000 students in North Texas each month. Her lessons delight students with information about the environment, sustainability, their connection to the planet and monarch protection and migration.
“Monarchs are highlights of our program,” says Aman. “The twice a year migration of the monarchs are spectacular events in our gardens that are prepared by planting milkweed and pollinators. Students track migrations, gather data, and tag them for ‘Monarch Watch’ research every year. We celebrate them on every level and pause to enjoy them as they flutter through our gardens.”
Aman also teaches students how to be mindful about their usage of resources and water, how to compost, how to investigate soil, and how to look for seasonal patterns in nature.
“Our students are agents of change,” she says. “We teach them to respect the environment, to protect the monarchs and to create native spaces for animals to thrive in. The biggest takeaway they gain from our garden programs is the magical connections with nature. Creating healthier, happier and smarter kids is what we’re all about.”
During the pandemic, Aman started the North Texas School Garden Network to better build the monarch movement and support monarch migration in her region. The program works with different educators to help implement sustainable school gardens in their communities. At a national level, Aman also works with the Slow Food USA Garden Network to strengthen the school garden movement across the country.
The World Wildlife Federation (WWF) manages Mexico’s Kingdom of Monarchs biosphere, and Aman says she’ll invite her husband and two Grow Garden Grow team members to join her on the adventure to Mexico.
“Creating healthier, happier and smarter kids is what we’re all about,” says Aman.
