Exploring Life & Business with Helene (Elle) Harvey of A New Leaf Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Helene (Elle) Harvey.

Hi Helene (Elle), please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
A New Leaf opened its doors in May 2005 with the first season of summer camps, and in the fall, I welcomed our first preschool students. It has been an amazing journey alongside many fantastic Nashville families. Some of the children are now grown and have been working with us. This fills me with so much joy! My coming into the role of teacher sneaked up on me by surprise.

It began in the early 1980s during my Bachelor’s at L’Université de Montréal where I enjoyed teaching a class titled Fresh Water Ecology to local SCUBA diving groups. I guess I was following in the footsteps of my hero, Jacques Cousteau. Becoming a teaching assistant during my Master’s degree at Simon Fraser University and my Ph.D. at the University of Arizona was also filled with satisfying experiences sharing research and ideas. But it is when I began to work with the National Science Foundation to develop science inquiry curriculum at the K-12 levels working with teachers in their classrooms that my interest in education really began to take center stage. At the tail end of this work, my family moved to Austin, Texas and we were lucky to be able to enroll our two years old son in the All Austin Cooperative Nursery School. There I fell in love with the Reggio way of teaching and discovered how much I adore working with younger students. I have yet to go to Reggio Emilia, Italy, but I visited many Reggio inspired schools in the USA as well as trained with the Italian educators. Being co-researchers with children within the stimulating context of developing an emergent curriculum while exploring one hundred languages of expression is a celebration of life itself!

In addition to Reggio, A New Leaf is also inspired by the Forest Kindergarten and Outdoor Education movements. Being in nature to study our environment and our relationship with it is fascinating and crucial for the future of humanity on Earth. Our campus at the Charlotte location and our work at Pip and Pickles Farm have been instrumental in propelling educational experiences for children that speak to bridge the gap of “The Nature Deficit Disorder” coined by Richard Louv and raise children who see themselves as part of nature with respect and love. All of these experiences combine to educate the whole child in all developmental domains for a joyful lifelong learning journey. Let’s travel together!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh, it has been a long road since we have been combining elements of different philosophies, we have not fitted easily into a mold of conformity for city and state regulations. It has been hard to find appropriate properties to rent or purchase that would allow us to develop nature programming. City zoning and codes restrictions have caused many delays, but some very nice people in many departments of city government and volunteers on the BZA have helped us along the way!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
A New Leaf Nashville offers educational opportunities for children ages 1 to 14 years old. To begin with, families of children ages 1 to 5 can join us at Pip and Pickles farm for an adult/child playgroup experience called Triangle Play. At the farm, we also hold enrichment programs for homeschooling families and summer camps. Our Junior Farm Apprentice program engages students in goat care, goat-herding, chicken care, and growing vegetables and flowers. Our STEAM programs are designed to supplement homeschool students with science inquiry and presentation skills. At our Charlotte campus, children ages 2 to 5 learn in the Reggio philosophy and explore 32 acres of natural features. Every February, we proudly present the Bare Branches Festival, a great opportunity for Nashvillians to enjoy playing outdoors. We are also developing a Reggio Inspired Nature Education elementary school program to roll out this fall.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We welcome volunteers to work and contribute to our farm programs for families. We are also planning to expand our little farmer’s market! During our festival, we ask for donations from businesses to raise money with a silent auction. We also welcome musicians to play for fundraising. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: anewleafnashville.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pipandpicklesfarm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anewleafnashville