This Drying Rack was designed specifically for Montessori schools that have intensive gardening programs as part of their curriculum.

There are a surprising number of foods that can be dried in the sun, and this two-tiered rack allows you to place them on the open-air, wire mesh shelves.

To keep insects away, you can put cheesecloth directly on the mesh, lay down your fruits and vegetables, then cover with a second layer of cheesecloth.

Leave them in the sun to dry, with the aid of occasional turning, and cover them over at night to keep out the dampness.

Simple as that.

And because all fruits and vegetables are filled with water, they will begin looking different as they dry out and shrivel up, which is a perfect time to teach children about the critical need living things have for water.

This can lead to discussions about how precious clean water is, where it comes from, how it gets polluted, what happens to it inside living things (which include our bodies), and so on.

These racks have two levels so that both younger and older children can reach them.