Cultivating the Adolescent Brain: MIDB’s Genius Labs Initiative Awakens Potential Through Nature and Play

Genius Labs is an experiential educational initiative that connects brain science, agriculture, and daily life. Through a blend of classroom learning and immersive farm experiences, the program helps students understand how food, nature, and play shape the developing adolescent brain.

Developed through a partnership between the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB) and the Lake City Catholic Worker Farm, Genius Labs invites students to explore how their environment influences their health and wellbeing. Moving from the classroom to the regenerative farm, young people see firsthand how soil health, nutrition, and surroundings serve as literal building blocks for brain development. By grounding neuroscience in lived experience, the initiative transforms abstract scientific ideas into practical insights students can apply to their everyday choices.

Genius Labs was created by MIDB’s Reynolds-Anthony Harris and rethinks how we support young people during critical years of growth. Rather than focusing solely on academic performance, it encourages students to explore their own interests, strengths, and curiosity while learning how to care for their brains.

“The core of the initiative is the belief that every child has their own ‘inner genius,’” says Harris. “It isn’t a rare trait reserved for a few. It’s a capacity for creativity and understanding that every child has. We wanted to create spaces, whether in the classroom or on the farm, where kids can discover how their unique brain works and how to support it.”

Engagement with the regenerative farm serves as a gateway to understanding the brain. Genius Labs is built around three research-backed pillars: eating real food, spending time in nature, and making room for play and creativity. Paul and Sara Freid, who lead the Lake City Catholic Worker Farm and help facilitate the initiative, work closely with MIDB leadership to ensure each activity is grounded in science.

Each experience offers students practical tools to support both their brain and emotional health. "Throughout every interaction, students were encouraged to spend time outdoors, eat nourishing whole foods, and engage in play and creative expression—habits that promote resilience, curiosity, and wellbeing,” the Freids explain.

Over the past two years, the partnership between MIDB and the Lake City Catholic Worker Farm has reached more than 1,000 students. Following a seasonal cycle, the initiative allows students to witness the full journey of food production and reflect on how those processes relate to their own growth and health.

Genius Labs currently partners with a diverse range of schools across Minnesota, including Cotter Schools in Winona, Metro Schools and College Prep in Minneapolis, and Bdote Learning Center and Urban Academy in St. Paul. By building sustained relationships with schools, the initiative ensures these lessons resonate beyond a single visit and continue to influence students and their families.

Beyond immediate health benefits, Genius Labs fosters a deeper respect for the environment and the essential role regenerative farming plays in every community. It’s about more than agriculture or nutrition—it’s about giving young people the knowledge and agency to care for their own wellbeing.

“Experiences on the farm make brain science tangible,” says Harris. “When students engage their senses through growing, harvesting, and play, they’re reinforcing the very systems that support learning, resilience, and emotional health.”

At its heart, Genius Labs helps young people see themselves as active participants in their own development. By connecting brain science with food, nature, and play, the initiative cultivates curiosity, confidence, and a lasting sense of responsibility for both personal health and the world they inhabit.