Week 1 Update - Mr. Austen’s Explorers
Our first day of Farm School was all about acquainting ourselves with one another and the environment we'll be exploring over the next nine weeks.
The day began as most days will with our opening circle. Here the students are encouraged to share their names (at least until everyone learns them) and a fun fact about their interests. Today's topic was, "What is your favorite animal?" Lots of chickens, cows and puppies in this group :)
Next, we introduced our classroom agreements. These agreements serve as the social contract by which we govern ourselves at the farm including:
- I will listen to my mentor at all times
- I will be kind to others with my words and actions
- I will respect all life on the farm
In order to get our bodies (and brains) moving we played a few rounds of "Simon Says," followed by a rousing game of "The Floor is Lava!" After fueling up with a quick snack, we began our tour of the farm where we observed the many different wild edible plants, flowers, and insects (ask your kiddo about their favorites!)
During the tour, after walking the rows and learning about all the many different types of vegetables we’re growing (and tasting a few, with Mr. Austen’s permission) - we arrived at our compost area. While explaining to the students how compost is made, specifically the necessity of both “greens” and “browns,” one of our friends, Sam, exclaimed, “Mr. Austen! So, I think… ::furrows brow:: sometimes instead of throwing your food in the trash, you can throw it on your plants to help them grow!”
Though there were a few crucial steps and many months of decomposition that were missing in this hypothesis, it is exciting to see young minds becoming accustomed to the idea that what they may have considered waste in the past is actually useful fuel with which we can build healthy soil so our plants can thrive.
We then stopped at the chicken pen (a perennial favorite) and tossed our hens and roosters some feed while learning about their combs, waddles, feathers and more. Finally, we arrived at the weather station to observe and discuss the temperature, wind and atmospheric conditions of the day.
Following our farm tour we sat down for lunch and story time. We read "A Perfect Day," a tale of what turned out to be a perfect day for some furry friends that took an unexpected turn!
To wrap up the day, the students paired up with a buddy or two to complete a Scavenger Hunt - many exciting discoveries were made and new friendships were forged. It was such a fun day and I am so grateful to have each of your children in my class this session.
I will be out next week, but Ms. Tammy will be looking after your little ones. See y'all on the 8th!
Mr. Austen