Week 1 Update- Young Farmers
We had an awesome first day today. We started off with a group game of Scramble, then broke off into our individual classes. After a quick warmup game of Name Toss which helped us quickly to learn each other’s names, we hiked over our to our outdoor classroom, where we gathered on our straw bale circle under the trees. After singing Happy Birthday to Ethan 🥳, we reviewed our agreements to set expectations during our time together. Here’s a quick summary so you are familiar with them:
I will be safe with my hands and feet.
Stop means stop and no means no.
I will speak respectfully to others.
I will respond to my mentor when addressed and return when I am called.
I will ask before picking or tasting a plant.
I will respect the plants and animals on the farm.
I will use all tools correctly and safely.
I am committed to reaching resolution when conflicts arise.
We then set up Sun Sticks as a way to determine the four directions in case we become lost in nature.
During snack time we challenged each other with some tricky riddles, then set off for a tour of our farm space. We started at the greenhouse, where we had a discussion about the seasonality of plants, and the difference between summer and winter crops grown here in Central Texas. Examples of summer plants are the fruting vegetables, such as tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, squash and okra. These are all currently growing on the farm, but will soon be replaced by fall/winter vegetables which this class will help plant. These are our leafy vegetables such as kale, lettuce and chard, and root vegetables like potatoes, garlic, carrots and beets.
We also visited the row beds and did some plant family ID. We finished by visiting the compost area, aka “the heart of the farm” Compost is a key ingredient of healthy soil and we’ll be learning lots more about the almost alchemical process that happens inside a compost pile. Hopefully, they catch my enthusiasm for it!
After lunch, practiced using compasses, then tested our skills for finding our bearings with a game called Silver Dollar Challenge.
We ended the day with a rousing game of Seagulls and French Fries (aka Foxtails.) I’m sure they slept well afterwards
Socially, they all did great. Though the group was a bit quiet at the beginning, there was plenty of engagement and connection by the end of the day.
A few housekeeping points:
Please remind them to bring towels and water bottles to class each week (we have plenty of filtered water for refills). They should all be wearing hats, too.
If rain is in the forecast, make sure that they are prepared with the jackets and appropriate footwear. We will be working all kinds of weather!
Homework this week: Find the grossest, rottenest, most disgusting, compostable thing they can find and bring it to class next week (ideally in a ziploc bag.) We’ll have a contest and vote next week to start off our lesson on composting.
Have a great weekend,
Ms. Bridget
