Week 1 Update - Young Farmers

Welcome (and welcome back)!

Boy, it was a cold one yesterday! Temperatures never got higher than 45°, so we had to really work to keep warm. After a fast-moving game of Scramble, we got to work building fires. 

First we reviewed the ABCs of fire safety:

A - Adult Supervision
B - Barrier (a firepit or other enclosure intended for fires)
C - Current Climate (checking the weather for wind and status of any current burn ban)
D - Distance (Our fire pit is far enough away from flammable materials above and around that we can safely light a fire)
E - Extinguisher (We must have a hose or water nearby before lighting a fire) 

After collecting tinder, kindling and fuel, we practiced lighting our tinder in different ways: ferro rods (physical), steel wool & 9V battery (electrical) and matches (chemical). Next time, we’ll attempt fire making using friction with bow drills. 

We heated up a pot of water over the fire and enjoyed hot cups of tulsi and lavender herb tea (both herbs are grown here on the farm.)

For farm chores, we were on chicken duty this week - so we fed them, collected eggs and set up the next batch of fermented feed (healthy probiotics!) We then walked the farm to observe changes and saw lots of freeze damage, though many of the crops are already showing signs of recovery. We also checked out the new improved weather station where the classes will take turns recording weather data each week. Using the ID card, we determined that we had stratus clouds overhead, which often indicate impending precipitation. 

After snack, we worked on the pathways around our outdoor classroom area, clearing out prickly pears and pruning mesquite branches to make it easier to travel around without getting poked. We also chose our individual sit spots for next week. This will be our “secret place” to quietly sit and observe nature on a regular basis. 

After lunch, we finished off the day with an awesome game of Capture the Flag - they even got me to play. We were plenty warm (and tired) by the end of the day!

Sorry for the lack of pictures - my phone battery died early. I promise we’ll have more next time. 

Have a great week,

Ms. Bridget