Week 2 Update- Ms. Keely’s Busy Bees
Hi Parents!
This week at farm school was all about chickens. We started our day with some free play while everyone was getting settled. We played a game of Simon Says and Blind Samurai. Blind Samurai is a fun game with one person blindfolded in the middle of the circle. They have a pretend sword (made from a pool noodle). They try to touch the people around the circle with the sword. If a person gets touched, they sit down. The last person standing is the next blind samurai.
Then, we reviewed agreements for our class and the rules of the farm. We followed with a book called Chicks and Chickens, by Gail Gibbons. It is a great nonfiction book all about chickens. We learned how to care for chickens and about how to tell a rooster from a hen. We talked about eggs and how to handle eggs. After discussing safety precautions for the chickens, we went to visit the chickens.
Walk slowly in the chicken yard.
Stay away from the rooster. The rooster is the boss.
Keep your eyes on the chickens. Never put your back to the chickens.
Do not try to pet them.
The kids were able to go inside the chicken yard. They did a great job of moving slowly and keeping their eyes on the chickens. Our farm chore for the week was to feed and water the chickens. Also, they collected the eggs. They loved helping! Collecting the eggs was the most exciting part of visiting the chickens. Everyone wanted those eggs! We made our way back to our class to do more “eggsploring.” The kids each had a turn to hold an egg. The kids made predictions of whether or not a chick was in the egg. Most of the kids predicted a chick was in the egg. Time to crack the egg…they did a drum roll with their hands on the ground. No chick! Some were completely confused and blown away. I explained that hens must sit on eggs to keep them warm for a chick to grow. A hen needs to sit on her eggs for a few weeks. This particular egg had been laid the night before or that morning, so it was fresh and had not been there long enough for a chick to grow. Also, we talked about the eggs that we eat do not have chicks inside. This was almost like magic for their sweet, growing 3 year old brains!
We had a snack before heading off on a hike. A hike with three year olds is more of a walk, by the way. We visited the other chicken coop. They picked flowers along our walk and sat down to rest a lot! I showed them the grape vines and where the grapes grow on the vines before being harvested. They were getting tired, so we headed back to our class. They needed lots of rest breaks due to the heat, but they made it. We made it back in time to use the bathroom and wash hands before lunch. We had a quiet lunch, and some of the kids chose to lay down on their towels after eating. Others enjoyed some free play. I pulled a few kids at a time. They made a cute chick hatching craft. They colored and glued everything while I did the cutting with scissors. They aren’t quite ready for scissors yet. Some of the kids wanted to continue coloring with markers while others played at the play area. That wrapped up our day together. We had a fun day!
Looking forward to next week!
Ms. Keely
