9/14/20 & 9/15/20

This week's classes were able to milk the goats!  There were some students who were natural milkers! 

 

After morning chores and our goat milking was complete, the kids began their art project.  Each child had a piece of card stock covered with a contact-paper stencil.  We worked on swirling colors to create different looks without blending it all together.  We talked a little about the terms homogeneous and heterogeneous, and even applied it to our milk lesson!  Milk from the store is "homogenized", or blended together in a way that so the fats cannot separate and float to the top.

 

We aren't only working with colors and paints in art... the kids are also learning to listen, follow directions, and improvise when things aren't working the way you want them to!  We will be peeling back the chicken stencils next week to reveal their final results!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The class also learned a few Spanish words with Ms. Miranda this week!  They learned a few terms for animals here on the farm, and we will post some fun (optional) practice games to do at home.

 

After lunch, the class worked on handwriting, sang their continents song to review the names of the continents, and learned about animal adaptations.  The class focused on different bird beaks and how they are needed for different foods/environments.   Ms. Christi led the kids through an activity where they were able to compare different types of beaks in different scenarios.  They used a "warbler beak" made from a straw and a "duck bill" made from a paper cup to try to "eat" foods.  They found that the warbler beak was able to pick up the foods without picking up other things, like rocks, but the duck bill was better at scooping.

 

 

At the end of the day, the students listened to a story about a cactus called, "Cactus Hotel."  The story is about the long life of a cactus in the desert.  There were many different animal adaptations mentioned in the story, and the students were able to make connections to what they learned in the previous lesson.

Welcome, Tuesday Class!

We're off to a great start!

During our Farm Fusion class, the kids learned the ropes with a farm tour and chore groups.  Each small group had an experienced farm helper to show them the correct feed to use, how much to give, etc.  We talked about herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores, and applied that to the different feeds and animals here on the farm.  It's important to give the right thing to the right animal!

Our bottle calf will only be on the bottle for a few more weeks, so we will begin this year by rotating out the chore groups weekly.  This will give everyone a chance to feed Bean the calf before she's weaned!  We have to wean Bean!  Ha!

I know everyone has been cooped up since March, so we made sure to give the kids a lot of breaks to run and play.  The weather was perfect!  After snack, the class learned about the different food groups. 

This was our intro to the dairy lesson.  The kids learned about the udders and teats of both goats and cows.  Then, they learned the technique of hand-milking.  We started out of non-latex gloves this week, but after some practice on the gloves, the kids will try milking the goats next week!

The class also worked a little in the garden with Ms. Miranda.  They helped to prep the beds and plant some beets.  We will be talking about fall vs. spring/summer crops soon.

After lunch, we began academic lessons with Ms. Christi.  The class learned a song to help them remember the continents, talked about the equator, and found the continents on maps.  The kids listened as Ms. Christi read the story, Albert.  This book is about two cardinals who built a nest in an unusual place.  

Then, each student was given a baggie of items they could use to construct their own nest.  They could get creative, making a nest that was sturdy, but tall.  They even were given a little pull-ball "chick" at the end that must stay put in the nest.  At the end, the kids discussed ways that worked and didn't work.  Ms. Christi talked about how success isn't about getting things right the first time!  Scientists and engineers must constantly troubleshoot and solve problems that arise!

5/13/19

Well, that's a wrap!

I must say, this year has been pretty magical.  I decided today that out of everything that I raise and grow here, I love growing little people the most!  We played and laughed and learned all year, and today was the cherry on top.  This group has come such a long way.  Not only have they learned new concepts, terms, etc., but they have learned how to communicate, how to give and take, how to display frustration in healthy ways, how to help others, and how to be responsible.  I am immensely proud of each and every one of them!

I hope the lessons they learned here on the farm help them to tackle obstacles, come up with solutions, handle disappointments, overcome heartaches, and revel in the beauty of this amazing life. 

 

5/6/19

The school year is definitely wrapping up... you can feel it in the air!  In May, the kids are always especially active.  So, we "got our wiggles out" many times today!

After our animal chores, the kids met inside for a little lesson on chicks, ducklings, turkey poults, and guinea keets.  (We mixed in some phonics as we talked about different ways that the long e can be written.)  Each of the different types of poultry have specific personalities!  The turkeys are usually shy and reserved.  They move slowly and duck and hide when they are scared.  In contrast, guinea keets are completely spastic!  They freak out and run at full speed, even running straight into things!  The class met a few babies, and then we got up out of our seats to duckwalk around the building.... yes, even me!

While they had snack, the class read their barn cat stories that they worked on at home.  Their writing has improved so much over the year.  By the end of our stories, the class was vibrating with energy once again!  We made our way to the yard, and the kids and I "shook it out" to some music!  I cranked up "I Know a Chicken", and the kids and I sang as loudly as possibly while shaking out "eggs" to the music!

Last week, the kids learned the importance of soybean farming.  They were able to see how slow the process of candle-dipping can be!  This week, each student was able to choose their own essential oil scent (or make a combination of their own), and then they made pour candles in 4oz jars.  We reviewed the terms transparent, translucent, and opaque.  I think they will remember those terms from here on out!

We ended our day with a game.  Two students were our livestock guardian dogs (or LGDs), and the rest were the foxes.  The foxes had to run across the yard and carefully step into their den (hula hoop) without knocking it down.  One by one, the foxes entered the den until it fell.  Then, they all had to sprint back to base before the LGD's caught them!

In the afternoon, the kids talked about the last few chapters of Swiss Family Robinson. They have been doing a great job with their reading comprehension questions!  We reviewed them, discussed the different places on the island, and worked on their map activity.  They used acrylic paints to lay out the island's main features.  We will assemble all of the pieces to this project next week.

Show & Tell!

The class did an awesome job on this week's writing assignment!  They could choose to write a research essay on ostriches or to get creative and write about how the story would have been different it their own family had been stranded on the island instead of the Robinson's!  


The kids learned about birds, specifically owls.  Today, they learned how owls swallow their food whole and then regurgitate the hair and bones in the form of a pellet.  The class worked in groups to dissect owl pellets and investigate the findings.  They compared the bones they found to their charts, and they were able to determine what types of animals were consumed.  They were also able to tell that owls each more than one rodent at a time!  Some owl pellets contained multiple skulls!







We will be wrapping up our school year next week, and I cannot believe it!  This year has simply flown by, and this group of students has been an absolute joy to teach!