This week began our first week of fall and we had another gorgeous Tuesday for Farm Sprouts. To begin the afternoon, everyone signed in by making the first letter of their name out of wax sticks. They also voted for pears or apples, with pears receiving the most votes. Next week we’ll hunt for the pear trees on the farm and explore how and why fruit grows on some trees.
We made tracks in play dough and observed a tobacco hornworm. We shared ideas about what will happen to him and noted his colors and patterns. He has seven, white stripes lined with black and six, small circles on his bright, green body, along with the red “horn” which gives him his name.
During our morning gathering, we again sang “Buenos días” by José Luis Orozco and practiced introductions with puppets, a duck (“el pato”) and a pig (“el cerdo”). We also played instruments and danced to “Barnyard Dance” by Adam Bryant and Michael Ford.
In our outdoor classroom area, we personalized our nature journals, worked with corn, pigs, scoops, and containers in the sensory table, and planted lettuce to experiment with the growth rate, taste, and color of different varieties grown in the same conditions. We transferred the containers to the table outside the greenhouse. We went into the greenhouse to note the difference in temperature, feeling that it was too hot inside for our seeds to grow, as lettuce prefers cooler temperatures.
It was then time to feed our free-range ducks at the pond. We brought them a scoop of feed and everyone took turns adding some to their bowl. The ducks were interested and came right up to us! We noticed their bright, white feathers and orange, webbed feet and thought about the question, “How do ducks stay warm and dry?”
After feeding the ducks, we were feeling hungry ourselves. We returned to our classroom for Mini Garden Kitchen. We prepared carrot sticks and cucumber slices with tzatziki sauce for dipping.
Once our energy was restored, we headed out for the next adventure to the C.S.A. Garden to visit the pigs. On the way, we collected nature discoveries for our sticky bracelets. We carried our food scraps from our snack and fed them to the pigs. We noticed their body coverings, including hair, skin, and a layer of mud.
We took out our nature journals to document a discovery during our hike, some choosing to draw the pigs, others choosing flowers, such as the gorgeous celosa flowers growing in the garden.
We wrapped up the day by listening to a story and giving thanks for all we shared together. The group decided to read Ribbit!, by Rodrigo Folgueira, a story about friendship. We’re certainly making new friends and sharing in many new experiences together!
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