Education - School Programs

                                 

We are always delighted to have groups of children visit the farm and participate in various activities that bring them into greater connection with how and where food is grown. In the Fall we have a number of field trips with children of different ages who participate in everything from potato harvesting to grain threshing. In the early Spring the children help with the maple syrup production. Their visits to the farm are often supported by the teachers who integrate the chidren's experiences into the curriculum upon returning to the classroom. A math lesson back in the classroom can tackle the potato harvest as the children divide the total amount harvested by the number of full share and half share CSA members. The younger children incorporate their farm experience into a larger class lesson on seasons and how farmers nourish the land. This year the farm will offer an expanded school field trip program, continued assistance with edible schoolyard projects and plans are afoot to offer a week-long summer program that brings kids into direct relationship with the working of the farm and the wonder of the woods through creative play and hands-on participation. We have also taken our teachings on the road with invitations from local public schools to speak to their students about how our food choices can make a positive difference. Elementary students are quick to grasp the concept of a carbon footprint when they are shown a map and can begin to see the tangible differences between choosing an apple grown in Chile and one that comes from within a mile of their backyard. We have also run a Roots and Shoots program in a grades 5-6 class, inspired by the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada, we learned how to connect our everyday choices and actions with climate change and the health and wellbeing of the animals who share this planet with us.