Week 1: June 9th-14th

We sprang head first into spring this week at the farm, and there were many highlights from our first week of Farm Friends!

We started our garden journey with planting. Farm friends planted their own plants to observe in small cups, but also helped plant vegetables and flowers in our garden beds. We also had fun watering and caring for the flowers that we already had planted. Other plant activities included seed art creation, nature scavenger hunts, flower stamping, making seed bombs to take home, and exploring the woods with walkie-talkie hide and seek! All of these activities led to many organic conversations about plant care, plant life cycle, plant types, and the uses of plants. We also read a Cherokee creation story about strawberries, while observing our own strawberry plant.

The baby animals of the farm were favorites to learn about, hold, and observe. The biggest “miracle moment” included some chicks hatching right in front of our students from within our incubator. We also had many chick surprises when we went out to check on our older hens! Our new rabbits, only 12 weeks old, are becoming more and more used to being held and fed from small hands. The current batch of kittens are at a very playful stage, and a group of farm friends set up a “kitten rescue” show for parents during pick up, which included preparing a script, signs and decorations, and welcoming parents with refreshments. The lambs were also fun to greet; particularly Doug, our smallest lamb who was new to the farm this week. Doug had a leg injury at his original farm during his first week of life, and though he only has 3 working legs, he is able to follow children around (especially when they are holding his bottle!) and is always willing to accept a hug.

Though the new life on the farm was fun and exciting, nothing beats our time together as Farm Friends! Some favorite play activities included the gaga ball pit, the parachute, and the walkie talkies. We played many silly games together, but the best to watch was the Egg Olympics, where students were challenged to carry an egg on a spoon. We even “stepped it up” by asking them to carry the spoon in their mouth, and then to walk backwards! During our few rainy moments this week, we enjoyed creating some new Lego sets and making some pearler bead creations. We also had a great time on Friday with our “make-it man”, Landon Williams, where we built our big big BIG outdoor mud kitchen! We ended our week with learning some bonfire making techniques and discussing fire safety. (And, of course, cooking marshmallows!).

Spring is definitely better when we’re together!