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Suggested Activities

Children look at or feel different items and describe the differences they see or feel:

• different soil types (clay, organic/ muck soil, sand, gravel) • different cereal heads, individual grain seeds, dry oatmeal porridge, loaf of bread, croutons, etc. • different grains

• four • straw

• wool, hide, feathers, mane, etc.

Children feel things that they can’t see by putting their hand through a hole in a wall and touching items in the categories listed above.

To feature a cereal crop, show what the crop looks like as it grows, how it is harvested, and what it is processed into. Are there different uses for the different parts of that plant (grain kernels, straw, stubble, roots)? Demonstrate how to grind the crop, (historical method, modern techniques) and show what the grain then looks like. Have a display of the many products made from that crop. Have the children handle (feel) the grain in its different stages as well as the different part of the plant. Have groups count the seeds in a head of grain and record the number each group counted to get an average. Explain how you planted one seed and each seed produced one head. These same activities can be done with any crop.

Set up large containers with different kinds of soils (sand, loam, clay, organic/muck soil, compost), and have students feel the differences among the different soils. Show them how water passes through different soils at different rates. Talk about how plants decompose to add health to the soil. Have children handle earthworms

Animal

Education Area

An animal education area with two weaned animals of each species (calves, pigs, sheep, goats and 20 chicks) requires either suitable, clean housing in a child safe barn, or outside corrals for each pair of animals. You also need to budget for their feed, straw, hay, grain and commercial feed from May through November. Replace the animals with younger animals each year.

Budget items include:

• $650 to purchase eight young animals (two calves, two pigs, two sheep, two goats) plus 20 chicks.

• $1,000 for feed for the eight animals and chicks for six months.

• $500 for a wooden shed inside the corral to give animals protection from rain and heat.

• $300 for each 16’ x 16’ corral to house each pair of animals.

The corral includes:

• Eight cedar posts, 8’ long, spaced 8’ apart ($80). • 60’ of 4’ high fencing (12.5 gage corn crib wire) ($80).

• Spruce 2 x 4s to run along the top of the cedar posts as well as at ground level. The fence will be fastened to these 2 x 4s ($25). • 4’ x 4’ metal gate ($115).

A great resource for organizing fun farm related educational activities is the book Project Seasons published by Shelburne Farms in Vermont. It is available at http://store.shelburnefarms.org/category/education_resources