Lower School Students Connect to Autumn
We could not resist including a short excerpt from each of the third and fourth grade farm trips that are away from school this week. It is a thrill and joy to receive these nightly updates from the teachers and hear a snippet of the fantastic sensorial, active experiences that the children are having together.From Kate’s fourth grade farm trip: “We started off early this morning, some of us had to wake up at 5:45 to feed the animals! The rest of us got started around seven, waking to a beautiful, golden country morning. For breakfast, we had oatmeal with all the fixings to give us energy for the day ahead. We started off by cleaning up the farm house learning the basics of keeping our living space tidy. After that, we broke into two groups: One group went on a beautiful hike up a mountain. At the top was a view of the whole valley- breathtaking! The other group worked hard to help in the “Market Garden” which is where the farm grows produce to sell in local markets. After a yummy snack of popcorn and apple cider fresh from the presses yesterday, we divided into work groups, gardening, baking bread in a wood oven, and mucking out the cow barn. We sure were ready for lunch when it came!”
From Dot’s third grade farm trip: “After a restful and restorative sleep, we were up and at ’em taking care of the animals on the farm. The rule being that we need to take care of the animals first because then they can take care of us! For breakfast we stampeded (safely) to the communal tables to share pancakes dressed with maple syrup (tapped on site), sausage, and cantaloupe. … On the nature trail, we marveled at the gold and red leaves that canopied our walk and crunched under our feet. The same leaves we would later find next to the barn that were perfect for piling and diving into! … On the trail, we learned how one could find the North Star and use it to track their direction in the woods. We found unusual plant souvenirs, which you will probably find in your child’s jacket pocket on Friday. One child said about their finding, “Feel this. It feels like a balloon.” John showed us how to make a duck sound when we picked “quacking grass.” The children also trail blazed by leading us through the latter part of the trail. They scouted ahead to look for red ribbons tied around the trunks of birch bark trees and maples. Your children and the ribbons led us to a lean-to for a quick stop to gaze at birds’ nests before we took off down the hill for free time.”
Back at school we are connecting to autumn and the harvest-time bounty in other ways. There are sensorial and active opportunities right here close to home. Four year olds are touching and magnifying gourds, pumpkins, leaves, twigs, pine-cones and corn in the classroom. Below you see them hearing a story called, “Our Apple Tree.” Our kindergartens went to the Green Market yesterday. They chose apples, met farmers, and now will embark on all kinds of apple study and cooking projects. One kindergartener I spoke to said, “We got all different kinds of apples!” Below a group of students makes applesauce.
