One of the main attractions for us about SPL's elementary school was the presence of a farm on campus. It's a cornerstone of the developmentally based, progressive education that the school strives to embody and it helps foster an awareness of the environment, care for animals, cooperative learning, and social interactions. We see it also as a natural extension of the outdoor preschool that SPL attended for 2 years when he was three and four years old.
This year I have enjoyed being a volunteer on the days SPL's class goes to the farm (2X/month or so). Usually I am assigned to supervise the kids with the animals (
, and 15 chickens) as I am very comfortable around them, but sometimes I get to be the garden group volunteer or some other role. It's fun to watch the kids interact with the animals: petting them,
,
(chickens only),
and
, and every so often having to remind one of them that they are guests in the animals' home as one students gets a bit carried away and chases a chicken across the paddock.
We are fortunate to have 2 part-time teachers who work on the farm:
and
who oversees the operation of the garden, animals and other aspects of the farm. Both are tremendous resources.
This year the students have learned about
, characteristics of the
, and
Thank you to the families who support the Farm both financially and with their time, as it is all a parent run organization!