Skip to main content

Discoveries at the Farm

It was a most beautiful day to head to the farm- sunny, crisp air and no agenda. The only task we had was to harvest our rutabaga. While on the bus, I overheard one of the children say that we needed to look at 'our' apple tree. I was pleased that they remembered our investigations and initiated this interest on their own. The children could not get out of the bus fast enough to see the tree. One child thought that perhaps it had 're-grown' its apples. However, after close observation, they announced that in fact there were no apples, nor leaves.

Instead of going to our own garden plot right away I invited them to explore the front gardens where we helped weed and turn soil with our big buddies. The pathways were frosty and loud crunching sounds echoed loudly. The children ran up and down,  enjoying their 'power' over the ice.






They peered in through the window of the "Living Seat"that resides in the front gardens at Terra Nova. They convinced themselves there was a rabbit in there and then someone exclaimed that the bunny had run away. They named the bunny Shelley and proceeded to call for it like one would a dog or cat. I believe this to be directly related to their experience at our grandpals, where a rabbit lives in an outdoor courtyard. They are fascinated with that elusive rabbit named Oatmeal and were ecstatic to see it on our last visit. At the seniors' home, we all walked around calling its name until we finally saw him.    I enjoyed watching them link these experiences, even in their own imaginations. The power of belief is so strong that soon many children were looking for this imaginary rabbit. Aren't children absolutely marvellous?



In their travels, they found beans, ice, a rotted carrot  (which Miele was very fond of and insisted on washing it of its dirt), and a frozen potato.








They found sticks of all shapes and sizes; the aftermath of a wind storm.


Sebastian collected these sticks to "make a house for my bean."


Sebastian was intrigued by this piece of a hose.



They dug up lots and lots of rutabagas, which we will cook and eat on Friday!




Our kale is still growing strong and the children pleaded and begged for it!

Koltyn insisted on closing up the bag with our rutabagas so ' they wouldn't fall out!"

Balancing on our friend's deck piping.

Navigating through the 'forest' and bushwhacking; quite a skill not to get ones eyes or face scratched.

Matias worked hard at emptying his own boot and putting it back on all by himself!


Crushing ice with big stomping feet.

What a glorious day, watching the children be free to explore and invent games that make sense in a child's mind but not necessarily in an adults mind. I admire their ability to engage in this free spirited play.  Can we adults learn how to let go and play without judgement? Let's try!

Emily

Comments

Vanessa said…
Thank you for your posts!!! It answers so many questions left on my mind after I get the daily report from Sebastian, and it makes me happy to know that he tells me every detail (that most of the times I though he was making it up). He is enjoying school so much!!!!
WRCC said…
Vanessa- I am so glad he is enjoying himself. Also, I am thrilled he shares his experiences with you; hopefully he will continue to do that for years to come:)

Popular posts from this blog

Mosaic Garden Stones

Today our children had an amazing opportunity to work with Glen Anderson, a local artist specializing in mosaics. You can see his work at http://www.mosaicplanet.net . I met Glen last year at Urban Weavers Studio in Strathcona. I asked him many, many questions about mosaics, all of which he patiently answered with expertise. I was gearing up for an art project in our preschool class so I really wanted to get any pointers I could from him. The plan was to have our students make mosaic tiles to place along our fence at the garden plot at Terra Nova Farm. They worked out very well, thanks to Glen's great advice and it was a beautiful moment when child and parent hung the stones at the farm on our last day of school. It was a moment of great pride for all of us. The garden that they cared for with their own hands- tended to its needs in sunshine and in rain. They will always remain part of that space, that land and their stone will remind them of this connection. Even though they turne...

3 Year Old Class - Westham Island Herb Farm Field Trip

Our threes class recently visited the Pumpkin Patch at Westham Island Herb Farm in Delta. After a relatively short and scenic drive through Ladner en-route to the farm, we crossed a small, one-lane bridge that remarkably has been in place since 1911.    Westham Island Bridge We arrived at the farm in the early morning, before the school buses appeared. It was a very peaceful time of the day, and the morning mist floating over the fields only enhanced the feeling. Westham Island Herb Farm is a community oriented farm that promotes buying fruits and vegetables from local sources. This farm is part of the Ellis family farm and they have been in this location since 1916! Upon arrival at the farm, we were greeted by a beautiful display of pumpkins in all shapes and sizes. Prior to the tour of the farm, we visited the general store, which showcased a large variety of homemade jellies and honey selections such as wild flower, raspberry, pumpkin and ...

A Day at the Farm... with a twist

We were all looking forward to heading to the farm. We had not been in two whole weeks so we were all experiencing farm deprivation disorder! We craved outdoor time, running on the paths, and checking out our favourite spots. We had no particular agenda- nothing to plant, nothing to weed, nothing to harvest and literally nothing to do! Perfect!!  Actually, we did have one special thing happening there but I will get to that in a moment. The children could not get off the bus fast enough, bounding down the tall stairs. Jackets on, zipped up, hats and mitts on, ready to face the chill of December. The children tossed their knapsacks onto the picnic table with abandon, and began to run around the courtyard area, obediently staying on the paths  ( finally, four months later they have learnt to stay out of the garden beds). They shouted, they chased and fell down! Once our initial burst of energy was out (only slightly), we walked over to the compost to see what the worms w...