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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 blueberry.



Marcel, one of the staff from the farm, takes us on our tour. We start by visiting a barn, standing in place since the Ellis farm was established 99 years ago.



Cows and two barn owls share the barn.

“The cows tongues are so long!” says Kloe.


The owls intrigued the children and they tried hard to see them perched high in the rafters. It helped to have a poster with photos displayed.


As we exited the barn, the farm's pigs were penned just outside. They seemed happy to see us, and even happier to receive the pumpkin tossed their way!


Washing our hands after visiting the cows and pigs.


While in the hay barn, Marcel explains about the various fruits and vegetables grown on the farm, including flowers, strawberries, garlic, carrots, potatoes, pumpkins and more.


The rooster cock-a-doodle-dooed just as we arrived at the pen! This probably was the first time many of the children have heard a rooster crow. 


 
The children learned about the keen sense of hearing of a donkey. When he hears something, his big ears go back to listen.  



Daisy, the long-haired cow, loves to be pet by Marcel. 



A visit with the farm's goats - some very agile climbers.

 

Off to the pumpkin patch to choose our pumpkins.

 Justin found his pumpkin. “It's too heavy!” he says.

“I found a pumpkin! It's a good one!” says Ian

Off goes Kloe to find her pumpkin. “There are too many pumpkins,” she says.
 
It's so enjoyable to walk in the squishy, sticky, mucky mud. No puddle is too big when you're wearing rain boots!

“It's sticky on my boots” says Ian


The general rule from the farm is that each child be able to carry their own pumpkin.

Enjoying the diggers put out by the farm staff.

We followed up in class by carving our class pumpkin, roasting the seeds and making pumpkin soup with the children. The seeds were a hit but the soup was an acquired taste. Each child was willing to give it a try though, and that is the most important part!

As the children had many questions about the owls in the barn, we also followed up in class with a discussion about barn owls.

The children spent a very enjoyable morning at the farm. All of their senses were alive, from listening to the sounds of the birds in the trees, to smelling the scents of  hay and pumpkins in the air, to feeling mud under their feet.

A big thank you to the staff at Westham Island Herb Farm for opening your doors to our preschool children, and the community on a whole!


~Barbi

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