Guinea Workshop, Day 1

Today was the first day of our new workshop: Turkeys and Guineas!  The class began with a lesson on guineas.  They learned what they are, and why farms have them around.  Yes, you can eat them.  Yes, you can eat their eggs.  But, they are excellent bug catchers, and amazing alarm systems for your farm!

Each time a new animals is introduced, the class is given an Observation Sheet.  They are learning how to observe and document what they see, hear, feel, and smell.  We talked about the noises that guineas make, and their body features. 

Next, the class learned about folktales.  Guinea fowl are native to Africa, so we read an African folktale, "How the Guinea Fowl Got Her Spots."  We discussed some of the vocabulary in the story, and the children took home a worksheet that parents can use at home, if desired.

For our craft, the children made their own guineas out of pine cones!  They had to scavenge the yard looking for the perfect sticks for the neck, head, and beak.  I glued them together, and the children covered their pine cone guineas in black tape.  Their guineas were shiny black, just like the one in the beginning of the story!  After the bodies were covered, the class used acrylic paint to make their guineas come to life.  They did an amazing job with such a complex project!  These will dry at the school house, and go home with the kids next week.

If feels great to be back with my awesome little group of kids!  Hooray for Farm Fusion!

Clean Up!