4/22/19

Working on their skits!

Baby Goat Tag

4/15/19

We tackled some pretty cool things today in our Farm Fusion lessons!  First, the class learned how to make sure conditions are sanitary for goat milking.  We milked the goats, fed all the animals, and talked about Farm News.  Then, the class had a little chemistry lesson as I walked them through the steps to pasteurize milk and make chevre, a simple goat cheese!  Throughout the process they learned about acids and pH, curds and whey, how to read a thermometer (reading and estimating between the numbers on a thermometer), and more.  As the kids took turns constantly stirring the pot of milk, the class listened to the history of John Deere tractors.  We also talked about humidity and its importance to a healthy hatch of duck eggs.  We even candled some duck eggs as we moved them from the big incubator into the hatching incubator.  They could easily see the developing embryos moving around, one egg that showed no development at all, and one that was rotten inside!  After disposing of the bad eggs, we placed the healthy ones in the hatch box.  Hopefully more ducklings will start pipping in the next few days! 

After our milk hit the correct temperature, we did a little math with fractions to decide how much vinegar and lemon juice to add to the milk.  While the curds began to form, the class "got their wiggles out" with some fun in the sun!  We then poured the curds into cheesecloth and hung them to drip.  The kids were able to choose from different fresh herbs and mix up their own chevre to take home.  This is a soft cheese that is great on crackers, or I can hang it longer and create a dryer, crumbly cheese that is great on pizza, salads, and in lasagna!  I explained to the class that all the whey left over could be put through the process again, which would result in ricotta.  We didn't have time for this, however, and the hogs were happy to splurge on all of the nutritious whey!

3/11/19

After milking the goats, feeding the animals, and giving the baby goats their bottles, the kids climbed back into the building for some Farm News.  We talked about the new feeder pigs, the eggs that are due to hatch, and the goat kids that have already gone to new homes.  We will be able to snuggle the others for another week or so before they are all off to new owners!  

The kids and I have been talking a lot about the mechanics behind milking machines.  Today, I gave each group of students 2 small jars, 2 small tubes, and a syringe that would be used as their "vacuum pump".  I also covered one of the jars in Press and Seal wrap to create an airtight seal.  The other jar was partly filled with colored liquid.  The groups had to create a vacuum system that would move the liquid from one jar to the other but not allow liquid to be sucked up into their "pump".  It took a little work, but each and every group succeeded!  

The class has learned about conifers, so it just seemed right to create a little art project using pine cones!  The kids grabbed templates of different owl parts and used them to cut out shapes from felt.  Sometimes, kids at this age are reluctant to layer mediums in arts/crafts.  They were able to layer felt in ways that gave the wings, eyes, feathers, etc. more dimension.  We'll finish these up next week.

3/4/19

SO many baby goats!!  This picture was taken two hours before classes started today!

The kids are learning about the mechanics behind milking.  We'll be doing a little hands on physics experiment next week!

The goat that is immobile needs to be hoisted up in order to rehab her.  We can't start working with her until after her kids are born, but for now, the kids are designing mobility devices!

Showing off their ideas!

2/25/19

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Farm News has definitely been hopping lately!  I filled the kids in on all of the new babies that have been born, and we have been tallying up the buckling/doeling ratio.  So far, it's the pits!  It's the year of the bucks!  We talked about Sammy Joe and her inability to stand.  She is due any minute, and she is struggling to even rotate herself around to reach feed, hay, and water.  I showed the class how I have to put molasses in her water and give her vitamins to try to prevent ketosis while she is immobile.  The kids worked to design mobility devices and pulley systems that could work in her rehabilitation!  Maybe next week we can put one of them into practice!

The group read their Farm Fusion stories while enjoying their snacks.  Then, we spent time enjoying the sun!  The kids collected eggs, discussed the effect that the rain has had on animal maintenance, and discussed the incubator schedules.  Finally, we spent time working on the next part of the pysanky projects.  These should be wrapping up soon!

 

2/11/19

What a great day!  The kids were all excited to celebrate Valentine's Day together.  We somehow managed to get our animal care jobs and agriculture lessons in before exploding into cards, boxes, and treats!  

After the kids read their Farm Fusion stories, we talked a little more about pysanka (Ukrainian dyed eggs).  Then, I read the book, P. Zonka Lays an Egg.  This was an absolutely perfect book for our lesson!  At home, the kids will have an option of writing about the book from P. Zonka's point of view, which I think would be interesting to hear!

The class was able to practice using the kistkas and beeswax on paper before trying to draw their beeswax designs on their eggs.  I also showed them my trick of using rubber bands to help create the pencil guide lines.  I know that this can be a very frustrating art form, even for adults, but I really like teaching it to children.  I explain to them that their attempt will NOT be perfect, they will work incredibly hard, and it might break!  It's a lesson in patience and self control.  The act of heating the kistkas and beeswax over the candle uses fine motor skills and time. I love teaching pysanky!  

Two of our goats have now kidded, and we have 4 bucklings and 1 doeling!  The class is very excited to see who comes next!  We'll be taking a little break next week.  I'll see everyone again on the 25th!