10/15/18

Today began with a new set of animal care jobs.  The groups did a great job learning the ropes to taking care of a new set of animals.  More importantly, they did an excellent job of working together!  I've discussed how people all have different personalities and that some personalities have to be extra careful not to become "bossy pants" and shut people out.  The kids are learning actual strategies on how to make a point to discuss, cooperate, and enact a plan.  There are always natural leaders among people, and learning how to effectively work in a group is a life skill that is invaluable!


Next, the group came in to talk about some farm news.  Our angora rabbit did not have babies, so we will rebreed and try again.  The class also was able to hear an actual story of why we should all remember to keep the tops on the feed containers. During the break, a top was left off of the layer pellets.  The next morning, my daughters headed out to do their chores... and found a very fat, sleeping opossum curled up right in the bottom!   Finally, we talked about the importance of cats here on the farm.  The cats have been working hard lately!  As the weather gets cooler, the mice have been out in full force.  I may need to get another barn cat to handle them!  This lead us right into our story by James Herriot about the little kitten named Moses.  The class listened as I read the first few pages of the story today.  I paused every so often to explain tough words and to give examples here on our farm of things that were mentioned.  In the story, the vet comes to the farm to trim the hooves of a cow.  He talked about how difficult this job is, and how the cows kick.  I explained to the class that there is a cool invention that makes the job less stressful on the cattle and safer for the farmer!  There is actually a contraption that holds the cattle in a safe position and then just tips them over!  The kids found this totally fascinating... which means it would make for a great topic for our farm fusion writing assignment!





We integrated a little math into our day today!  The class cut out different coins to paste around their "piggy bank".  We talked about the pictures on the coins.  (For example, they learned what the torch, olive branch, and oak branch on the dime stand for.)  They learned/reviewed the names and values of each type of coin, labeling them on their page.  Then, we did a few adding exercises.  Keep practicing adding money at home!

The class then got to work painting the borders on their plate projects, as well as the details on their pasture scenes.  Next week, they will be completing these (hopefully), as we add a final element that they aren't going to expect!

10/1 - Monday Class

This sunny day began with some time outdoors.  The class has really gotten into the groove feeding and caring for their different animal groups.  We are trying to use this time to learn not only about animals and responsibility, but on working as a team, compromising, and sharing.  Each day they get better and better at these important skills!  Once inside, we talked about different things going on right now on the farm.  We talked about the new feathers that are coming in on the chickens.  I showed them one of the blue copper maran hens, and they were able to see the difference between the older feathers and the brighter new ones!  The class is anxiously waiting to find out if Annabelle, the angora (rabbit) doe is pregnant or not!  If she begins to pull fur in the next few days, then she should kindle (give birth) in the next few days.  We talked about how the does' fur loosens due to hormones in late pregnancy.  They are then able to pull the fur to build a warm, fluffy nest!  We are all crossing our fingers that there will be little kits here after fall break, but I did make sure the class understands that a doe's first kindling may not always go smoothly, and not to get their hopes up too high!  Life on a farm: hope for the best but expect the worst! 

The class had a quick snack and then shared their Farm Fusion stories.  I stopped them every so often to point out wonderful things that I was hearing in their writing.  I pointed out descriptive words and phrases that were used to help their reader get a clear picture of the things in their stories.  I also pointed out ways to transition from sentence to sentence to make things flow more smoothly.  Of course, I also had to brag on beautiful handwriting, hard work, and rough/final drafts.  These kids are doing a great job, and it is my hope that I will take them forward in their writing throughout the year!

Next, we put on our paint shirts and started a new art project!  The class worked with acrylic paints to create backgrounds today.  Next class, we will add details to these... and then the next part is a surprise!

First Day for Monday Class!

What a great first day!  We had so much to cover and so much to talk about, and these kids did an amazing job! 

We began our day with an overview on how to feed each of the animals on the farm.  We talked about the importance of keeping grain dry, the differences in feeds, and learned how to care for each animal group.  Then, the class broke up into groups.  Each group was given a checklist, and we set out to work on tending to the animals!  I promised them that our mornings won't always take so long... there is just a lot to learn on the first day!

After animal time, we had a quick snack and they received their journals.  These are for the writing assignments that they will complete each week.  I assured them that the journal activities are meant to be fun, not stressful!  I've loved giving the class time to read and share their thoughts with their peers, and I look forward to unlocking a love (or at least a tolerance) for writing!

The class talked about different shapes today.  We drew some on the board and discussed the differences between squares, rectangles, and rhombuses.  The class then began creating and abstract farm scene using cutouts of different shapes.  A lot of times, students will react negatively to the idea of creating animals or scenes using unrealistic colors or (heaven forbid) creating them without a pencil or markers.  This class today did an amazing job!  There were some of the cutest sheep I have ever seen... made completely of circles!  

I can't wait for next week!

4/23/18