In the off season when Farm & Wilderness Camps are not in session, FWC partners with our F&W Farm Team to provide farm and nature-based after school programming to 8 local elementary schools within the Mill River Unified School District and Two Rivers Supervisory Union. After school students from kindergarten to 6th grade learn about the intersections between farming and conservation and the ways we can all connect with the natural world. Each month, we provide a variety of physical and hands-on activities to around 150 students in total. Visits last between 1 and 1.5 hours. Programming themes alternate each month between an environmental education focus and a farm-based focus.
In October, students from the Mill River school district learned about beavers and their importance as keystone species. They got to hold a beaver skull, touch a beaver pelt, and even try their hand at making their own beaver dam out of play dough, sticks, and rocks! A highlight of this activity was seeing the students test out their dams with water.
Students at Two Rivers Supervisory Union learned about all things apples for their October programming theme. We had an apple taste test of common apple varieties, learned about apple anatomy, and then made our very own apple cider. We demonstrated how the human powered apple cider press works and then let the students try it for themselves before sampling the fruits of our labor! Many of the students wanted seconds and thirds of the apple cider!
In November, Boots and Benny, two of our adorable baby goats from the farm, visited students at both Mill River and Two Rivers. Boots and Benny were born in July of 2023 during camp season and are well accustomed to being around people. Students learned some goat trivia, fed the goats grain, and raced the goats from one end of the playground to the other. They also wrote and shared their own goat stories full of wonderful illustrations. We still aren’t sure who enjoyed the visits more, the goats or the students!
For the December activity, students learned about the variety of ways plants survive winter and how we can identify trees when they don’t have their leaves. Students had a milkweed seed race, sharpened their observation skills by trying to find a twig that matched theirs, and designed their own unique twig using a variety of arts and craft supplies. While they worked on the craft, we read aloud several stories about identifying winter trees and the amazing ways seeds move around!
We look forward to sharing more about our after school programs and the ways in which we encourage elementary students to appreciate local food and respect the natural world.