Teachers may choose from a variety of field trip lessons that implement state curriculum standards. Examples of such lessons include:

• Working in our school demonstration garden on a particular theme (African American Heritage Garden, container garden, herb garden, pollinator garden, native plant garden, etc.).
• Learning about the EarthBox garden system, which allows schools or individuals without land for gardening to produce healthy vegetables in structured containers.
• Helping with our farm animals. The goats, chickens and bees provide many opportunities for students to see and learn about animals they may have never seen before.
• Participating in our intensive composting system to learn about taking vegetable waste and turning it into a nutritious growing medium that can be added to fields and gardens. Students learn about the natural decomposing process and how to build a compost pile, aerate compost, sift castings and spread finished compost. They learn to make compost tea and add it to crops for health and vigor.
• Working in the greenhouse or fields learning to propagate plants by different methods: planting seeds, dividing plants, planting bulbs and worms, planting offsets, layering or grafting plants.
• Learning about the value of growing native plants by investigating our wooded sections and planting a native plant garden.
• Experiencing new scents, textures and tastes by working in our herb garden and discovering native herbs in our woods.
• Learning about the importance of pollinators to the farm by participating in activities that encourage pollinators, like planting a pollinator garden or building a bee water station.
• Investigating our soil to learn about its quality and find ways to improve its ability to provide plants with the air, water, organisms and nutrients they need for healthy growth. Students will learn methods of testing soil structure.

In addition, farm staff can work with educators to design a field trip that meets their students’ needs.

For more information about designing a field trip, please contact the Farm’s Education Program Manager: info@greatkidsfarm.org.