All activities can be tailored to suite 1st-5th grade students.
Lesson Descriptions
Whether you come for a Harvest Meal or a shorter visit to the farm your class will have the opportunity to participate in 3-5 activity stations. If particular lessons interest you or fit well with classroom subject matter, please feel free to request specific activities for your visit!
Life Science / Science Inquiry
Introduction to a Seed - Students will learn what a seed is, as well as the different seed parts. Students have an opportunity to see many different types of seeds. They can dissect, draw seeds, play a seed guessing game, and plant seeds in the greenhouse or in the field. (1.1E.1, 1.2L.1)
Basic Needs of Plants - Students will learn how farmers provide basic needs to plants throughout the season. Students will be introduced to compost and nutrient cycling; irrigation techniques; sun and shade structures; and weed and pest strategies. (1.2L.1)
Plant Lifecycle and Saving Seed - Students draw and label the stages of plant growth and development. They then spend time in the field identifying plants in different stages of growth and harvesting seed to be saved for next season's planting. Students will create a seed envelope with appropriate planting information. (AR.03.CP.01, 1.2L.1, 2.2L.1)
Insects in the Garden - Students will capture and investigate insects, learning to identify them as a pest or beneficial. Students will be introduced to organic pest control strategies and the importance of insect pollination on a farm. (EL.02.RE.15, SS.05.GE.07)
Making Soil: All About Compost - Students will learn what compost is, how it is made, and why it is important for organic farmers. Students will learn to describe and represent the nutrient cycle. Students will examine the compost made at the farm and build a compost pile with materials from the farm. (2.4D.1, SS.03.EC.01, SS.05.GE.07)
Garden Web of Life - A short activity that provokes students to think about and explore how all the parts of the farm are interconnected. Students discuss the relationships of all the elements of the farm including farm wildlife. (SS.03.GE.05, SS.05.GE.07)
Parts of Plants: Structure and Function - Students will list the parts of plants and their functions, they will identify which parts of different plants we eat on the farm. Associated with this activity, students will either harvest and/or plant vegetables at the farm. (EL.02.RE.15)
Botany on Your Plate - Six activities that offer a more in-depth understanding of each of the plant parts. Students examine structure and function through dissection, art, and scientific experimentation, and sample examples of each plant part. We can focus on the seed, root, stem, leaves, flowers, or fruits. Most activities are equally suited to the farm or classroom. (EL.02.RE.15, HE.03.HE.02)
Soil Testing - Students will learn about different soil types and how they affect the ability to grow crops. Students will perform a soil ribbon test and a soil layer test to determine the type of soil found at the farm (EL.03.RE.22, 1.1E.1, 1.3S.1, 1.3S.3, 2.3S.1, SS.03.GE.05)
Are All Soils Created Equal? - Students are introduced to the components of soil and how they help or hinder plant growth. They will design and execute an experiment using two soil mixtures that they create. This activity requires time to check up on their experiments once or twice over the course of a month, and can be done in the classroom, school garden or at the farm. (EL.05.RE.20, 1.1E.1, 1.3S.3, 2.3S.2, 4.3S.1)
Seasons on a Farm - Appropriate in the classroom or at the farm, students match farm activities with different seasons. (SS.03.GE.05, SS.03.HS.01)
Getting to Know the Farm: A Scavenger Hunt - A fun active search that asks questions about the farm and leads students on a hunt through all parts of the farm. This requires a little familiarity and background about the farm and may be better for second or third visit. (EL.01.RE.32)
Transplanting and Monitoring - Students will learn proper techniques for transplanting seedlings. They will plant seedlings at the farm or school garden and identify three characteristics that they will monitor over time. Students will measure and describe changes in their seedling using charts, graphs and descriptive writing. This requires sequential visits over 1-2 months or longer. (1.3S.1, 1.3S.2, 2.3S.1, 2.3.5)
Mathematics
Harvest Sort: Weighing and Measuring the Harvest - Utilizing whatever is ready to harvest, students will learn about assessing ripeness, harvesting technique and harvest produce. Then they will weigh and sort for size and/or category. Students can then graph the totals. (1.3S.1, 2.3S.1, 2.3.5, 5.1.7)
Area and Perimeter - Students determine the area and/or perimeter of a planting space using hand spans, footsteps, or measuring tape. Information is used to determine plant spacing for the students to transplant seedlings or plant seeds. (2.3.1, 2.3.5)
Shapes in the Garden - Students review geometric shapes and hunt for them at the farm.
Everything Counts in the Garden - A chance to count and graph any number of things at the farm. (1.3S.2, 2.3S.1)
How Many Seeds in a Tomato? - Students take measurements of different tomatoes and make predictions about the number of seeds in each one. They then count and use estimation and math skills to find the answer. ( EL.02.RE.26, 2.3S.1, 2.3.5, 5.1.7)
Arts & Literature
Farm Art - We have many different options for farm art. Students can create found art sculptures with materials from the farm or produce that is past its prime. We can make corn husk dolls, paint pictures, make fabric farm flags, or students can be guided through a series of drawing exercises as they draw a vegetable, weed or flower picked from the garden. (AR.03.CP.01)
Farm Journals - We encourage you to bring your students to the farm for multiple visits throughout the fall and spring. We will provide farm journals and art supplies. On each visit students will be given time to write and draw in their journals. We will give creative writing prompts, and poem instruction. (2.2E.2, EL.01.WR.04, EL.01.WR.06, EL.03.WR.11, EL.01.WR.16, EL.02.WR.21, EL.04.WR.23, EL.02.WR.24)
Farm Poetry - Students will learn about different forms of poetry. They will read and be read examples of farm and garden themed poetry, as well as compose a poem about some aspect of the farm. We will share farm poems with each other. (EL.01.WR.06, EL.03.WR.11)
Farm Cookbook - Students will compose an artistic book of recipes using seasonal farm fresh food. One or more recipes will be prepared with farm fresh produce.
(EL.01.WR.18, EL.02.WR.24)
Health & Nutrition
Seasonal Eating: What We Eat and When - Students learn which crops are in season in the Rogue Valley throughout the year. We discuss the importance of eating locally and seasonally. This can be a classroom activity or done at the farm paired with preserving food or a Harvest Meal. (HE.03.HE.02, SS.05.EC.01, SS.05.GE.02.01, SS.03.HS.01)
Farm Fresh Taste Test - Students will compare farm fresh produce with some that came from far away and try to guess which is which. Students will also taste different foods from the farm and describe the taste with all of their senses. (1.2L.1)
Farm Food and Our Bodies - This activity encourages students to make connections about how different types of food affects the way their body functions. (HE.05.HE.01)
Bark and Seeds for Breakfast – A plant part guessing game that encourages students to look at the food they eat in a different way. Students discover the nutritional importance of different plant parts. (HE.03.HE.02)
The activities below are better suited to 4th & 5th grade
Life Science / Science Inquiry
Photosynthesis 101 - This is a short lesson that exposes students to the process of photosynthesis as a recipe. Students are also introduced to the hydrological cycle and the process of transpiration. Students have the opportunity to design and implement an experiment that tests their photosynthesis hypothesis. This activity requires at least 2 farm visits to monitor results. (EL.02.RE.15, EL.05.RE.20, 4.3S.1)
Chemical Soil Analysis - Students use soil test kit to analyze soil composition. They will test for nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and pH. (EL.05.RE.20)
Mathematics
Inside the Coordinate Grid - Students use coordinate graph skills to find objects in the garden. (5.1.6)
Garden Perimeter Estimation - Students use parts of their body to measure the garden. They can then convert the measurements to meters or feet. (4.3.1, 4.3.2, 4.3.7)
Social Studies
Farm to Table: Tracking Food Miles - Students discuss and map the path of the food they ate for breakfast and deepen their understanding of the complexities of the food system and the value of local food production. Students calculate the cost of food transportation. Better suited for the classroom. (SS.05.EC.01, SS.03.GE.01, SS.05.GE.02.01)
Deciphering the Food System - Working in groups, students are given a food product from the grocery store. Students work together to make a poster displaying the path that food follows from the farm to their table including processing, packaging, transportation etc. Students discuss inputs, outputs, costs, and environmental impact of different food products. Better suited for the classroom. (EL.04.RE.18, EL.05.RE.18, SS.05.EC.01, SS.05.EC.02, SS.05.GE.08)
Farm Map - Students will use aerial photographs of the farm to find and label structures and crops. (SS.05.GE.02.01, SS.03.GE.05)