Week 2 Update - Mr. Austen’s Saturday Class

It was so fun being your child’s guide this Saturday, while Mr. Austen was out of town.  Cali the farm dog joined us and brought many giggles and smiles to all.  As an herbalist, and the students really being interested in learning more about herbs and identifying them growing wild and at the farm, we took a nice walk discovering these plants.  We harvested some California Poppy flowers to be dried to turn into herbal medicine at a later time. California Poppy is a non-addictive, very safe, and gentle herb that even kids can enjoy.  It works on the nervous system to help relax “hot & wired” systems and to calm anxiety.  It helps bring a sense of calmness to one’s body.  We also planted medicinal herb seeds of Bee Balm and Skullcap in the hoop house.  While there in the warm hoop house, we played with the hose and the giant fan to help us cool off! 

We played a few games of Seagulls & French Fries and Poison Dart Frog, which are so fun and work on so many skills, like strategy and thinking ahead while connecting to how animals behave. 

There was plenty of time for tree climbing, playing in the forest and creating a seesaw and seeing how to counterbalance the weight of the children with heavy sandbags.  

We fed the chickens, checked for eggs but did not want to disturb the hens in the process of laying, so we left them alone.  We chatted about why we ferment our chicken feed and the children participated in preparing the next batch of fermented feed.  

On one of our walks, we discovered the Texas leaf cutter ants and observed their home and how they move around the garden cutting paths through the grass and collecting seeds where they can find them.  

We spent a good amount of time watering different parts of the farm and since it was so hot, we also watered the children.  They pretended to be seeds that grew every time the water sprayed them.  

It was a beautiful day together at the farm and I am so inspired by this group and their curiosity and sweet nature.  

Thank you for being part of the Farm!

Tammy