Thursday, 1/13/11 - Good Earth Farm School

Posted January 14, 2011

It was just your average day at farm school…for the last several days the goats and one sheep are breakin’ out afterschool or early in the morning. I think they miss being close to the kids and come out when the school parking lot starts to get busy. All of those little voices are so enticing…

One kind and supportive father asked if we wanted him to put our crazy animals away before he went to work yesterday. I didn’t want him to smell of goat and animal poo, and so I said we could get it. He said he’d be happy to do it because he knew we were so busy. In the end, we left the animals out for a while and he closed another unrelated gate for us, then was on his way. I just want all of our families to know that we so appreciate all of your offers to help us! Sometimes, we have a hard time saying “yes” because we are caregivers who by nature can’t accept nurturing (duh!) and because our work usually involves the messies in life–we know you’ve gotta look good at work!

2011 is already off to a busy start. Andrea has been swamped with tour requests and in a week sold 6 new spaces! The extra revenue will give us the funds necessary to tackle projects that have been on our list for some time. If you like to paint, let us know as repainting the school is a priority this Spring.

Sara Ballard has been working on revamping the labyrinth with her sweet mom Linda. Many thanks, ladies! Watch for some workshops soon utilizing the labyrinth. Go, Sara!

We have a gleaming new refrigerator that had been in the store–Andrea and I made a quick switcheroo with the dolly before lunch yesterday as today there will be lots of new food stock for the next two weeks. Girl power!

We excitely await the delivery of our mod washer/dryer combo. Melissa gave the downstairs bathroom a fresh coat of paint last weekend in preparation for its delivery. After more than two years of hauling school laundry home on a daily basis, Janie and I are saying a BIG “Woot, woot”! (So are our husbands who deserve credit for staying up late to make sure we have clean aprons for the morning.)

For the last two weeks we have been discussing animals in winter. At the end of this little hay burrow is one of our rabbits, Mocha. We had fun yesterday observing the way he stays warm in the cold.

Vaughn is super-warm…thick jackets, gloves, and hats have been necessary this week during our short (but necessary) times outside. Some kids have arrived in shorts, PJs, and thin first jackets with their parents. We assure them that via natural consequences and discussions of what is healthy for their bodies, children will quickly make the right decision to add appropriate clothing and layers.

For the next several Thursdays, PreK has added making hot chamomile tea to their morning snack. One lump, or two?