INTRODUCTION........................................................................................2MAIN AREAS OF THE FARM.........................................................................4ACTIVITIES.............................................................................................6AN APPLE AS THE WORLD..........................................................................8SING IT!................................................................................................9TEACHING TIPS "THE THREE FS".................................................................10TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE GROUP MANAGEMENT...................................................12TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION OF INFORMATION....................................13HONORING STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT IN TEACHING ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION.. . .14QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT ORGANIC FARMING......................................15COMMON PRACTICES OF ORGANIC FARMERS..................................................17TEACHING ABOUT ORGANIC FOR KIDS..........................................................18THE SIX PLANT PARTS.............................................................................19COMPOST.............................................................................................20WORM COMPOSTING...............................................................................21CHICKENS.............................................................................................23HONEYBEES..........................................................................................26REVIEW QUESTIONS................................................................................30

LIFE LAB MAIN LINE 459-2001 -- AMY & JOHN'S LINE 459-4035

Life Lab Science Program and

The Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems

Field Trip Training Manual

WHAT IS LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM?Life Lab Science Program is a nonprofit organization located on the UCSC Farm. Life Lab started over 25 years ago, advocating school gardens for learning. In the mid-1990s, Life Lab moved onto the Farm. Although not part of UCSC, Life Lab is “affiliated”, meaning we lease the land and office and in return agreed to develop a children’s garden, The Garden Classroom. Life Lab has written garden-based curriculum, provides extensive teacher training throughout the region and the country, and holds teacher, community and children’s programs in the Garden Classroom. Life Lab has many ongoing projects, including the Monterey Bay Science Project (working with teachers in the greater Monterey Bay area to help students develop language skills using science in the garden); and the Waste-Free Schools (Teachers and students in the area recycling, composting and vermicomposting at their schools with the support of Life Lab and Ecology Action).The construction of The Garden Classroom in 2000 was funded solely by grants (David and Lucille Packard Foundation, the Goldman Fund, the County of Santa Cruz and numerous others) and in-kind donations of labor (Joni Janecki, Landscape Architect, PondMagic, Sharon Erspamer of Design Science signs, and many others).

WHAT IS CASFS?The Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) is a part of the Social Sciences Division at UCSC. CASFS’s mission is to provide research and education on issues related to sustainable agriculture. CASFS accomplishes its mission through organic farm systems research (helping farmers farm in a more environmentally friendly manner), social issues research (community food security, farm workers rights, social-economic factors of farming), a six month apprenticeship on ecological horticulture, and public outreach events including workshops and tours. Undergraduate classes and internships are also held on the CASFS farm.One of the most common questions you'll get from parents on your field trips is, "How do you sell the produce from the farm?" The farm sells its produce in two main ways: produce from the "Down Garden" is sold at a cart at the base of campus (on Tuesdays & Fridays May-Oct.), and produce from the Field is sold in arrangement called CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). CSA is a marketing method where consumers buy a “farm share” in the spring, and then every week receive a box of fresh produce from the farm (until late fall). This type of marketing is advantageous for all involved. The farmer has a set market and receives money at the beginning of the season. This takes a lot of the “risk” of out of farming and lets the farmer concentrate on things other than marketing. The farmer will also have to grow a diversity of food, which makes for a healthy farm system. The CSA members receive locally grown seasonal food and are connected with the people who grow the food. If the farm doesn’t have any major problems during the growing season, the members usually get way more than they paid for. The farm is also starting to market its produce directly to the dining halls in a Farm-to-University program.The UCSC Farm and Garden has been certified organic for over 20 years.

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WHY DO WE HAVE A FIELD TRIP PROGRAM?Local schools bring students to visit the UCSC Farm and Life Lab Garden Classroom to explore plants, organic farming and science. By having schools visit we can connect children to the basic elements that support them, Sun, Soil, Water and Air, and show them that everything they eat and everything they wear comes from the earth. We can begin to instill a care-taking ethic among our visitors. By showing kids that bugs and worms make soil and that farmers grow all the food that they eat we hope to create an appreciation for food systems. By using the garden as a living laboratory we can teach science through hands-on exploration.

RESPONSIBILITY OF FIELD TRIP GUIDESAs a field trip guide you will be responsible for teaching 6-10 kids on a 3-hour exploration of the UCSC Farm and the Life Lab Garden Classroom. Field trips are scheduled from 10:00-1:15. You should arrive at 9:00 to set up for the day, get the farm update, check in with the other guides, and participate in morning mini-trainings. If you cannot make a day, please call 459-4035 and let us know as soon as you know that you can’t come, so we can find a replacement. If the morning is rainy, please come anyway, because if the field trip is cancelled we have other projects to work on instead.We depend on you to be here each day you are scheduled and to be here on time. We would love to be a great job reference for you someday, so keep in mind what you would like us to be able to say about you. Employers love to hear that a potential employee is punctual and dependable.

WHAT DOES TRAINING CONSIST OF?1. Read this training packet.2. Participate in training sessions.3. Watch a program with kids.4. Co-lead or lead your own field trip!

EMERGENCY INFORMATIONIn case of emergency there are phones in the Farm Center and Life Lab office. First aid kits can be found in the Garden Classroom tool shed and in the Life Lab office bathroom. Mini first aid kits are in your field trip backpacks. In most cases the greatest emergency we encounter is a scraped knee. Usually there is a parent or teacher nearby to help out and you can continue to keep your group focused as not to disturb the injured one. If there happens to be a major emergency such as broken bones, severe allergic reactions or any other life-threatening emergency call 911 immediately and then notify a CASFS or Life Lab Staff. If you call 911 you will be connected to the campus emergency system and let them know that you are at the UCSC Farm. Water fountains are located in front of the laboratory, next to the Gatehouse, in the Down Garden and in the Garden Classroom. A restroom is located on the south side of the Gatehouse, and an outhouse is located at the far side of the apple orchard.

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FIELD TRIP OUTLINESpring10:00 Welcome and Introduction led by a Life Lab staff person, break class into small groups10:20 Science Exploration rotations in the Garden Classroom (30 min/rotation)12:00 Lunch 12:20 Farm Exploration in small groups12:55 Wrap-up led by Life Lab staff person

Fall10:00 Welcome and Introduction led by a Life Lab staff person, break class into small groups10:20 Farm Exploration11:40 Lunch12:00 Garden Classroom rotations (20 min/rotation)1:10 Wrap-up led by Life Lab staff person

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Main Areas of the Farm

GREENHOUSE/PROPAGATION AREAThis is where we start all of the farm's plants, from seed bought from catalogues or saved from the previous year. Once the seeds are planted they sprout (germinate) in the greenhouse. The greenhouse can be thought of as a nursery where we keep the “baby” plants. Once the plants are a bit older (“kids”) they are moved to the hoop house and begin to get used to less protection from the elements. When the plants are moved out on to the outside tables they “harden” off (acclimatize to the outside environment) and are waiting to be planted in the fields.

“DOWN” GARDENThis 1-acre garden grows food to be sold at our market cart on Tuesdays and Fridays. All the work in this garden is done by hand! The beds are double dug and we are careful not to walk on them. This garden is very diverse; take the time to explain and show this concept. There are many different types of plants growing here and every bed end has a different type of plant. The different bed ends act to attract beneficial insects and others can act as a trap for pests (we’d rather have bad bugs living in the bed ends or borders than the crops we are growing to eat and sell). A general law of nature is that diversity is good. You can make an analogy to forests. They are quite diverse and therefore quite healthy. Do we have to worry about pests destroying the forest? In our garden we are trying to copy the diversity found in nature.

COMPOSTThe Down Garden compost piles are in a long row under the trees dividing the Down Garden and the Field. They are made of greens from the garden (fresh plant matter, food scraps), browns (dried plant matter, straw), and manure from a local stable. The addition of manure, the large pile size, and the layering of ingredients results in hot piles that compost quickly. There is a compost thermometer on the back of the farm tool shed, so you can check out the hot piles with your group. You may find temperatures up to 160 degrees F! In this row you'll also see haphazard piles of greens or browns-- these are waiting to be layered and made into a compost pile. At the top of this compost row you'll find the farm's worm bins and the "worm rocket," which is used to separate worm compost (castings) from the worms.The Field's compost is in a long “wind row” pile under a tarp, near the ocean end of the field. This is larger-scale composting, created from wine grape pressings and horse manure and bedding, mixed and piled with the help of tractor implements.

FIELDSIn the fields we grow food on a larger farm scale and use tractors and large-scale irrigation practices. The food produced in the fields is sold through our CSA program. Like in the garden, we practice diversity and make compost. In the

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fields, like in the garden, we rely on natural predators and healthy soil to keep our plants healthy. Natural predators include: good bugs, snakes, hawks, birds, owls, spiders, cats and others. We have provided habitat for natural predators in many ways. We grow rows of flowers that will attract beneficial insects, have permanent (perennial) borders that provide habitat for beneficial birds and bugs, and have even built owl boxes with the hopes of having these nocturnal raptors helping us out.

OWL BOXESOwl boxes are located in the Garden Classroom, over the kiwis in the field, on the CSA barn, and in the wind break (row of trees). A family of nesting owls can eat up to 5-7 rodents per night. Sometimes you can find owl pellets, the “leftovers” from their meals. The owl regurgitates the non-digestible fur, bones, teeth, and claws. Refer to your owl pellet key and have the kids dissect owl pellets and determine what bones they are looking at. If there is a nesting owl family it is best not to go under the box and scare the owls. We want them to come back next year! You can try to see the owl in the box from a distance

ORCHARDSAround the fields are the orchards. We have pear, kiwi, plum and apple orchards. Refer to the Farm map to find out which orchard is which. The orchards are a good place to watch bees pollinating blossoms in spring, and a popular place for snacking in the fall.

BEESThe farm's beehives are located on the far side, near the CSA Barn. You can point them out to your group from the road if they are interested; you can approach a little closer on the uphill side and the bees will not be bothered if you stay about 20 feet away, but never approach on the downhill side of the hives (this is the bees' flight path). Find out if anyone is allergic to bees and make sure that they stay clear. If the bees start to fly near your group you should calmly walk on.

CSA BARN AND GARDENThe CSA Barn is where our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) members pick up their weekly “shares” of food (for an explanation of CSAs, see What is CASFS? on p. 2). The garden next to the barn is a garden for CSA members. When they come to the farm to pick up their box of produce they can cut a bouquet and take some fresh herbs. It is also a place your group can pick a few flowers. Please only pick flowers if you see at least 10 others of the same kind; we don't want to remove the most unique flowers from this garden.

CSA PACKING SHED (AKA THE "BUS STOP")The covered packing shed between the Down Garden and the Field is nicknamed the "bus stop". This is where produce is brought from the Field to be packed up in boxes for the CSA and sometimes for the UCSC dining halls.

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THE GARDEN CLASSROOMThe Garden Classroom was designed for especially for kids, with lots of kid input! It is also used as a teacher-training center. There are many features in this garden which are fun to explore, like the root view box, worm bins, observational bee hive, pond, chickens, animal foot prints, pizza bed, educational compost bins, tunnel, and much more. The food in this garden is grown for kids to eat, so feel free to harvest food in the Garden Classroom for your group to munch.

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Activities

GARDEN BADGESPick a piece of comfrey (“thank you, plant!”) and break it into one piece per student. You can also call comfrey the "velcro plant" because the leaves stick to clothing. Have the children repeat a garden pledge before attaching the leaf to their clothing. Here's an example of a pledge: "I promise to respect all living things, try new things today, and have an all-around great day."

HUMAN CAMERAHave children work in pairs. One will be the “camera” and the other will be the “photographer”. The “photographer” leads the “camera” (who has their eyes closed) to the view point of something interesting. The “photographer” opens the shutter (eyes) of the “camera” by gently tapping the “camera’s” shoulder, leaving the "shutter" open for 3-5 seconds and then tapping again to close it and going to take other pictures. After three pictures, the “camera” can try to guess where they took the pictures or talk about their favorite ones.

GO TRACTOR GO!Go Tractor Go is the same as “Red Light Green Light”. When you are in the farm fields ask them what machine we use to farm with. Then tell them that they will pretend to be a tractor. Practice putting your tractor in slow gear, then fast gear, and put on the brakes! Practice reverse and don’t forget to make the “beep, beep, beep” warning noise that big vehicles make when backing up. You can even have them have their tractors bend over, pick up grass, and throw it in the air while spinning in circles. The tractor game is great one to wear down active kids, get from place to place fast, have fun, and run away from parents and teachers.

HOLDING WORMSThe Farm's worm bins and the Garden Classroom's big bin are great for worm interactions. Have the kids gather around the bin and identify food items. Have the kids turn their hand into a worm and “munch, munch, munch” up the imaginary food, "wiggle, wiggle, wiggle," and “poop, poop, poop” out the worm castings. Dig up some worms and have kids hold worms. Have kids keep a bit of castings between their hand and the worm so that their 98.6 degree skin doesn’t “burn” the worm.

HARVESTING VEGETABLESDuring fall field trips you will harvest food in the field for your group to taste. Please don’t pick food in the Down Garden without first getting permission from

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someone who is working there. In the Garden Classroom you are always free to snack on food with the kids. Rhubarb is a favorite.

PLANT PLACES / PEOPLE PLACES (FINGER TIP TEST)A good way to keep kids from stepping on the beds is to show them the difference between what the path feels like compared to the bed. Have them pretend their finger is a root and have them try to “plant” it in the path that they are standing on. Discuss why this soil is hard. Then have them plant their “root” in the garden bed. What a difference! Ask them what would happen to the soil if we stepped on the bed (compaction = less air and water to roots).

"THANK YOU," PLANT OR FARMERWhenever you pick something remember to thank the plant or the farmer who grew the food.

NAME A PLANTWhen a kid asks, “What is this plant called?” you can answer by telling its Latin name and the kid will most likely forget it in about one minute. Or you could ask the kid what they would name it. Name it by first investigating the smell, texture, size, look, etc. They will probably never forget it. My favorite kid naming plant is Lamb’s Ear. Some of the names that kids’ have come up with are: “puppy’s belly” and “my baby brother’s head plant”.

COMPOST: EXPLAINING DECOMPOSITION TO KIDSHave kids look at a newly built compost pile. Would they like to eat it for lunch? If we don't eat it, who does? Bugs and microorganisms do! We like to call these compost critters nature's “FBI” (fungus, bacteria, and invertebrates). The FBIs munch up all the food and then guess what they do? POOP! And guess what their poop helps make? Soil! How can we tell the FBI is working? They heat up the pile! When you work hard, do you get hot? So do they. Find a compost thermometer and have kids read the temperature before you put it in the pile (this is the air temperature). Then have a child push it into the pile and watch the temperature rise! This works best with newly made compost piles.Have kids look at an older pile (most piles should have a date on them, and they take about 6 months to decompose). Does it look more like soil? It used to look like the fresh piles. The stuff in the pile has been eaten by the FBIs (decomposers). Can you see anything that the bugs didn't eat? Can they eat rocks? Nope, they can only eat things that were once alive.We sift the finished piles to get our final product. Take a handful of the sifted compost. Does it smell bad? No, it smells like dirt. Now you can feed a plant with it. Or, can you figure out how to turn yourself into a carrot? Or a rabbit? (Add one of your hairs to the pile, it will soon turn into soil, which will soon be

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helping to grow carrots, which the rabbit will eat.) Your primary goal is to teach them that compost isn't yucky, it’s a great way to recycle leftovers and grow healthy plants.

Blind Walk/Trust WalkThis is a fun activity to do at the kiwi trellis. Have kids get in a line with their hands on the shoulders in front of them, and close their eyes. Take the hands of the front child, and lead the line slowly forward. Warn the kids about bumps, holes, etc.-- even a small bump feels like a mountain when you have your eyes closed! Lead them under a nice part of the kiwi trellis, and say "keep your eyes closed, but tilt your head up-- okay, open your eyes!" It's a memorable experience to open your eyes to a vine of fresh green leaves or a bunch of kiwis hanging above your head!

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An Apple as the World

Show the children an apple and ask them to use their imagination to think of what the apple could represent. If the children cannot figure out that the apple represents the Earth, rotate it by its axis. (Hint: you can also use an orange or tangerine for this activity).Cut the apple into quarters. Three quarters of the Earth's surface is water, and only one quarter is land. Cut the piece representing land in half. Only one half of the land, or one-eighth the total Earth's surface, is habitable. The rest of the land is the deserts, mountains, frozen ice caps, and other places people cannot live. Take the piece that represents the habitable land, and cut it into four sections. Only one quarter of the Earth's habitable land, or one thirty-second, is where ALL of the Earth's food comes from. As you are asking the children what would happen if this part of the world were damaged or destroyed, eat the piece of apple.Take a small shaving off one of the slices that represents the water of the world. Less than one percent of Earth's water is fresh and drinkable. Most of this water is tied up in the atmosphere (clouds) and underground. As you ask the children what would happen if the water was polluted or wasted, eat the shaving. This strategy can be a lead-in to an open-ended discussion about taking care of our resources.

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Sing It!

Dirt Made My LunchSteve Van Zandt

Dirt made my lunch, dirt made my lunch.Thank you dirt, thanks a bunchFor my salad, my sandwich, my milk and my munch.Thanks dirt, you made my lunch.

Dirt is a word we often use When we talk about the earth beneath our shoes.It's a place where plants can sink their toesAnd in a little while a garden grows.

A stubby green beard grows upon the land.Out of the soil the grass will stand,But under the hoof it must bowFor makin' milk by way of a cow.

Connected, ConnectedSteveVan Zandt

Connected, connected, everything's connected,Connected, connected, to everything else.

Sun, Soil, Water, and AirSteveVan Zandt

Sun, soil, water, and air (Sun, soil, water, and air)Sun, soil, water, and air (Sun, soil, water, and air)Everything we eat (Everything we eat) Everything we wear (Everything we wear)Everything comes from (Everything comes from)

Six Plant PartsSteve Van Zandt

Roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds 4X(SPANISH: Raiz, tallo, oja, flor, fruta y semilla)That's six parts, six parts, Six plant parts that plants and people need.

Take Me Out to the Bee HiveTake me out to the bee hive, Take me out to the farm,Show me their wax and their honey please-- I can't wait till we see the bees!'Cause they work, work work for the whole hive, and if they go eat from the flowers, There'll be one, two, three fruits we'll see on that old apple tree!

Little Gross ThingsSibby Coxhead

Bugs, poop and little gross thingsDance together and the whole world sings.Munchin' on dead things, munchin' on manurePoopin' out soil that's A-one pure!

Cleanin' up the earth, cleanin' up the air.Let's show those little gross things we care.Can't give 'em kisses, can't give 'em hugs,So let's all yell, "Thank you Bugs!"

Inch By Inch (The Garden Song) David Mallett

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Sun, soil, water, and air (Sun, soil, water, and air)Sun, soil, water, and air (Sun, soil, water, and air)(add motions to represent the sun, soil, water, and air)

Chorus:Inch by inch, row by row, gonna make this garden grow.All I need is a rake and a hoe and a piece of fertile ground.Inch by inch, row by row, someone bless these seeds I sowSomeone warm them from below till the rain comes tumblin' down.

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Teaching Tips "The Three Fs"__ Focus, Flexibility, & Fun!

FOCUS: HOW TO GET KIDS TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING* LEARN AND USE NAMES - Don't you like it better when someone calls you by name instead of "hey you?"* CHANGE YOUR MODE OF PRESENTATION - Whisper, use an accent, etc.* SEE THEM EYE TO EYE - Literally get down at their level and look them in the eyes. With younger kids play "where are your eyes?", challenging them to look at you as quickly as they can.* USE GRABBERS - Help make them want to listen. Make a seed container into a "magic box," hide something behind your back, tell a joke - these kinds of things grab kids' attention.* ASK QUESTIONS - Questions get others involved. Statements require that they already be paying attention.* GET CLOSE - Close physical proximity makes a difference.* USE SILENCE - Announce "I'm waiting for everyone's attention" one time and then wait for it.* USE A GAME - "Super Circle," quiet sign, group name, etc.* DISCUSS WHAT'S HAPPENING - Talk with the kids about how they are feeling and behaving and tell them how you are doing. An honest exchange of thoughts and feelings often makes everyone feel better and get along.* SEPARATE CHILDREN FROM ADULTS - Keeping all the kids separate from accompanying adults will keep their attention on you rather than on parents or teachers.

FLEXIBILITY: REMEMBER, EVERY GROUP IS DIFFERENT* VALUE DIVERSITY - Different kids have different needs, talents, and abilities.* "READ" YOUR KIDS - How much energy do they have? How much do they know? Are they "getting" what you're giving them?* PACE YOUR DAY - Alternate active and quiet activities, and tailor them to your group's energy level.* DEVELOP A BAG OF TRICKS - Keep learning new activities and ways of explaining things. Carry a list of activities with you in case you draw a blank.* FOLLOW THEIR LEAD - What do they want to do and learn about?* LET THEM HAVE "FREE" MOMENTS - You don't always have to be talking or doing an activity. Give the kids a break and let them talk about whatever they want.

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* GIVE THE KIDS CHOICES - Offer them real alternatives (where appropriate) and honor their decisions.* EXPERIMENT! - Try new things. It's OK to make mistakes.* USE TEACHABLE MOMENTS - For example, if you are trying to explain the concept of composting and the students are focused on one of our cats or a hawk flying by, use the refocused energy and go with it. Ask them “What purpose does that cat (or hawk) serve on our farm?”, or “What could happen to these predators if chemicals were used on our farm?” Try to recognize where the students are focused and use this to teach something.

FUN: THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!* REMEMBER - We're here to introduce children to farms and the natural world and to help them become comfortable in this setting. You can't teach them everything in a morning.* LAUGH AT YOURSELF - A sense of humor can cure all ills.* BE A KID, BE SILLY* PLAY GAMES - They are fun and can teach things too. Make up your own games.* ROLE PLAY - Imitate animals, plants, anything.* EXPLORE* SING

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Tips for Effective Group Management

EXPECTATIONS* Set the tone you want your group to have. Let them know how to be "successful." Tell them what behaviors you expect of them so that when you need that behavior you can remind them. Demonstrate the behaviors you want them to display. Then reward them for getting it right!* If you are scattered and unfocused the kids will be, too. The more "together" you are, the more together they'll be.* Let them know what to expect. Give them an idea of what you are going to do when. If you tell them that they will see the worms at the end of the tour, they won't ask you about it all morning.

REDIRECTION: TELL THEM WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO DO. DON'T ASSUME THAT THEY KNOW WHAT BEHAVIORS YOU EXPECT OR WHY.*Try to avoid saying "Don't do this, don't do that." Give the kids ideas of what they should do. "Please walk" rather than "Don't run."* Ask hyperactive kids to help you with something. Channel their energy into something positive.* Use "I" statements. "I'd like it if..." “I like the way that..." "I don't like it when..."* Have the kids consider the consequences of inappropriate behavior. "What would happen if everyone picked a pepper from this plant?" What might happen if you climb on this old fence?"* Challenge kids to demonstrate an alternate behavior. "What else could we do to...?" "How else can we...?"

CHOICE MAKING* Offer your group choices and honor their decisions. Be careful to give them real choices and ones that you are willing to abide by.

ANTICIPATION* Try to prevent problems before they happen. Stay a mental step ahead of your group. Identify your "high energy" kids and keep them busy, maybe by giving them specific responsibilities or tasks to carry out.

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT * Catch a kid doing something good and tell them. Others might follow.* A behavior that gets reinforced (rewarded) is much more likely to happen again!* Be genuine. Smile and thank the child for coming back to the group, sharing a tool, etc.

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INVOLVEMENT* If everyone is involved in whatever you are doing, there won't be anyone left to "act up." Use activities that get them doing things, not just listening and watching.* Make a point to involve those individual kids who aren't already involved. What do you think Melissa? Billy, would you...?

AVOID STEREOTYPING* Don't expect that only boys want to get dirty or that girls will be afraid of spiders. Be aware of the tone of voice and the ways that you convey approval to children of different sexes /cultures.

Tips for Effective Communication of Information

DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN AN AWARENESS OF YOUR GROUP.* Listen to them and watch them. What seems to "click" with them?* Use "active listening" by being sure you understand what they are really asking and saying. "How many flowers are there?" can refer to either the number of kinds of flowers there are or the total number of blooms.* Be aware of body language. Are they focused on what you want them to be focused on?

TALK ON THEIR LEVEL.* Talk to them with respect - they are people.* Feel out their level of knowledge by asking them questions. Listen to the kinds of answers they give and questions they ask. If they tell you that rabbits lay eggs or that lettuce is a root, you know you need to backtrack.* Convey information in terms the kids understand and in ways that have relevance to their lives. Draw analogies between their homes and animal homes, for example. Use your imagination!!!

HELP THEM TO "FIGURE IT OUT" THEMSELVES.* Allow them to discover things rather than telling them things.* Answer their questions with a question. "Why do you think it's that way?" Promote speculation as to how and why things are the way the are. Admit it when you don't know something yourself.* Know whether you are asking open-ended or closed-ended questions. Closed-ended questions require a definite right or wrong answer; open-ended questions have multiple answers and can generate discussion. Open-ended questions also allow kids to wonder and express their own ideas. Example of closed-ended questions: "What kind of plant is this?" Example of open-ended: "How can we help the plants on the farm survive?" “What do you think…”.* Ask sequential questions that lead them to a discovery or realization.

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* Encourage your kids to ask questions of their own.

USE A VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES AND METHODS OF PRESENTATION.* Different children learn through different means. Some learn best by seeing, some by listening, and some by doing. A combination of activities that utilize all three of these modes will help ensure that the children in your group will get the most out of their experience here.

REINFORCE LEARNING BY TALKING ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE DOING.*After you do an activity, ask your group how they liked it, what their favorite part was, what they know now that they didn't know before, etc. Processing our experiences into language helps reinforce the experiences.

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Honoring Stages of Development in Teaching Environmental Education

THE RESEARCH OF DAVID SOBELAs reported in Jenny Anderson’s talk in Education 212A

Based on Sobel’s analyzing hundreds of maps that children in the US, Caribbean, and England have drawn of their neighborhoods.

1. Empathy ~ 4-7 years old (K-2nd) - Maps have children’s homes in the center.Between the ages of four and seven is developmentally when kids are

making emotional connections to things. This is the foundation on which they will build abstract thought and action later. At this age they are learning primarily through their senses and bonding to the natural world through play and their imaginations. Worms, ants, common birds, pets, are important. They need not know about issues, problems, pollution, etc. They need to develop empathy.

Stories, songs, moving like animals, celebrating seasons, fostering a sense of wonder, bonding with animals.

2. Exploration ~ 8-11 years old (2nd - 4th) - Maps expand geographically. Home is not in the center. Becomes part of the larger map–the neighborhood, and beyond. Explorable landscape becomes important. Parks, streambeds, vacant lots, the blocks between home and school.

This too is a bonding period. Making forts, exploring yards and parks, gardening, doing simple restoration projects, finding out where a stream goes, creating small imaginary worlds of living off the land, hunting and gathering, etc.

3. Social Action ~ 12 years old -and beyond (5th - ) - Maps now include social gathering places.

The third stage is social action and it doesn’t start until kids are 12– As children start to discover the “self” of adolescence and feel their connectedness to society, they naturally incline toward wanting to save the world. Now they are ready to learn and do something about the issues.”

Managing school recycling programs, river clean-up, passing town ordinances, testifying at hearings, planning and going on school expeditions are all appropriate.

LESSONS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATORS

Avoid premature abstractions. Kids can’t deal with problems beyond their understanding or control. No tragedies before 4th grade. No easy dichotomies–i.e. something is good, something else is bad. Emphasize the complexities.

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Taken from Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education, David Sobel. Orion Society, 1996.

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Questions and Answers about Organic Farming

WHAT IS ORGANIC?Organic refers to the way agricultural products—food and fiber—are grown and processed. Organic food production is based on a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers. Organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation to maintain the integrity of the food."Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony."

WHAT DOES "CERTIFIED ORGANIC" MEAN?"Certified Organic" means the item has been grown according to USDA Organic standards that are verified by independent state or private organizations. The certification process includes inspections of farm fields and processing facilities, detailed record keeping, and periodic testing of soil and water to ensure that growers and handlers are meeting the standards which have been set.

CAN ANY TYPE OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT BECOME CERTIFIED ORGANIC?Yes, any agricultural product that meets USDA certification requirements may be considered organic. Organic foods are available in an impressive variety. These foods, in order to be certified organic, have all been grown and processed according to organic standards and must maintain a high level of quality. Organic fiber products, too, have moved beyond T-shirts, and include bed and bath linens, tablecloths, napkins, cosmetic puffs, feminine hygiene products, cloth diapers, and men’s, women’s and children’s clothing in a wide variety of styles.

ARE ALL ORGANIC PRODUCTS COMPLETELY FREE OF PESTICIDE RESIDUES?Certified organic products have been grown and handled according to strict standards without toxic and persistent chemical inputs. However, organic crops are inadvertently exposed to agricultural chemicals that are now pervasive in rain and ground water due to their overuse during the past fifty years in North America, and due to drift via wind and rain.

DO ORGANIC FARMERS EVER USE PESTICIDES?Prevention is the organic farmer’s primary strategy for disease, weed, and insect control. By building healthy soils, organic farmers find that healthy plants are better able to resist disease and insects. Organic producers often select species that are well adapted for the climate and therefore resist disease and pests. When pest populations get out of balance, growers try various options like insect predators, mating disruption, traps, and barriers. If these fail, permission may be granted by the certifier to apply botanical or other non-persistent pest controls under restricted conditions. Botanicals are derived from plants and are broken down quickly by oxygen and sunlight.

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WHY DOES ORGANIC FOOD SOMETIMES COST MORE?Prices for organic foods reflect many of the same costs as conventional items in terms of growing, harvesting, transportation and storage. Organically produced foods must meet stricter regulations governing all of these steps, so the process is often more labor- and management-intensive, and farming tends to be on a smaller scale. There is mounting evidence that if all the indirect costs of conventional food production—cleanup of polluted water, replacement of eroded soils, costs of health care for farmers and their workers—were factored into the price of food, organic foods would cost the same or, more likely, be cheaper.

WHAT ARE SOME DOWNFALLS OF USING CHEMICAL PESTICIDES?Pesticides are like a quick fix to the pest problem. With the use of pesticides there may initially be a high crop yield, but through increased exposure pests are more likely to develop resistance to those materials. The pests actually evolve to be more resistant! This can lead to increased chemical use and the need for other chemicals. Ironically, pesticides don’t seem to be improving agricultural yields; before their use farmers lost about 33% of their crops to pests. Today farmers lose the same 33%.

Many chemicals that conventional farmers apply do not only kill the intended pests, but everything they come in contact with. This includes beneficial (predators, decomposers, pollinators) bugs that prey upon pests and help maintain healthy soil and plants. All plant eaters have at least one natural predator; that’s nature’s way of keeping nature in check. When pesticides are applied to eliminate a pest (bad bug) the natural predators (good bug) population (if not killed by the poison) will fall due to lack of food. With millions of pounds of chemicals being applied annually on our planet it is no wonder that chemical farming is sometimes associated with the following problems: human poisoning; increased cancer rates, hormonal imbalances, gene mutations, birth defects; ground/well water contamination; lake/river/reef contamination; and toxin accumulation in wildlife food chains.

ISN’T ORGANIC FOOD JUST A FAD?No! U. S. sales of organic food totaled $5.4 billion in 1998, about $6.5 billion in 1999, and reached $10 billion in 2003. Sales grow about 20% each year!Internationally, organic sales continue to grow as well. In Germany, almost all baby food has gone organic, and in Italy all school lunches were required to be organic by 2005.

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Common Practices of Organic Farmers

SOIL BUILDING-- COMPOST AND COVER CROPSOrganic farmers are soil builders, because they know to grow a healthy plant you have to grow healthy soil! Have you ever wondered how a forest or meadow grows and thrives with no added fertilizer or pest protection? The answer is that natural ecosystems cycle nutrients. A plant or animal dies and is decomposed and its nutrients return to the soil to feed new plants. Organic farming attempts to mimic natural cycles, but of course farmers have to remove plants during harvest, breaking the nutrient cycle. In an attempt to make up for this removal of nutrients, and keep things in balance, organic farmers add organic materials such as compost, or incorporate cover crops into their soils. Healthy soil makes strong healthy plants!

CROP DIVERSITYDiversity of species is an important part of ecosystem health. Have you ever seen a natural area with only one type of plant or animal in it? Probably not! Nature usually has a diversity of species that support and interact with one another to create a healthy ecosystem. To make a healthy farm we create diversity, by planting many different crops and leaving undisturbed habitat for wildlife. We even plant certain crops just to provide habitat for beneficial insects (our perennial border is an example of this). Beneficial insects help the farmer by eating insect pests, pollinating flowers, and improving soil structure and fertility (decomposing).

INSECT CONTROL Organic farmers control insect pests in a variety of ways. They provide habitat for "good" bugs that eat the "bad" bugs, plant a diversity of crops to confuse the pests, rotate crops, strategically interplant crops, trap pests, choose pest-resistant plant varieties, place pheromone-scented disprupters (to prevent mating of pest insects), cover up crops with reusable cloth barriers, and sometimes use approved natural substances such as Bacillus thuringensis bacteria (which is toxic when ingested by specific pests but harmless to other living creatures).

WEED CONTROL One of the most challenging parts of organic farming is controlling weeds without herbicides. Farmers use mechanical cultivation (weeding with a tractor), rotation of crops, "planting to moisture" (planting a seed deeply, at the moisture level in the soil, and not watering the surface to prevent weed seeds from sprouting and give the crop seed a head start), flame weeding to kill baby weeds before the crop has germinated, and as a last resort, hand weeding.

PREDATORS ON THE FARMInsects are not the only beneficial predators on the farm. Organic farmers also encourage the presence of farm cats, snakes, owls, and predatory birds such as

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hawks, to help decrease the rodent population of the farm. Even with all this help, farmers need to set traps for rodents as well.

CROP ROTATIONOrganic farmers rarely plant the same crop in the same field year after year. Rotating crops from year to year helps control pests and plant disease, manage weeds, and balance the nutrients that plants need.

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Teaching about Organic for Kids

Please use good judgement when talking about conventional versus organic food. We are not here to preach that one is better than the other; we are here to explain how an organic farm system works. We don’t want kids going home and refusing to eat their veggies or accusing their parents of poisoning them.

GOOD SOIL MAKES HEALTHY PLANTS Compost is what feeds our plants. It makes them healthy and more resistant to pests. You can use an analogy of a child getting a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast and how that makes them feel. It’s the same with plants. If they get good soil, with plenty of compost in it, they will be stronger and healthier, less vulnerable to pest attack or disease.

GOOD BUGS AND BAD BUGS Explain that some bugs are good, some are bad and some are both. All “bad” bugs (pests) have a “predator”. Explain that we have lots of flowers in our garden to attract good bugs (“predators”). Organic farmers like to have good bugs around and sometimes even buy them to release on their farms.

Mini list of common bugs:

Good bugs Bad Bugs Neutral Bugslady bugs, ground beetles,wasps, big eyed bug, lacewings

snails and slugs, spotted cucumber beetle (looks like a yellow lady bug)

Sow bugs, earwigs, spittle bugs, Jerusalem cricket

OUR GARDEN IS LIKE A FOREST. Explain why the forest doesn’t get destroyed by bad bugs and why there are healthy plants (there are plenty of good bugs and plenty of organic matter decomposing in the soil). The forest performs a natural cycle of recycling nutrients from fallen leaves, scat and dead animals that keeps the soil healthy. The organic farmer replicates this process by composting and adding the compost to the farm soil (this concept could be tough to understand for the younger ones).

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The Six Plant Parts

ROOTSThe root, the part underground, anchors the plant and absorbs water and nutrients from the soil. Simple sugars, made in the plant’s leaves, are stored in the form of starches in the roots, to be used later for plant growth or for animals to eat. Some plants that store a particularly large amount of starch in their roots have become important in our diet, such as carrots, beets, radishes, and turnips.

STEMS The stem supports the plant and contains most of its circulatory system. Vessels in the stem transport sugar and starches made in the leaves as well as water and minerals absorbed through the roots--to other parts of the plant where the nutrients are needed. Some stems we eat are asparagus, broccoli, sour grass, and fennel.

LEAVESThe leaf is a flattened or extended part of the stem. Leaves are the main food-producing part of the plant. They produce food through a process called photosynthesis, using carbon dioxide, sunlight, and water. The chlorophyll in leaves collects the sun's energy (light). The pores (stomata) of leaves absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air. This carbon dioxide plus water from the roots is combined, using the sun's energy, to make simple sugars and starches: CO2 + H2O + Light ---> CH2O (a simple sugar.) We eat leaves such as lettuce, spinach, chard, basil, cabbage, and mint.

FLOWERSThe flower is the reproductive part of a plant. It gives rise to seeds from which new plants develop. Just like humans, flower must be fertilized so that the male and female genes can be brought together. But, some flowers have both sexes in the same flower and others need insects, animals, wind, or water to fertilize them. Flowers that we eat are cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and artichokes. Some ornamental flowers such as borage, nasturtiums and calendula are also edible.

FRUITSFruits grow from fertilized flowers. It is the outer covering that surrounds and protects the seeds. Fruits we eat are apples, plums, zucchini, cucumber, tomato, peppers, green beans, pumpkins, and pea pods. Some fruits we don't eat like the husk of the corn or the shell of a walnut, but they are considered fruits too since they grow from the ovary and protect the seeds.

SEEDSAll seeds come from the ovary of a flower that has been fertilized. After fertilization the seed contains the embryo of a new plant, and its own food supply

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stored in the surrounding tissues. When a seed sprouts, it produces an above ground shoot with a stem and leaves, and roots that sink under ground. Some seeds we eat include peas, corn nuts, sunflower seeds, beans and wheat.

WHAT'S A VEGETABLE THEN? Vegetable is a culinary term. In cooking, a vegetable is savory and a fruit is sweet. But we're not cooking in the garden. We're doing botany, where a fruit is the flesh protecting the seeds of a plant.

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Compost

WHY COMPOST?There are two main reasons to compost. By composting our leftover food waste, plant waste, and weeds, we can reduce the amount of waste being sent to our landfills. At the same time, we are creating an amazing, slow-released, nutrient-rich food source for our plants, increasing water retention of the soil, improving the structure of the soil and making soil microorganisms happy. By producing our own compost we do not have to purchase any fertilizers to feed our garden. Composting is one way organic farmers and gardeners get organic matter and nutrients into the soil.

HOW DOES COMPOSTING WORK?A compost pile is built by a process of carefully layering or mixing of equal amounts of greens (leftover food, pulled up plants, and fresh weeds) and browns (straw, dried plant matter). To create a hotter (faster-decomposing) pile, some farmers add manure. By mixing these three elements (“MSG” = manure, straw, and greens) we create an optimal situation for the decomposers to “munch” on as well as the best balance of nutrients for our plants. A compost pile should be at least 3' x 3' x 3' to heat up and compost well, and should be built in a cube shape (not a pyramid), to allow the most materials to be stacked and create enough bulk to heat up.Decomposition in a compost pile begins with fungus and bacteria breaking down the organic material. The energy of these microorganisms can heat a pile to 160 degrees. Just as humans produce heat when they work hard, so do the decomposers. This heat helps kill any diseases or weed seeds in the pile. Then when the pile begins to cool down, bugs (mites, beetles, sow bugs, earthworms, millipedes, earwigs, etc.) continue to break down the pile.

The "down" garden is a good place to find steaming hot piles and check their temperature with a compost thermometer. In the Garden Classroom we have slower & cooler piles, because we don't add manure and we don't turn our piles very often.

WHAT DON'T WE PUT IN OUR COMPOST PILES?The main things not to put into a compost pile are dairy products and meat. Both of these items will decompose but they make the compost pile smelly. The smell attracts wild animals to the pile. We also avoid adding oily or greasy food and large amounts of citrus.

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Worm Composting Another composting method, which works differently than the pile method, is worm composting (vermicomposting). Vermicomposting is a simple, efficient composting system that appeals to many people, especially those who mainly have food wastes to compost. Maintenance is simple: bury food scraps in the bedding, add new bedding occasionally, and harvest the digested results, known as castings. Finished worm castings can be harvested in four months, and these crumbly, brown castings have a higher nutrient content than many other composts.

HOW DOES IT WORK?Redworms, also known as “red wrigglers,” thrive in areas with high organic matter

content. They will naturally colonize a manure or compost pile, surface feeding in the top 18 inches of material. Red-worms are not the same as “earthworms” and “night-crawlers” which prefer to construct semi-permanent burrows in undisturbed soils. Redworms can be bought from a worm supplier or "borrowed" from a friend's worm bin. They reproduce rapidly in the right conditions.

Redworms do their best work in a dark, damp (but not soggy) environment with temperatures averaging between 55° and 77° F. They need a dark bin with plenty of holes drilled in the sides for air, holes in the bottom for drainage, and a tightly-fitting lid to keep out pests and rain. There are many styles of commercial worm bins available, though many people start out with a plastic storage tub or build their own bin. Bedding materials such as leaves, peat moss, and shredded newspaper, provide worms with a damp, aerated place to live, as well as a food source. Bulky and high in carbon, the bedding materials provide a matrix in which to bury the wet, high-nitrogen food scraps. Composting food scraps without bedding results in a slimy, smelly mess. Together, the bedding and the food scraps are a balanced compost composition and a balanced diet for the worms. In a few months the worms will eat their way through both the food scraps and the bedding.

After about four months, the worms will have chewed their way through most of the food scraps and the bedding material, leaving behind a box-full of nutrient-rich castings. The easiest method for harvesting the castings is called the “Divide and Migrate” method. Simply push all the material to one side of the box (side A). Add moist, fresh bedding to the remaining space (side B). Bury food only in the new bedding in side B. Over the next six weeks to two months, the worms will work their way through the remaining material in side A, and will migrate to the new food and bedding in side B. Once the castings are removed from side A, fresh bedding can be added and food burial can be shifted to that side only. This method will keep you in a new supply of worm castings about every four months and will keep your worms in fresh food and bedding.

The harvested castings will look dark and crumbly and should smell like good soil. High in nitrogen and phosphorus and a great source of organic matter, castings are wonderful additions to potting mixes for seeds, transplants, or house plants. Castings can also be used like compost in vegetable and flower beds, as a cover soil for seed beds, and as a top-dressing for perennials.

WHAT CAN WORMS EAT?Redworms can eat their way through any food waste except for hard bones. Fruit

and vegetable scraps, grains and breads, coffee grounds and tea bags are all wonderful worm food. Worms will also eat meat, dairy products, and oily foods, but if pests and odors are a problem, then avoid putting these attractive items in the worm box. Worms have favorite foods and foods they will avoid. They will flock to the underside of a melon

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rind, and may avoid a citrus peel or onion for weeks until bacteria have broken down its caustic substances.

The easiest system for feeding the worms is to bury food scraps in holes dug into the bedding. Use a hand fork to open a hole or a small trench in the bedding, dump in the food scraps, and then cover them with a few inches of bedding. Covering the food with bedding and worm castings will help keep flies and odors away. Rotate food burial sites to distribute the food scraps evenly throughout the box.

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Intestine The intestine or digestive tract is a canal that moves the food along. Strong juices in the digestive tract break down the food bits into even smaller pieces. Food that is not absorbed into the bloodstream is passed out through the worm’s anus. The waste material is called a casting.Clitellum The clitellum is a light colored band on the worm’s body. The clitellum has a role in fertilization. The clitellum makes mucus when the two worms join to exchange sperm. Hearts Worms have five hearts. The hearts pump blood throughout the worm’s body. The blood carries the digested food particles to where they are needed.Gizzard Worms do not have teeth. They grind their food into tiny pieces in their gizzard, with the help of particles of sand and dirt that collect there. Brain A worm’s brain is primitive, but has kept worms alive for hundreds of millions of years.

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Mouth A worm has a small pad of flesh that sticks out above its mouth. When the worm is hungry, the pad stretches out searching for food. When the worm finds something to eat, the pad pulls the food into the mouth and closes over the mouth.

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Chickens

WHY DO WE HAVE CHICKENS ? Chickens are our garden recyclers! They eat our kitchen & garden scraps and turn them into two things we want-- eggs, to feed us, and manure, to feed our compost pile. (Plus, a secret reason-- chickens are an easy way to get kids to connect to the garden!).

WHAT ARE THEY CALLED ? Male chickens are known as roosters, females are hens, and babies are chicks. Most of our chickens are bantams (miniature chickens).

WHAT DO THEY EAT ? Chickens eat pellets and scratch (a mixture of grains such as wheat, corn, and oats). We also give them kitchen & garden scraps. Chickens are often fed oyster shells or cows milk for calcium, which is used in the production of eggshells, feathers, and bones. Chickens supplement their diet on their own, munching on greens and small insects. Chickens don’t have teeth, so they can’t chew; they use their beak to decrease the size of their food. Also, they swallow small pieces of gravel, which go into the gizzard and aid in breaking down the food. The gizzard is a very muscular organ about half the size of a walnut which, with the help of the gravel, grinds food for digestion. It also contains the same digestive enzymes which are found in the saliva of a mammal’s mouth.If we were to follow food through a bird’s system, it would move from the mouth through the gullet and into the crop. The crop stores food temporarily for softening by enzymes. The food moves into the gizzard to be further broken down. The food then flows through the small intestine and into the large intestine. Absorption of nutrients takes place here. The digestive outlet is called a cloaca. The cloaca is a vent containing outlets for urinary and genital systems also.

FEATHERSThe feathers on a bird overlap like the shingles on a roof. They offer protection from the elements and are believed to have evolved from the scales of reptiles. With both ducks and chickens the males are the highly colored birds, putting on a good visual display for attracting a mate. Female fowl are usually drab-colored in order to hide from predators while sitting on the nest.Once a year chickens molt - that is when a bird loses its feathers and grows new ones. Usually the new feathers are hidden by the old feathers until they are fully developed, but sometimes you’ll see a bird that loses its feathers before it gets new ones. Feather loss may also occur from the rooster mounting the hen to mate, or from fights.

WHY DO THEY SOMETIMES CHASE EACH OTHER AROUND ? Chickens have a pecking order. The most aggressive chickens get what they want, whether it’s the best food, perch or nest. The next most aggressive chickens submit to the most aggressive but dominate the less aggressive. You

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may see chickens who have had their feathers pecked off due to this aggressive behavior.

CAN HENS LAY EGGS WITHOUT A ROOSTER ? Yes, hens lay eggs without a rooster, but for a baby chick to be born from the egg it must be fertilized by a rooster. If a hen keeps a fertilized egg warm by sitting on it for 21 days, a chick hatches. The chick develops from the egg yolk by consuming the yolk as food and the white as water. Oxygen comes in through the eggshell. Regardless of a roosters presence, if a hen is getting lots of daylight, (optimally 16 hours per day), she will lay up to one egg daily. On average a hen can lay 250 eggs per year. Commercial egg houses keep the lights on all year round to force the hens to lay in order to provide us with eggs in winter. We allow ours to stop laying in winter to give them a rest.

WHY ARE EGGS DIFFERENT COLORS? The color of a hen's egg depends on her breed. All eggs are originally white when they begin to grow inside the chicken. They gain their color from glands on the walls of the oviduct. It is as if there are many paint brushes and the canvas moves. The color and intensity of the color depends on the rate at which the egg moves and the type of dye given off by the bird. Some birds will reject eggs once they are laid if they don't have the correct pattern.

WHERE DO THEY SLEEP? Chickens sleep on perches sitting up. Look through the window in their house to see the bar that they sleep on. When their feet relax in sleep, they lock into a grasping position, which is how they sleep without falling off. This is natural for them since their ancestors slept on tree branches to avoid predators. It is believed that the wild ancestor of chickens is the Red Jungle Fowl, which still lives in small numbers in India.

GOOD CHICKEN QUESTIONS TO ASK KIDSWhy do we have chickens in the garden? * What other animals lay eggs?Could you sleep sitting up, like a chicken does? * Are these eggs bigger or littler than the eggs you have at home? * What do we do with these eggs? * What do you do with eggs at home?

CHICKEN ACTIVITIESWhenever visiting the chickens with your group, it is crucial to set the tone at the beginning, before approaching the coop.• Pick up rocks from the ground and tell kids you’ve found chicken’s teeth. When they realize they are just rocks have them figure out why rocks are a chicken’s teeth. Pick up a chicken and have kids feed the gizzard with a few tiny rocks.• Talk about chicken digestion, and let kids feel her crop.• Lift a hen’s tail feathers and look for vent where the egg comes out of. Point out her comb and waddles, and let kids touch them. Show the kids her tiny ear holes, which are hidden behind a flap of feathers. Why would they be covered? (for protection). Let kids touch her scaly legs and feet.

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• Feel the chickens back feathers. Why are these feathers softer than her flying feathers?• Look at different types of chicken food.• Compare different kinds of chickens.• Listen to their calls. Chickens make different noises to communicate different things. Try to guess what they are saying.• If you have kids hold a chicken, first model how to hold her and explain that when you set a chicken down, you have to hold on until she is all the way to the ground (to avoid an awkward fall and possible injury).• Check under a sitting hen. Feel a warm egg. • Sometimes you can see the hens taking a dust bath. They dig a hole and fluff up the soil with their wings. The dry soil helps to “wash” out any bugs that they may have picked up.• If a child drops an egg, assure them it's okay and turn it into an opportunity to look at the inside of an egg. Notice the yolk is dark yellow or orange, much darker than commercial eggs. This is due to our hens eating fresh vegetables, fruits and insects.

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Chicken Anatomy

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HoneybeesThe honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is an organism is essential to the welfare of

humankind. Not only does it provide humans with honey-- a delightful food with many delicate flavors-- but, more importantly, the honey bee ensures the fertility of many plant species humans depend upon for direct and indirect food supply.

Humans could survive without honey for the table; on the other hand, our diet would be pretty drab without the fruit and vegetables that require pollination for productivity and without the milk and meat from livestock that prosper so well on the legumes. These basic forage crops important in livestock production also must be pollinated by bees.

BEES AND PLANT POLLINATIONThe honeybee was not native to the Western Hemisphere (North and South

America, Australia, and New Zealand); they were brought to these areas by the very earliest settlers. How were the plants pollinated in these areas before the introduction of the honeybee? There are hundreds of kinds of native bees that also pollinate plants, in some cases even more efficiently than the honeybee. However, when humans increased crop acreages, many nesting sites of the native solitary and semicolonial bees were eliminated. The cultivation of specific crops in large acreages was as favorable to crop pests as it was detrimental to the native wild bees. The need for chemical control of these pests further upset the natural balance between the flowers that require pollination and the pollinators that were available to do the job. Honey bees in millions, or even billions, can be supplied more easily than a few thousand of the native bees.

All bees, including the honeybee, have branched hairs covering their bodies. This is one of the important characteristics that distinguishes bees from other insects. These branched hairs become dusted with pollen grains as they visit flowers. Since a bee may visit 100 to 400 blossoms during each trip to the field, cross-pollination is effected by distribution of pollen grains from the anthers of one flower to the stigma of another. Many plants with perfect flowers, that is bearing both anthers and stigma, are self-sterile to their own pollen; in others the male and female flowers are produced on different plants; and in others the male and female blossoms are separate on the same plant. All three situations make bees essential to the production of seed and fruit. Even self-fertile plants are usually more productive when cross-pollinated.

THE COLONYBees are extraordinarily social animals. The honeybee colony consists of one

queen, many thousand worker bees (females), and, at certain seasons, from a few to several thousand drone bees (males). Its structure is a series of parallel honeycombs made up of six-sided cells on both sides for the rearing of young bees (brood rearing) and for the storage of food (pollen and honey). Individual queens, workers, or drones cannot survive alone. Collectively, the bees of a colony cannot survive without combs for brood, honey, and pollen.

THE QUEENThe queen is a large, slender individual whose sole function is to lay eggs. In this

she is most remarkable, since she may produce up to 1,500 eggs per day, 250,000 per year, and, under some circumstances, more than a million during her lifetime. The eggs laid in a single day may weigh more than her own body weight. She lays two kinds of eggs-- those that she fertilizes and places in small hexagonal cells that develop into

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worker bees, and those that she does not fertilize, which she places in the larger hexagonal cells. These develop into drone bees. The queen develops from a fertilized egg the same as the worker bees. For 5 days the queen larva is fed a food secreted by the worker bees known as royal jelly. This high quantity of royal jelly is the determining factor that turns a normal egg into a queen (normal worker bees only receive 2 1/2 days of royal jelly). Five to 8 days after the queen emerges, she leaves the colony to mate with a number of drones. From these matings she is able to store 5 to 8 million sperm cells in a tiny organ called the spermatheca. She releases several sperm from the spermatheca each time she lays an egg destined to produce a worker or queen bee. When she places an egg in the drone cell, she does not release sperm to fertilize the egg. Once the mated queen commences egg-laying she never leaves the hive, except when the colony swarms. The queen is constantly attended and fed by the worker bees in the colony. She may live 1, 2, and sometimes as many as 7 years.

THE DRONESThe drones are the largest bees in the colony, heavy bodied, and more or less

rectangular in body shape. They develop in 24 days from an unfertilized egg and thus have a grandfather but no father. Their only job in life is to mate with a queen from another hive. They become sexually mature about 12 days after emergence and die instantly upon mating. The matings take place in flight, often several miles from the colony and high in the air. The queen flies as fast and high as she can to ensure that she only mates with the strongest and fastest drones. Only a small percentage of the drones fulfill their basic function. At the close of the honey harvest, the drones remaining in the colony are driven off the combs until they become weakened from starvation. They are then carried out of the hive by the worker bees to perish. A few drones may develop late in the season and overwinter with the colony. The drones are mainly reared and tolerated by the colony during spring and summer.

THE WORKER BEESThe worker bees are sexually underdeveloped females smaller than the queen but

capable of laying small numbers of eggs under some conditions. Worker bees that lay eggs are called laying workers. Their eggs, usually placed in worker cells, develop into undersized but functional drones. Worker bee larvae hatch from eggs in 3 days, are fed royal jelly for 2 1/2 days, and then their diet is changed to include pollen and honey for 2 1/2 days. They are sealed in their cells for 12 days, during which period they spin a cocoon and transform from the larvae to the pupae, emerging as adult bees 20 days after the eggs were laid. Each larva receives approximately 10,000 visits from the nurse bees during development.

The difference in the cell and food environment causes the worker bees to require 5 days longer to develop the queen, yet their life expectancy is only 5 weeks during the summer and a few months during the winter. Any worker larva under 24 to 48 hours old can be developed into a queen under the proper colony conditions that cause the nurse bees to construct a queen cell and feed royal jelly lavishly to the developing larva. The rearing of queens for market is a highly specialized field of beekeeping.

The worker bees differ markedly from the queen in many respects other than function, length of life, and behavior. Structurally they have a longer tongue for gathering nectar, modified mandibles (jaws) especially designed for comb building, special glands for secreting royal jelly, enzymes for the conversion of nectar into honey, and glands that function in communication; highly specialized leg structures for

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gathering and carrying pollen, four pairs of wax glands on the underside of their abdomen for the secretion of wax, and a straight barbed sting for the defense of the colony. The queen's sting is curved and smooth and is used only to destroy rival queens.

The worker bees exhibit a well-defined division of labor based primarily upon their physiological age but modified to some degree by the needs of the colony. The physio-age of bees is similar to their actual age during the active season when the colony is raising brood and storing food. During dearth periods, especially in winter, a 60-day old bee may be younger physiologically than a 20-day old bee in summer.

In a general way, bees under 3 days old clean and polish the cells for the queen to lay in and for food storage; those 3 to 7 days old feed the older larvae; those 7 to 14 days old secrete royal jelly for feeding the queen, younger worker larvae, and queen larvae of any age, and they secrete wax for comb building; those 14 to 21 days old forage primarily for pollen; and those over 21 days old forage for nectar. All the bees in the colony probably contribute to the process of changing nectar into honey and in the air conditioning of the colony to maintain a suitable temperature and humidity. The hive is maintained immaculately clean at all times, and the guard bees with their stingers for armor protect the hives against all intruders. Other labor activities include gathering water and propolis, and defense of the colony. There is considerable overlapping of the age groups engaged in the various duties. When the age groups are not in normal balance, bees of any age can do the work necessary but not so efficiently.

Honey bees, like other insects, are cold-blooded and have a body temperature close to that of their environment. However, the honey-bee colony functioning as a single organism can maintain uniform hive temperatures under northern winter conditions identical with those in summer or in the tropics.. By clustering together, they generate and conserve heat, or they lower the temperature by evaporating moisture and establishing air currents through the colony to maintain a uniform temperature of 93' F. within the cluster, even though the outside temperature is at -50' F. or 120' F. Under low temperatures, the cluster temperature ranges from 45' F. on the surface to as high as 93' F. within when brood is being reared.

The most conspicuous characteristic dominant in honey bees is their great industry. Honey bees do not procrastinate by doing tomorrow what they can do now. They may fly 50,000 miles and visit 5,000,000 blossoms to gather enough nectar to produce one pound of honey, which is stored not for themselves but for the survival of the colony. The bees that gather this food do not live long enough to enjoy it. One bee, of course, cannot fly such a distance, yet the bees of a colony may store 5, 10, or even 20 pounds of honey in a day. They must gather 200 to 300 pounds of honey and 50 pounds of pollen (10 gallons) to meet the colony's needs each year. The beekeeper also expects to harvest a surplus of 100 or more pounds of honey for his efforts. The bees have to be industrious to gather so much food, rear so many young, build comb, air condition the hive, and perform all the other duties particular to the colony.

HOW HONEY BEES COMMUNICATEA society as efficiently organized as the honeybee colony certainly would be

expected to have a means of communication. Professor Karl von Frisch, after some 40 years of observation and research, was able to interpret the language of bees. His experiments clearly showed that the bees have an accurate language based upon characteristic dances, odor, and taste perception. When a foraging bee locates a source of pollen or nectar, she can communicate this information to other bees in the colony accurately as to direction, distance from the hive, and the kind of plants supplying it.

The language dance performed within a colony is oriented on the combs in relation to the sun. The angle between the sun, food source, and hive determines the direction of the dance orientation. A dance straight up on the comb's vertical axis means towards the

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sun; to the right, so many degrees to the right of the sun; and to the left, so many degrees to the left of the sun. A rapid dance means a short distance; a slower dance means increased distance. The bees do not actually have to see the sun to be capable oftransmitting or interpreting this food source information, since they can perceive and interpret direction from the polarized light they receive from the sky. The plant producing the food is identified by the odor association of the food gathered by the dancing bee.

Assume that a scout bee finds food in an apple orchard one mile to the east in the direction of the sun at 8:00 o'clock in the morning. The dancing forager will move over several cells straight up the vertical axis of the comb, vibrating her abdomen from left to right at a frequency appropriate to the distance. She then turns first right then left to reverse herself and repeats the straight-line run of the wagtail dance, pausing occasionally to give food to surrounding bees. She usually repeats the dance a number of times in one location and then moves on to another and performs the identical dance again. The bees of food-gathering age leave the hive in search of food from the same source in the direction and distance indicated by a dancing bee. These bee recruits will not stop to visit plums, pears, dandelions, or some other kind of blossom after receiving the odor association of food from apple blossoms. If food is available from this same orchard at noontime, the dancing foragers will make the straight-line run of their wagtail dance 90' to the left of the vertical axis of the comb. If food is still available in the evening, the dance will orient along the vertical axis but in a downward direction.

Dances similar to those giving direction for food are performed by scout bees who locate a domicile (new home) to be occupied by a swarm that has issued from a colony. There are many other dances performed by bees that obviously extend the area of communication beyond food gathering and locating a domicile.

BEES DO STINGMany people know only that bees make honey and sting. Practically all bees,

hornets, and wasps are stinging insects. Only the females have stingers and only the worker honeybee has a barbed stinger. These barbed stingers are left in you if you are stung. A sting from a bumblebee, hornet, or wasp is often more severe than that from a honeybee. If you are attacked by these insects, they are likely to sting several times in rapid succession as their sting is not barbed. If stung by a honey bee, scrape the stinger free from the wound as quickly as possible. This will reduce the amount of venom and the consequent irritation. Because the poison sac of the honey bees' stinger is attached to it, any attempt to grasp the stinger to pull it out will only squeeze more poison into the wound.

WHAT DO WE WANT TO TEACH ABOUT BEES?The #1 thing we try to convey about honeybees is their importance to our food

supply. Pollination is crucial to agriculture; scientists say thank a bee for every third thing you eat.

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Review & Discussion Questions

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1. What should you do if you wake up and it’s raining on your field trip day?2. What should you do if you cannot make a field trip date?3. What would you do if a kid falls and scrapes his/her knee during a field trip? 4. What would you do if a kid is stung by a bee and tells you that she/he is highly

allergic to bees?5. What is done with the food grown on our farm? Where do we market it?6. Name four places in the Garden Classroom you could take a group of kids to

"pass" 5 or 10 minutes.7. What are natures FBI's and what do they do?8. Name two types of composting demonstrated on our farm. What is different

about them?9. What are the two main benefits of composting?10. What is a teachable moment? Give an example of a teachable moment you

might come across on the farm and what you would do at that moment.11. Name four or more things you can do to focus your group before explaining

a concept.12. Why is it important to start your day by learning your kid's names and

"setting the tone of the day"?13. How could parents or teachers help your group? How could they hinder your

group?14. What are "the three Fs"?15. What does it mean to teach with questions?16. What does it mean to be a certified organic farm, such as the CASFS Farm?17. What are some downfalls of conventional farming?18. Why is organic food sometimes more expensive?19. Why do we have chickens in the Garden Classroom?20. How should you set down a chicken?21. Name the six plant parts.22. Name 3 products or services we get from honeybees.23. What are the three types of bees found in a colony? Explain their roles. 24. Name three or more strategies for dealing with a child who is running away

from the group and doing things she shouldn't do.

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