The 1st Grade classes took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch on Friday.
We had a blast!
Before our trip, the teachers decided to tie-dye some t-shirts for the kids to wear. Two of the teachers found a recipe for tie-dye using kool-aid and vinegar. We decided that since we are on a teacher's budget, we would give it a try! We went to the local grocery story and purchased approximately 135 packets of kool-aid and a large bottle of vinegar, and away we went. We had fun tie-dying the shirts, and we were pumped that we made it work! The shirts were supposed to dry for 24 hours, then we were supposed to iron them, and finally wash and dry them. One of the teachers called me Thursday evening in a panic, "Have you washed your shirts yet?" Luckily, I had not. She said, "Well don't. My shirts are white."
All the dye had washed out......AH!
She ended up purchasing some t-shirt dye that you can put in the washing machine, and then painted pumpkins on each shirt. She is so creative! They turned out absolutely precious!
The other teacher and I decided that we didn't have time to re-dye our shirts, so we just put them in the dryer with some fabric softeners...
When we got to school the next morning, we laid out the t-shirts and were getting ready for our trip. (I was a bit apprehensive about this whole field trip idea, seeing as how it was my first one as a real teacher...)
The shirts smelled terribly of vinegar...
"Mih Lemon, why my shirt stank?"
...excessive sneezing and coughing...
The other teacher came into my room laughing hysterically because one of her students said "this shirt smell like pickled eggs..."
All we could do was laugh...
For those of you who live near the area, we went to Fiddlin' Rooster Farm. The owners and staff at the Farm are top-notch. They organize field trip that will make even a teacher's head spin!
The farm is set up with 15 different stations for the students to visit. Each station lasts around 10 or 15 minutes, and they have activities that engage learning at each station. It was seriously awesome!
(I tried to get a picture of the kids at each station, but I am going to be cautious of posting due to privacy concerns.)
1. Animals: We learned about pigs, chickens, goats, and donkeys.
Did you know that chickens with red ears lay brown eggs? And chickens with white ears lay white eggs?
Also, a chicken can lay 5 to 6 eggs per day. Pretty cool!
Here's a neat picture of a chicken:
2. Roping: The kids could practice roping a pretend cow and hula hooping!
Here's a picture of Mih Lemon with the hula hoop:
3. Hay Ride: We piled up on a big tractor trailer and rode to the Cotton Field, Corn Maze, and Pumpkin Patch!
4. Cotton Field: The kids learned about cotton plants and each stage of a cotton bud's life, and they also got to feel cotton. They learned about how people used to hand pick cotton and how they would weigh their daily wages.
5. Corn Maze: We learned about corn stalks and how they grow, the life cycle of corn, and some things that corn is used to make. Then we had a "Corn Cop" lead us through the maze!
6. Pumpkin Patch: Here the kids learned about how pumpkins grow, what is inside of them, and what all you can use pumpkins to make. Each student also got to pick their own pumpkin to take home!
7. Lunch Break
8. Butter: Each student was given a small cup of milk with a lid on it. As the staff member told the students about cows and things their milk is used for, the students were instructed to shake their cups of milk. The milk eventually turned into butter - way cool!
Here is a picture of the Cow information:
9. Corn: Here the students got to see how corn is taken off of the cob, how it is ground up, and learned about different things corn is used for. They each got a small cornbread muffin to dip into their butter to eat! It was very yummy!
10. Cow Train: The farm has a train of barrel cars connected together that are painted like cows. I got some really good pictures of the kids riding the cow train!
11. Wagon Wheel: At this station the students learned about how people used to travel in wagons. They got to see where the luggage went, how bonfires were made, and how difficult traveling really was. The staff member at this station also played the fiddle and taught the kids how to dance around him in a circle. This part was lots of fun!
Here is a picture of the old wagon:
12. Duck Races: This station was made up of 10 water pumps. The students learned about the advantages of now indoor plumbing and running water. At each pump, there was a gutter going towards the other side of the station. Each water pump had a little plastic duck in it, and the kids got to race their ducks to the other side.
13. Barn Slide: The farm has turned a barn house into a fun house! They have a huge tunnel slide coming out of the barn - and the kids came out super fast!
Here is a picture of Mih Lemon coming down the slide:
14: Barrel Swing: They have a huge swing made out of a big barrel (like the slide) that the kids could take turn swinging on.
15. Corn Pool: On the side of the barn house, there is a big pool of corn that the kids can play in! They had lots of fun playing in a pool of corn...who would have thought?!
Overall, this field trip was a success! We got a little later start than originally planned, but everything worked out perfectly in the end. The staff at the Farm was more than welcoming and helpful during our whole trip. We had a wonderful experience!
On the 45 minute bus ride back to school, the kids enjoyed talking about what they learned...
while their exhausted teacher took a little nap.
