The first graders in Ms. Lee’s class have been studying Farm and Farm Community this month. A few weeks ago, the class took a field trip to a working dairy farm to learn about farming, tending to a large herd of cows, the milking process, and finally how the milk is transported off the farm. This week, the students were surprised with a visit from several animals from the Shelburne Farms Children’s Farmyard. Susie Marchand, the Agricultural Education Coordinator and close friend of Ms. Lee brought two lambs, two chickens and a bunny to MCS. Students were thrilled to see and touch the animals and ask lots of questions.

While the children groomed the lambs, Susie spoke about the the steps necessary to process wool, including shearing, scouring, sorting, carding, spinning, and weaving. The bunny, named Snowflake, was a big hit with the whole class. We learned about nutrition and care and upkeep of bunnies. Many students loved learning how to hold a chicken and listened intently as Susie spoke about the chicken life cycle, egg collection, nutrition and care. What an amazing morning we had out in the sunshine visiting with these adorable animals. As a culminating project each student is doing a research project on a farm animal of their choosing which will be shared with their peers and the second grade class.

Kristen Lee

First Grade Teacher