Garden School Highlight May 2026: Farming
Greetings Families,
Since our return from Spring Break, the Learning Farm has been extra green with budding trees, emerging passionflower (Southern Maypop) vines, and the return of the kudzu. Each Grade class has delighted in creatively feeding the animals, each class in their own unique way:
First Grade: Students pick kudzu leaves and offer them to the donkeys and goats, along with different flowers, grasses, and leaves, to test their preferences.
Second and Third Grade: Students make salads for the chickens with worms and wild strawberries, and have made quite an event of finding a generous number of protein-rich buggy snacks each day.
Fourth and Fifth Grade: Students sometimes bring food scraps down during our Earth Education block and hand-feed the goats and donkeys.
Middle School: Some students enjoy climbing trees and trimming limbs for the donkeys and goats.
The students’ nurturing spirits and individual personalities come through at the farm, and it is a joy to see the care and wonder among all ages.
The Second and Third Graders deserve recognition for taking on the less glamorous tasks to care for our animals each day. By the end of the school year, the class has reached a point of familiarity with their responsibilities, and the students are now planning chore schedules for the week amongst themselves without any teacher involvement. They have created their own fair division of labor with rotations through the different chores. This group has been so rewarding to work with, as they show constant growth in their teamwork, independent problem-solving, and true care and love for the farm.
If any families are interested in helping with the greenhouse construction or other possible farm-supporting tasks over the summer, send me an email, and I’ll reach out if/when the need arises! heidi@thegardenmarietta.org
Compost collection will remain in the parking lot over the summer. Please feel welcome to drop off your home compost in the tumbler or wheelbarrow. It’s been a great year on the farm, and I’m truly looking forward to another!
See you at summer camp!
Ki Heidi
