On the first of the month, we had Thomas Johnson High School’s English Learners Department out to the farm! They brought about forty students who are learning English to enjoy our property. Their day began with breakfast and some fun ice breakers at our farm pavilion – their laughter could be heard clear across the property!
Soon enough, they broke into three groups to enjoy the main activities of the day: hiking, animal time, and mindfulness. The hike was such fun as I led the students through our woods and around the pond for forty-five minutes. They loved the challenge of crossing the little stream and navigating muddy spots. At the stream, everyone whipped out their thermometers to practice taking temperature readings. Meanwhile, the folks over at the animals took time to meet and love our horses, goats, chickens, cows, and dogs. The final group was under the dawn redwood trees being led in some mindfulness activities by the TJ teachers. As the students cycled through each of these activities, they also completed their group challenge to find and photograph all the letters in the alphabet! We found an X on the barn doors, a Y in the trees, a U in a horseshoe, and so many more!
After our activities were over, the students regrouped at the pavilion for a lunch delivered by Pollo Campero. For the last bit of the day, the students mingled around the pavilion and took group photos. The teachers were delighted by everyone’s engagement and behavior. We can’t wait to have them back next month!