Our second week of May kept us busy…
On May 8, Katie and Clare attended the BNBI STEM grant celebration at FCPS’s Learning and Leadership Center. The event showcased all of the past grant winners from 2019-2023, who presented how they used their award money. We attended in support of one of our favorite program partners, Thomas Johnson High School’s English Learners Department! Two of the students were present and sharing about their experiences at ThorpeWood. Take a look at their stunning display:
On May 9, we hosted the Frederick County Public Library’s senior event at the farm. Although attendance was low due to the rain, we still had a grand time. We began with a forest therapy walk through our pine trails, which led into nature art in the pavilion. We then visited with our farm animals – horses, goats, cows, and chickens (plus baby chicks!). The attendees had a grand time and really seemed to need and appreciate the experience. We plan to have them back again in the fall!
On May 11, the Nature Lovers Homeschool Group came out to the farm with about 25 kids (ages 4-10) and their parents. We split them into two groups to keep it all manageable. The groups switched between our two activities – nature exploration (with some nature art at the end) and animal visits. The kids enjoyed themselves tremendously!
On May 13, Clare ran our May community event – a Mushroom Walk and Talk! Local fungi expert John Beutler volunteered his time to educate our participants as they hunted in our woods. The 19 participants found quite a few fun specimens, including some morels! This was an exceptionally popular event and we hope to do another one someday soon!
