Friday, March 29, 2013

Spring Planting Day





Our Spring planting date was a little chilly, but everyone dug in and we got our beds planted and ready to go and GROW!  Our Principal, Mr. Henderson, got in the action too.



This class planted flowers and herbs in their garden beds.


Everyone cooperated and worked together to get the job done.


We are big fans of basil, which of course gives us delicious pesto sauce.


The kids learned how to take a plant out of the pot, cover them up and "tuck" them in the soil.


Teamwork was the theme of the day.


We welcomed our Master Gardener partners who helped lend a hand on our plant day. 

The teachers kicked off the planting day by digging in.


Marigolds were planted to keep garden pests away and attract beautiful butterflies and pollinators to the farm.


Each teacher planted a marigold in their class bed.


Two days later, the temperature hit 32 degrees. Fortunately we had many tarps to keep our seedlings wrapped up tight. 



We look forward to warmer weather and bountiful crops!










Saturday, March 23, 2013

Chickens On The Farm - A Roundup Celebration

This week, we had a big event on the farm. We invited the whole community out to welcome our flock.


We celebrated our partnerships with The American Heart Association and The Dallas Master Gardeners. Then we did a group Chicken Dance to celebrate our birds.


Kids went all out in creating wonderful chicken themed hats and masks.





























Jeff Raska from Texas A & M Agri-life and Patti Brewer a Dallas Master Gardener shared their chicken knowledge with our students throughout the day.



The kids soaked up information and celebrated the love of our new farm friends: Laverne, Shirley, Wilma and Betty.




The hens even laid 2 eggs during the day while kids witnessed the miracle.



So, what do you think? Which came first..., the chicken or the egg?

The Chickens Are Here!

They have finally arrived! With a flutter of excitement throughout the neighborhood, families have been visiting our coop and are admiring our fine feathered friends.

The boy scouts from Troop 473 put on a fresh coat of paint, added some mulch and set the hens free in their cute little coop.

We have 4 chickens, but only three are on the farm right now. One has a respitory infection and is recovering on my back porch. We hope to add her back in on Friday.




The girls have already given us eggs and the kids are just mesmorized by the process. I must say that the adults are too.


On Tuesday, Jeff Raska, with Texas A& M Agrilife Extension came out to train some staff and parents about the wonders of working with chickens. I must say, I am quite intrigued by them and yes.., I have given up poultry. Not that I am promoting that.., it just doesn't seem right anymore.