Many people are familiar with the destruction this incredibly fast-growing vine can cause, but did you know it also has beneficial uses? The strong vine can be woven into hats or baskets. The fragrant purple bloom is edible, as well as the tips of new growth at the end of each vine! Dock is a […]
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August’s Nature Notes
August has come and gone and so has our last week of Camp Farmstead. While we still see the sights of summer, we have also started seeing signs of the approaching fall. We have still been seeing butterflies frequently but we have also been seeing pea pods ready for harvest and sunflowers bending over full […]
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July’s Nature Notes
July around the Farmstead was filled with lots of warmth, water, and life. The weather has been warm to hot this month and the plants and animals around the Farmstead have been very active. Water has been a big part of the students’ days as we try to stay hydrated and cool. The students have […]
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4 Local Edible Plants
Red clover is native to Europe and Asia but has been naturalized throughout the world. It has many uses. Ranchers value it for its high protein content which makes it a great feed for livestock. Farmers utilize it as a green fertilizer because it has the ability to fix nitrogen in the soil, which increases […]
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June’s Nature Notes
June has been the month of critters around the Farmstead. We have seen so many individual creatures, as well as many different types. We noticed early in the month that the willow tree has a couple of colonies of tent moth caterpillars. They work together to create a tent, trapping some of the leaves of […]
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Growth and change were big themes around the Farmstead this month. May is the last month of Littlest Learners for the school year and we have been getting ready for all of the change that we are about to experience. That change and growth have been mirrored in the emergence of new springtime creatures as […]
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Hello all, Mr. Frank here! We have had an exciting month at the Farmstead filled with ice, snow, hail, rain, sun, wind, and much more! The students have been lots of practice making observations and predictions about the weather each day. Most days the weather in the morning has been very different than the weather […]
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We have had some wild winter weather this last month. We are currently in the Snow Moon, but it is also called Storm Moon, which may be more appropriate for what we have been experiencing. The Littlest Learners have noticed more and more critters and the Farmstead. There have been ladybird beetle, fly, bee, and […]
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March has brought a bounty of beautiful blooms and spring growth to the Farmstead. The spring growth has given the Littlest Learners opportunities to practice noticing things about the new season. From large things like how the mountains have started to have color as the trees began to grow buds, to small things like how […]
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3 June Plants
The berries of the Elderberry bush are widely known for their medicinal, immune-boosting properties. The small, delicate flowers of this plant are edible as well! Like the berries, the flowers should be processed in some way before consumption. Popular recipes include elderflower tea and elderflower cordial.
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