3rd Grade Trip to Happy Valley Farm

Building on an agriculturally-rich year of study in 3rd Grade, our students enjoyed a glorious field trip to Ms. Freundlich’s Happy Valley Farm on Whidbey Island! To give you a brief picture, the children:

All milked a patient cow named Babe

Bottle fed a calf named Blossom
Hand fed grain to a calf named Graham
Raked a meadow to set up tents and used the grass to protect some potato plants

Picked and dried chamomile for tea
Ate kale from the garden
Lazed in hammocks
Enjoyed eagles, hawks, butterflies, bees, and swallows
Played games like badminton, tag, volleyball, and even bocce ball

Told tent stories
Laughed
Bickered
Had run-ins with nettles and grass (thank you anti-itch cream)
Made and spread biodynamic preparations for compost

Walked ducks
Fed chickens, collected eggs, and moved chicken tractors

Ate fabulous food
Washed dishes
And just generally took care of each other!

This was such a wonderful way to end the year and synthesize all the amazing learning that has sprouted and taken root! Thank you to all our kind, supportive, and playful chaperones, who prepared delicious food, played tag (which completely delighted the children), made sure we had everything we needed, helped the children settle and sleep (which is no small task!), and so much more. It was a very good and sunny (and HOT) couple of days!

Jamie Sanday
3rd Grade Teacher