Little Farmers Preschool Program
Mondays and/or Wednesdays 9-12 in the Spring & Fall. Registration is through the Bedford Recreation Department
email chipinfarmclasses@gmail.com with questions
email chipinfarmclasses@gmail.com with questions
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Mondays
Fall Session 1: Sept 10 - Oct 1
Fall Session 2: Oct 15 - Nov 5
Fall Session 3: Nov 19 - Dec 10
Spring Session 1: March 4 - March 25
Spring Session 2: April 1 - April 22
Spring Session 3: April 29 - May 20
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Wednesdays
Fall Session 1: Sept 5 - Sept 26
Fall Session 2: Oct 3 - Oct 24
Fall Session 3: Oct 31 - Nov 28
Spring Session 1: March 6 - March 27
Spring Session 2: April 3 - April 24
Spring Session 3: May 1 - May 22
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Little Farmers is a full-sensory farm and nature program for your child! At Chip-in Farm, we aim to connect children to the outdoors and their community through outdoor play and meaningful farm work. Children will help us care for the animals each day before we explore the surrounding fields and forest. We will spend the majority of each day outside and in the barn no matter the weather for a first-hand experience of the shifting seasons and natural changes throughout the year. This means that we will be outside in the sun, the rain, and maybe even the snow! This hands-on farm and nature experience will gift your child a deeper connection to the natural world while developing resilience, self confidence, and independence - skills that last a lifetime! This drop-off program is for children ages 2.9-5
Options to sign up Mondays and/or Wednesdays
Sign up for one 4-week session or three sessions at a time for a discounted rate
Sign up for one 4-week session or three sessions at a time for a discounted rate
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Why Farm & Nature-based Learning?
“I sincerely believe that for the child, and for the parent seeking to guide him, it is not half so important to know as to feel. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow. The years of early childhood are the time to prepare the soil.
-Rachel Carson (1965)
-Rachel Carson (1965)
Benefit for children
Connecting to ourselves, each other, and the outdoors
The farm and surrounding nature are a complete sensory experience for children. We often spend time trying to manipulate and build the ideal environment for a child’s early learning, yet that learning environment is already readily available in the outdoors. Outdoor play develops creativity, confidence, and realistic risk evaluation while allowing for complete sensory immersion and physical movement. While outdoors we also are able to experience changing seasons and natural rhythms first-hand which helps to build a child’s sense of place in their environment and builds their ability to understand larger scale systems thinking.
Read more about the benefits of nature-based education for children:
http://naturalstart.org/resources/benefits-connecting-children-nature
Benefit for nature
Connecting to our environment
In building a connection to our natural world at a young age and developing a sense of place within the child, we ensure a lifelong relationship with nature. In an ever changing world where we often view nature as “other” or separate from us, nature-based early childhood education helps us to rewild and reconnect. Children who have felt the connection to nature from an early age are more likely to make decisions later in life that lead to a healthier planet
Read more about the benefits of nature-based education for nature and our environment:
A Literature Review of Connectedness to Nature and its Potential for Environmental Management
Benefit of a farm learning site
Connecting to our food
As adults, we often have a disconnect from our food and where it comes from. Oftentimes it comes from far away with the nutritious value compromised in order to get to us. Sometimes we don’t understand where it comes from at all, or what it took to get it to us. Allowing our kids to experience a farm and learn through real, hands-on farm work helps to better connect them to their food and understand the importance of healthy farm systems at an early age. An early farm and food connection can set the stage for healthier food choices, leading to better health and learning.
The CDC states that healthy eating and exercise can lead to better learning, focus, and memory. On the farm, we work hard to grow good food!
Read more about the benefits of farm-based education for health: http://www.farmtoschool.org/Resources/BenefitsFactSheet.pdf
Read more about the effect of healthy eating and movement on academic achievement:
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/health-academic-achievement.pdf
Connecting to ourselves, each other, and the outdoors
The farm and surrounding nature are a complete sensory experience for children. We often spend time trying to manipulate and build the ideal environment for a child’s early learning, yet that learning environment is already readily available in the outdoors. Outdoor play develops creativity, confidence, and realistic risk evaluation while allowing for complete sensory immersion and physical movement. While outdoors we also are able to experience changing seasons and natural rhythms first-hand which helps to build a child’s sense of place in their environment and builds their ability to understand larger scale systems thinking.
- Connection - Children connect to the outdoors, each other, and themselves, building a more connected community.
- Creativity - Children play more creatively in the outdoors, where objects and materials don’t yet have prescribed uses and meanings. A stick is not just a stick!
- Confidence - Provides the space and challenges for children to build confidence in their abilities.
- Cognition - Being outside in nature helps build focus, problem solving and planning skills, and begins to establish a sense of cause and effect. Farm work helps teach the benefit of working for an end goal and planning for a desired outcome.
- Integrated sensory experience - Learning while moving, learning while doing! Children need a chance to move, to feel, to smell, to taste, to see, and to hear (all at once!) as they learn.
- Teaches Systems and Cycles - Experience first hand how the world is interconnected, and the changes that take place throughout the day, the season, and each year.
Read more about the benefits of nature-based education for children:
http://naturalstart.org/resources/benefits-connecting-children-nature
Benefit for nature
Connecting to our environment
In building a connection to our natural world at a young age and developing a sense of place within the child, we ensure a lifelong relationship with nature. In an ever changing world where we often view nature as “other” or separate from us, nature-based early childhood education helps us to rewild and reconnect. Children who have felt the connection to nature from an early age are more likely to make decisions later in life that lead to a healthier planet
Read more about the benefits of nature-based education for nature and our environment:
A Literature Review of Connectedness to Nature and its Potential for Environmental Management
Benefit of a farm learning site
Connecting to our food
As adults, we often have a disconnect from our food and where it comes from. Oftentimes it comes from far away with the nutritious value compromised in order to get to us. Sometimes we don’t understand where it comes from at all, or what it took to get it to us. Allowing our kids to experience a farm and learn through real, hands-on farm work helps to better connect them to their food and understand the importance of healthy farm systems at an early age. An early farm and food connection can set the stage for healthier food choices, leading to better health and learning.
The CDC states that healthy eating and exercise can lead to better learning, focus, and memory. On the farm, we work hard to grow good food!
Read more about the benefits of farm-based education for health: http://www.farmtoschool.org/Resources/BenefitsFactSheet.pdf
Read more about the effect of healthy eating and movement on academic achievement:
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/health-academic-achievement.pdf
Little Farmers Staff
Sandra Couvee
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Julia Latady
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Teaching Style
Our primary focus is on laying the foundation of connectedness to ourselves, each other, and the outdoors through full-sensory experiences to prepare for later academic learning. The farm and nature are our classroom and often act as an additional teacher. The farm and environment have quite a bit to teach us about beneficial risk taking, self-confidence, and cooperation!
Child Led
We observe each child’s interests and shape our learning to the interests of individuals and the group. Children are given time and space for free play each day.
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Seasonally Inspired
Teacher-directed activities are seasonally inspired. We often find that the children's interests and seasonal changes create unexpected and delightful detours along the way!
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Role of the Teacher
As teachers our most important job is to listen and observe to be sure each child is building a foundation of connectedness to themselves, each other, and the outdoors.
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Documentation of Learning
We will be exploring different methods of documenting your child’s learning throughout the year. We take photographs to share with parents, but we will also be encouraging the children to produce their own documentation through drawings, group artwork, lasting farm projects, and collected quotes.
Recognizing Early Learning
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Language
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Pre-writing
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Pre-reading
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Our fluid curriculum is influenced by the MA Board of Education Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences
Read the full document here: http://www.eec.state.ma.us/docs1/curriculum/20030401_preschool_early_learning_guidelines.pdf
We are looking forward to making mud pies, building mouse houses, caring for the animals, and building our farm community - we can’t wait to explore the farm and surrounding environment with your child!
~ Farmer Julia & Farmer Sandy
~ Farmer Julia & Farmer Sandy
Farmer's Helpers, LLC
Bedford MA
Copyright © 2018
Bedford MA
Copyright © 2018