City students head out to the farm
Program lets urban children spend a week learning about agriculture
City students now have a chance to learn more about rural life under a new program that allows them to spend an entire week on a farm.
Farm School is a new threeyear pilot program in partnership with the Multicultural Heritage Centre in Stony Plain and Inquiring Minds School Sites in Edmonton.
Students spend a week out on the Jespersen Farm near Spruce Grove learning firsthand about Alberta history, preparing things such as canola, bannock and potatoes, and understanding what goes into dairy farming.
So far, four classes from both the public and Catholic school boards, from Grades 3 through 7, have made the trek to the farm.
“When they first walk off the bus, the first thing they notice is the smell,” said Marlene MacDonald, the project’s inquiry facilitator. “But by the end of the week, they’re not even noticing it. It’s a real education.”
Most city kids know very little about farms, with this disconnect only growing with each passing generation. The intent of Farm School, according to MacDonald, is to provide an enriching environment for students through inquiry learning.
“The idea is we want activities that create learning, questioning, thinking outside of the box,” she said. “We want them thinking. Higher-level thinking, but very experiential.”
Terry-Lyn Rogusky, a teacher at Elizabeth Finch School, prepped for the weeklong excursion starting as early as last September, asking students in her Grade 4 class to fill out journals, and sending letters to MacDonald explaining how it would fit within her learning curriculum.
The students had very little knowledge about farming before they arrived. One asked what an outhouse was. But one of the first things the class witnessed when they arrived was a cow giving birth.
A highlight Rogusky cites about the trip has been how students have embraced the alternative learning model.
“I love seeing their faces,” she said. “Kids who aren’t engaged in the classroom are all over this. They’re asking questions, intelligent questions.”
The trip was an eye-opener for student Tristan Huisman. His great-grandparents had a farm, but no animals.
“When they first walk off the bus, the first thing they notice is the smell.” Marlene MacDonald
“We saw a bunch of different tractors and big machines,” he said. “We saw fresh potatoes. Huge areas of crops.”
Could farming now look like a potential career for Tristan?
“Maybe. You could get fresh milk a lot. Also, you could spend a lot of time with the animals. (But) there’s the risk of getting charged at.”