The Joy of Learning From Animals
On the farm and in our community this winter, young learners spent time with cows, sheep, chickens, rabbits, raptors, and more. These meetings help enrich their understanding of food systems, animals, and farm products; spur their curiosity about the creatures that share their world; and give them a chance to play and explore.
How Now, Winter Cow? Family Program
Our Brown Swiss cows were center stage as Educator Cat Parrish and Assistant Herdsman and Calf Manager Mo Whitney introduced families to the sights, smells, and sounds of our working dairy. Participants helped feed the milking herd, visited the barns that the cows call home in the winter, and toured the milking parlor to discover how we care for the herd. The day underscored the importance of these animals in our everyday lives.
“My favorite moment from the program was showing everyone how we milk the cows in the milking parlor,” shares Mo. “The kids stood where the cows would be in the parlor, and I was able to show them how we prep the cows and put a milking unit on. The kids even asked where the milk goes after we milk the cows, and so we talked about how the pipes lead to our bulk tank where the cheese team picks up the milk to make it into cheese. People love to see what we do, and it’s a pleasure to help them connect the dots between the food they’re eating and where it comes from.”
The Sustainability Academy, Burlington, Vt.
What are the stories behind how our clothing is made? Students across grade levels at the Sustainability Academy (one of our partner elementary schools and the nation’s first magnet school focused on sustainability) spent the winter months studying fiber and exploring these stories. Kindergarteners focused on describing wool, and learned to card (or brush) sheep wool, while fourth graders learned how to locate clothing tags and categorize what type of fibers their clothing was made of. Fifth graders spent the trimester “working on their ‘story of stuff,’ an investigation into the process of what it takes to make the products in our lives possible,” says Kestrel Plump, SA’s Sustainability Coordinator (and a former Shelburne Farms educator).
The semester wrapped when Shelburne Farms educators Jed Norris and Cat Parrish brought Rhubarb and Obie, two of our education sheep, to visit all the students. “The visit had a huge impact on them,” says Kestrel. “A few fifth-grade students chose to do their study on wool clothing, and the sheep visit provided a lovely culminating event for those projects.”
New discoveries were made and lessons came to life. “I learned that both of the sheep had different types of wool,” said one student; another student noticed the gray and yellow under their wool. And curiosity was sparked. “I want the sheep to come back because I’d like to see how they interact with each other.” A student echoed, “I think we should have them back because it was a very interesting experience. And fun.” That sums up our approach: learning through play, and fostering curiosity through joy.
Read more of our educator’s reflections on the human-animal connection and our approach to education, and see some of our favorite activities for opening the senses and tuning into a place: handful of sounds and sit spots.
Visit our program calendar for upcoming opportunities to learn from animals, or visit our Children’s Farmyard, opening May 14. Story contributed by Andrea Estey, Vera Simon-Nobes, and Sarah Webb.