🍎Unschooling @ the Orchard
What can you learn on a field trip to an organic apple orchard?
This week our family went on our annual Un/Homeschool Club field trip to Avalon Orchards, an organic apple farm in Innisfil, Ontario.
It was different this year thanks to Covid but we had fun and homeschoolers came from all over to gather and pick apples together, safely.
Over the years we have been on this field trip 5 times so we remembered all the information they told us about how to pick the apples ( eye to the sky ) and why there is a giant plastic ball hanging from the beginning of each of the rows. (It's horse urine and it keeps the apples from getting worms naturally.)
For organizing this field trip for our club and supporting their local orchard, Avalon Orchards gifted us with a delicious apple caramel cake. So thankful for this farm!
Afterward we hit up a park and played just long enough to have fun, but not long enough that our cake would melt.
It's hard for homeschoolers to get together right now so we are so grateful for this opportunity thanks to Avalon Orchards. Looking forward to seeing them again next year!
This Week
Other than the orchard/park field trip, we basked in the warm weather that came through and took advantage by harvesting our organic crops and getting farm work done in prep for the winter ahead. Our potato harvest has yielded over 140lbs so far and we have half our crop still in the ground. We did some bareback horseback riding and cared for our dear steed. Earth Valley Organics hosted us for a safe and educational tour of their land, some horsetail picking and games together, along with a wonderful opportunity to work with their horses and put my animal communication skills to good use. Of course Hope has been drawing, using her screens for movies, youtube and video games and roleplaying independantly and with Jaze. (These sessions last hours! :P) We're planning a haunted escape trail for Halloween so the house has been a buzz with ideas and excitement. Hope's Fairy Godparents, Kevin and Sarah, have been lending help in the garden and barn, so having them stay here is not only fun, but helpful!
Subjects: Physics, Food System, Science, Ecology, Environmentalism, Risk Assessement, Confidence, Boundaries, Nature, Spacial Recognition, Adventure, Exploration, Phys Ed, Responsibility, Respect for Self and Others, Community, Socialization, Friendship, Animal Studies, Energy Regulation, Time Management, Kindness, Community Living, Gardening, Goal Setting and Accomplishment, Math, Reading, Seasons, Time, Creative Thinking, Art, So Much More..
Video
A public video from my personal Facebook Page: Jewelweed/Touch Me Nots Known as “nature’s hydrocortisone" this plant is great for poison ivy & mosquito bites. It's has great exploding seed pods to help it propagate and it is found in boggy areas.
Much Love Always, Wendy Books, Clothing & More
About the Author
Wendy Elizabeth Hart is an unschooling, homesteading Mom of 2 amazing kids and wife of more than 10 years to her bff, Jaze. Together with their daughter Hope, 10, they live a life of daily discovery in rural Ontario, Canada and share it with the world to connect with other families in the unschooling community.
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