 Farming 105 years in Howard County. 1903 - 2008 We offer five exciting choices for spring and summer tours.
NEW, REGISTER BY EMAIL. WE'LL CONFIRM AND PHONE YOU TO ARRANGE DETAILS. 105 years long!! Yes, this year we've been farming in Howard County for 105 years. We're delighted to still be here and sharing the beauty of the farming lifestyle with our neighbors and visitors. We're grateful to you for selecting our farm to visit. Our tours are a fine way for camp, youth and church groups
to visit the farm. The purpose of all of our programs is to educate children in agriculture in a hands-on atmosphere that supplements their classroom curriculum. We believe for the children to have the visual and hands-on experience that we offer, will enhance greatly their academic learning. All of the staff at Sharp Farm is dedicated to promoting the educational experience the children have while they visit us!
The Wonderful World of Worms!! Ages 4 & up (mid-April- mid August) Top With this program the children will learn about earthworms and their role in composting. Children will see the entire cycle, from "yucky" food scraps or other organic wastes, to something that is pleasant to handle and is good for the soil. Contrary to the "out of sight, out of mind" philosophy, children will see organic wastes as potential resources rather than just as something "gross" to be thrown away and forgotten. Through direct experience we hope they will learn that they can have a positive effect on the environment! Some of what the children will learn;
This is a learning experience that includes DIRT, SLIMY, WORMS, & BANANA PEELS! A hayride and animal feeding are also included! All children will take home a plant they pot using the special worm compost! (Hand washing stations are available) We are excited to introduce information and habits that emphasize composting and reducing the amount of waste we produce to the next generation of decision makers. TOUR TIME: 1 1/2 hours COST: $7.00/child, parent,& teacher** GROUP MINIMUM:20 PRE-TOUR SUGGESTION; A week before you come for this tour have each student begin to collect any of the following and place in a quart size zip lock bag (teacher may want to distribute zip lock bags to their students) As a class you could also begin to save lunch scraps from the children's lunches. WHAT TO SAVE FOR WORM COMPOST: coffee grounds/tea bags/eggshells/banana peels/apple peels/any fruit peels OR potato peels, carrot scrapings/any vegetable peels & seeds/vegetable stalks/old vegetables or fruit/biscuits/cereal/cheese/Pizza crust Avoid citrus fruits, cakes or candy, meat or bones, oils
Bring all that you collect to our farm the day of your tour so the children can see their "trash" feed the worms and then be turned into something of great value. Spring is Growing! Ages 2 to 10 (Mid April through early July) Top During this program the children learn all about seeds and plants! They learn the parts of a seed, how it grows roots and what the roots do for the plant. They discuss plants and germination, stems, flowers, chlorophyll. We do adapt the educational material to the grade level we are working with. They take a tour of our working greenhouses and see plants at various stages of growth. All children learn the basics of caring for plants and pot their own plant to take home! The children also learn about all our farm animals and get to feed the sheep and the goats! They also take a fun-filled hayride across our fields and through the Cattail Creek. TOUR TIME: 1 1/2 hours COST: $6.50/child, parent,& teacher** GROUP MINIMUM:20 Nature Knowledge! Ages 6 and up (Mid April through August) Top The children take a hayride to the nature trail where the guide then leads the children on the 1/2 mile trail beginning at the Cattail Creek. The children learn about trees and native plants and how to identify them. Also discussed is local wildlife, track identification, life cycles, food webs, erosion, pollution, and conservation. Again, as with all of our programs, we can adapt the information to the age group and grade level. The children return back to the barn and visit the farm animals and feed the sheep and the goats!
TOUR TIME: 1 1/2 hours Cost:
$7.00/child, parent, & teacher**
GROUP MINIMUM: 20 Birds and Gourds! Ages 5 to 12 (April to September) Top Also a great birthday, camp or after school project! A farm guide will instruct the children on how to make their own working birdhouse out of a dried birdhouse gourd that we grow on our farm. We provide the children with instructions and all the supplies they need. As the project is drying the guide brings the children down to the farm animals, teaching about them and letting the children feed the sheep and the goats. Everyone also goes on a fun filled hayride across the fields and through the Cattail Creek! TOUR TIME: 1 1/2 hours COST: $8.50/child, parent, & teacher** GROUP MINIMUM: 15Ponds, Puddles and Creeks! Ages 6 and up (May through August) Top During this program the children take a hayride down to the Cattail Creek and using nets they go into the creek catching a variety of the creatures that live in and around the creek. Also discussed is the web of life that exists within the creek, the habitat, and the life cycle of amphibians and stream insects. The guide also takes time to identify the creatures the children caught and where they are in the food chain. The hayride brings the children back to the barn where they visit the farm animals and feed the sheep and the goats! (This tour can be presented at many levels, from environmental intro. to sampling for older children.) All participants should wear water shoes or old tennis shoes!! TOUR TIME: 1 1/2 hours COST: $7.00/child, parent, & teacher** GROUP MINIMUM: 20 TOUR TIME: 1 1/2 hours COST: $7.00/child, parent, and teacher** GROUP MINIMUM: 20 *** Teachers can choose to have free
admission or to pay and receive a gift basket full of a variety of plants
grown in our greenhouses!! Just Visiting! Ages 2 to 3 Top Bring the kids to the farm to feed the animals and picnic on the farm. We provide the feed and show you how. Your guide is happy to make your visit a friendly, hands on learning experience for you and your children. Cost: $3.25 without a hayride Face painting! Ages 3 to adults Top Face painting isn't a separate tour yet well it could be. Our farm face painter is an excellent crafts person willing to delight your children with her skills. She will be glad to craft special hand or face paintings at your child's party or at your group event. Should you wish her to teach a class on face painting to some friends, gather your group, she'll be happy to oblige. Cost: $3.00 and up per design We would be happy to host a smaller group but due to the time to set up for each tour and the time of the tour guides, we must charge a minimum fee. All tours are geared to be 1 ½ to 2 hours each, but we're open to adding games, face painting, and optional activities to make for a full day program. We're happy to work with the needs of your group. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE FIELD TRIP TO THE
FARM:
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