Goldbeck Family Grant: See, Feel, Hear, Taste and Smell... Making Sense of the Auerfarm
- School Year: 2019-2020
- Applicants: Randi Leopold, Lead Teacher & Elizabeth Cannone (Charter Oak), Nichola Dustin (Charter Oak), Martina Cravedi (Smith), Cindy Barron (Charter Oak)
- School: Webster Hill
- Subjects: Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies
Pre-kindergarten students at Webster Hill, Charter Oak International Academy and Smith STEM, will learn about making apple cider and maple syrup at the 4-H Education Center at The Auerfarm. This programming aligns with current curriculum and provides students with the opportunity to make real world connections to enhance language development, reinforce scientific concepts and develop a greater understanding of the world in which they live through authentic, hands-on experiences. In the fall, students will travel by hayride to the orchard, pick apples and press them into apple cider using all of their five senses. In February, students will use their senses to seek out sugar maple trees on the farm, collect sap flowing from the trees, smell the wood burning evaporator as the sap turns into syrup and lastly taste the syrup on delicious pancakes. The children will experience how the change of seasons impacts crops and farm animals over time and will document their new learning in journals to share with their classmates and families.