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21 December 2010
Today was a day of firsts: The first day of our first Winter Wonderfarm, a seasonal day camp for youth ages 3 - 13. The first clear day in a series of stormy, wet ones. The first time I’ve witnessed a child name himself ‘KaleSage,’ and the first time I’ve boogied with a wormologist to the tune of ‘Cardboard Breakdown.”
Day One was a success beyond our expectations. Loving parents dropped their children off at the farm around 9am, and our day of laughter and learning ensued. Eleven children and four Garden Wizards (Educators) joined in a welcome circle where we exchanged birth names, breakfast stories, and self-declared nature names. KaleSage, Eclipse, Lilac, and Cheetah were several of our bright new identities.
Today's theme was ‘Zero Waste,’ which encompassed lessons on composting, waste management, soil building, and recycled art. Each day of camp features an expert presenter, and today we were blessed with the presence of Booka the Wormologist. She enlightened us all with knowledge about worm anatomy, diet, and peculiar wormy rituals. Expert-hour concluded with lunchtime for our composting creatures, followed by lunchtime for us curious and hungry humans.
After lunch, Alexa from Department of the Environment engaged us with a mini 3-bin system demonstration in the spirit of properly sorting the components of our lunches. Her youth-friendly resources were a hit, and we surely plan on returning to her lesson in the future.
Then we constructed mini terrariums to serve as take-away educational tools for our Winter WonderCampers. Each terrarium was sequentially filled with gravel, English ivy, cardboard, manure, mulch, worm castings, and capped with an additional layer of wood chips to reflect the process of soil building at Hayes Valley Farm. One fava bean was planted in each terrarium for students to nurture as the days roll by.
Today was a marvelous, miraculous, and magical day to say the least. Tomorrow we will brew root beer and celebrate the Winter Solstice, Wednesday we will have a visiting maps specialist, and Thursday we will bake in the cob oven, break bread and share fresh harvest veggies. Spaces are still available, so if you're interested in signing up a youth you know for Winter Wonderfarm, Mondays through Thursdays now until December 30, please send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
"Winter Wonderfarm" by Booka Alon, December 20, 2010
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Over a thousand volunteers, neighbors, and community members have helped coordinate the farm efforts.