FARM SCHOOL

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Everdale and it's Board of Directors have decided to place the 2021 School Group Program on hold. It was not an easy decision for us to make as the program has been a staple at the farm for over 20 years.

We will be focusing our capacity into the Good Food Project, Farm Camp, our Volunteer Program and Team Building Days. If one of those programs will suit your groups needs be sure to get in touch to discuss your options.  Information from the 2019 programs will remain below for your reference and we intend to bring the program back in 2022.

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Everdale offers community and farm school programs for grades K-12 that foster the development of environmental literacy and stewardship. We believe that these programs provide meaningful learning for children and are essential in helping to create innovative solutions for an ecologically sustainable future.  To book a Farm School program please choose your top 3 available dates and complete the form below.  We will be in touch within a few business days to finalize your booking and to provide more detail.

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Program Fees
$270 for a half day class – up to 30 students
$435 for a full day class –  up to 30 students
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For groups over 30 students the fee is
$9 per Student – half day
$14.50 / student – full Day
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Maximum Group size is 60 Students
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Teachers & Chaperones
There is no cost for teachers or staff required for student support
For Chaperones you can bring 1 chaperone per 10 students
There is a fee of $5 /per chaperone above the 10:1 ratio
Everdale Hillsburgh Community Teaching Farm
Pick your top 3 dates & fill out a request form here

Questions?

Get in touch with Karen@everdale.org

or 519-855-4859 x105

Booking Availabilty:

Pick your top 3 dates & fill out a request form here

Choose from one of our Award Winning Programs:

Near and Natural: Grades 4-12

Students discover the nutritional, environmental and socio-economic benefits of eating local food. As well, they learn how to source local food, what foods are in season and how to preserve the bounty for year-round enjoyment



Market Garden Magic: Grades K-3

How do you grow a healthy, delicious vegetable? This workshop allows students to follow the magical journey of their food. The day begins by learning what healthy soil is and why it’s important for plants. From there, it’s on to the greenhouse to discover what plants need to grow and thrive. Then it’s on to the fields where students learn all about the different parts of plants and plant functions. They may even get a chance to harvest and taste some market-ready vegetables.



Soil Detectives: Grades K-3

How are we connected to the soil? Students learn the answer to this as they become more familiar with the roles that time, wind, water, micro-organisms, light and heat play on soil health. They also explore how humans can contribute to the health of soil and why that is so important.



Farmer for a Day: Grades K-12

This workshop gives students an integrated farm experience that focuses on seasonal activities. No two days on the farm are ever the same and each season brings different priorities. Students will don their farmer hats and help out with farm chores, discover what’s in season in the fields and participate in related seasonal activities.



Field Work on the Farm: Grades 9-12

Students learn about ecological agriculture while working alongside our farmers. This program is designed for the class that wants to dig deeper into field work (literally). We will explore the farm and participate in field work tasks. Students garner a better understanding of tools and farm systems.



Biological Farming: Grades 7-12

Students examine first hand, different methods used to grow market garden vegetables sustainably. We will also trace products from the field to the marketplace, discuss crop rotation, erosion and compost.



 

How to Book a Trip

Book an incredible trip for your students in 2 easy steps! 1. Have a look at the availability calendar and complete the online request form. We will do our best to give you’re your first choice of days but in the event that your first choice isn’t available you will be given your second. 2. After receiving your request form we will be in touch within a few business days and send you and online booking portal to complete your booking. Once submitted, this form will be your confirmation email and invoice/receipt for your trip. Please mail a cheque to the address listed in your confirmation email c/o Farm School
**Schools booking multiple classes will need to register each class individually**



How Many Students Can I Bring?

Our maximum group size is 60 students. If you are bringing a larger group, please keep your chaperone number to the minimums.



Teachers & Chaperones

There is no charge for teachers or any support staff required for students. For chaperones, you are welcome to bring 1 chaperone per 10 students. Beyond that, there is a $5 charge for each additional chaperone. Having extra hands is extremely helpful and contributes to the success of the day for your students. With this in mind, please prepare volunteers about your goals for students and remind them that the day is for the students! Sometimes adults get excited and forget this – they jump in to answer questions, over participate, or hold a child back based on their own personal feelings about certain things. By choosing to volunteer for the trip, volunteers are being extremely generous with their time, but the primary goals for the students need to be kept in the forefront. When filling out the final booking form, there is a field for you to enter in the # of expected chaperones you will bring for your trip.



Can Chaperones Bring Siblings?

We understand that sometimes chaperones/volunteers would like to bring along siblings. This is something that is difficult for us to accommodate and based on our experience we strongly discourage it. Our primary focus is to provide the students with a fun and enriched experience, and often the addition of siblings distracts all parties from this focus. Ultimately the final decision is up to the teacher/lead organizer, and should extra siblings attend, we will add them to the final total of the visit at the same cost of a student.



Half Day vs. Full Day

Feedback from teachers has told us that the decision to come to the farm for a full day or half day program varies considerably from year to year as the decision is hinged on the maturity and ages of students and the goals for the day. A full day program allows students to dig deeper into each activity and fully experience what the farm has to offer. Rotation times for each activity are longer, more physical ground is covered, and generally topics are circled back on to compliment the learning. You know your students…. we adapt our programs and goals for the day to be grade appropriate but full day programs can prove be a challenge for very young students. If you feel that your class has the maturity level and also the ability to accept a new routing for the day – then this program is for you! Program time is 4 hours. Half day if you feel that your students are ready to be out of the school, but only for a few hours, then a half day programs can be the solution for the younger students. These days are still very dynamic and quite special, but they have slightly shorter rotations to accommodate for time. Program time is 2 hours< Program times run from either 10-12 or 12-2 and full day programs run from 10-230. We are happy to adjust these times based on your travel time to the farm but keep in mind that this needs be arranged ahead of time so we can best plan for your day!



Litter-less Lunches, Drinking Water & Food

Please ask students / parents to pack a litter less lunch for their farm trip. If students have wrappers, pop cans, zip lock bags etc.. we will simply ask them to tuck these back into lunch pails to be dealt with back at their home. As composting is a big part of sustainable agriculture, any compost will be collected in one of our compost buckets and added to our compost system or fed to the worms! Drinking enough water on the farm trip is important. Please ask your students to bring a re-fill able water bottle with them. We have quality drinking water available for them from our taps at the solar showers or round room. This water is tested regularly. If students do not have bottles and need cups, we will ask parent volunteers to give them a quick wash at the end of the day We have no food available for purchase at the farm.



Weather & Clothing

The farm is exciting in all weather! Trips run rain or shine and the only time a trip will be cancelled is if there is an Environment Canada weather warning is issued – If this is the circumstance, your school will be contacted early in the day. We understand that this can be a challenge, but please do what you can to prepare your students for the day and for all weather. Close toe footwear is required and contributes to the enjoyment of the day. Volunteers and teachers should try to model these choices too.



Contact Information

Contact Karen, our Youth Director, if you have any questions about the programs or booking process: karen@everdale.org



Payment Options

In the final booking stage of your trip, you can pay by credit card or choose the ‘pay by cheque’ option that allows you to tally your day, but pay later. Cheques need to be mailed ASAP.



Cancellation Policy

Your Farm School Fee is refundable, less a service fee of $50 per date booked, if your program is cancelled in writing more than three weeks before the start of the booked program day. If the cancellation occurs within three weeks of the booked program day no refund will be offered.



Teacher Testimonials

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“The staff were so accommodating and knowledgeable –  my students had a fantastic day and were talking about their adventures on the farm for weeks to come!”

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“Learning about food is so important and Everdale gave our students an incredible hands on experience.”

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Click here to see Everdale’s proof of insurance – updated annually in May