Pretzels and Early Group

Pretzels - This extended, custom Farmcraft day was fun. I did not get to stay with one group all program. I got to stay at one station, in the Summer Kitchen and see all 100+ students for Pretzel making. This activity was a real treat. I loved it, the kids loved it.

Jason and I had a good system down for mixing/stirring, proofing and baking pretzels all in 15 minutes. WOW.

The kids liked to be involved, participated well in discussion and were happy to get one of the finished products. I knew what smart 5th graders they were, so they had to do some math, to figure out how to cut the dough into enough pieces for everyone in the group. This left us one short for a larger group in the rotation. We made extra and got it to the unlucky person. The students got to roll out their little dough balls into worm shapes, form them into knots and salt the pretzels. A few students really got carried away with the salt!

Early group - Our Kindergartners got to ML a little early today. The group from Shipshewana consisted of Amish and non-Amish students. It was neat to see their interactions. The Amish children were quieter than other groups we've worked with. But, they still participated very well. There was new and different things for them to see.

We had just sat down to meet before programming and in rolls the bus. I am glad everything was set up at that point. No major adjustments. We just rolled with it. The day went over well. We even had another group of preschoolers at Farmcraft.

Station rotations went well. Time was not adjusted, although we could always use just a little more time at each station. After lunch and straw ride, we got to hike the groups around the wetland. Good call Paul. The hikes were neat with such young kids. I wish we could have gotten just a little more time there too... At times I felt like I was rushing a few students to get back by 1. They were very inquisitive and make great animal sounds.