Ag Literacy: A Summer Outdoors

Our kids are at an age, 4 and 9, that being more intentional about agriculture and food literacy is a current parenting goal. Even though we live on a farm, our farming enterprise focuses on row crops that don't allow for involvement by the kids. We undertook two projects this year: chickens and a vegetable garden.

In March we obtained fifteen chicks a few days old from a nearby Extension program that hatches eggs in elementary classrooms across Lincoln, Nebraska. The lived in a washtub in the kitchen for a few days before moving to the garage, then a chicken tractor and finally (finally) a rehabbed chicken coop. Really, you haven't lived until you've put a metal roof on a chicken coop in a blizzard ....

This first batch of chicks ended up being ten hens and four roosters (one didn't make it). We encouraged the kids to play with the chickens.

While George was busy planting our field crops and making sure all his clients had the parts they needed to get their crops planted, the kids and I built raised garden beds using an Ana White tutorial. We planted a mix of seeds and seedlings focusing on "things interesting to a four and nine-year-old" like purple bell peppers.

Both Anne and Henry were fully engaged in the garden and chicken project stepping up to help with weeding, watering, and feeding. The first egg and the first tomatoes were pretty exciting days!

As spring turned to summer, we added broiler chicks to the poultry enterprise. These fast-growers had very different behavior than our soon to be layers! Anne did end up taking a pen of three broilers to the fair and earned a purple ribbon.

Henry's highlight was a plant we found at the local farm store labeled, "World's Largest Tomato." No other cultivar information was included but Henry decided early on that this was his tomato. It was a relief when we were able to pick a tomato about the size of a softball late in the season. Henry got a little creative in watering ...

George spent many evenings rehabbing the farm's old brooder house to make a suitable home for our layer hens. It needed moved, a new roof, repairs to the sill and lower siding, among other things. George was able to get the building frame and siding in great shape, but we ended up putting the old roofing back on so the hens and one rooster could move indoors during the first snow storm of the season. The chickens are happy but will be getting nesting boxes, light, wood shingles and a few other things in 2019.

Anne's First Quilt

Anne decided to make a Lisa the Unicorn quilt from Elizabeth Hartman for the fair. Like most of her patterns, Lisa is a little intense to cut out as it has many unique pieces. Anne got a little overwhelmed and a few weeks before the fair, we decided it was not realistic for her to finish it.

She had been playing with my scrap basket all summer and began organizing pieces into strips. With some encouragement, she assembled an improv top for a quilt for her American Girl Doll. I may have bribed her a little by promising Minky for the back if she finished the top before she went to a week of summer camp. While she was gone, I sandwiched and quilted the piece (acceptable for her 4-H level for someone else to quilt it). She finished it with a facing when she got home.

The county fair 4-H judge was not impressed. She pointed out nearly every aspect of the quilt as something she did not like - the colors, the fabric, the design, the size, her seam allowances, it should have a hanging sleeve, the facing, the hand stitching on the facing. Honestly, the only thing she liked was the quilting, which she was aware that I did. One of the lessons of 4-H that is sometimes hard for youth to learn, is that the result is one judge's opinion on one day. Usually judges provide constructive criticism to help youth understand that decision and provide a learning experience so the next project is better. In this case, every statement started with "I don't like ..." Had she phrased her opinions using elements and principles of design or quilting procedures from the project manual or acknowledged that she read the one-page narrative Anne provided, I would understand. Yes, the quilt could use more contrast. No, it isn't the most complicated pattern ever made by an nine-year-old. The hand stitching was pretty awful. As a 4-H judge who has been through judge's training in many disciplines and taught it, I was frustrated with this judge's feedback. (And, I've shared my frustrations with the 4-H staff in my county office.)

We had decided to enter her quilt in the Nebraska State Fair Open Class show prior to the county fair. It was a better experience not only because of the appropriate feedback from the judge, but also because Anne had a wonderful moment with some of my quilt mentors who took the time to encourage her and give her feedback that will make her next quilt better. Thank you for great mentors!

A Is for Anne

Anne turned 8 in December. Amongst the holiday craziness, we hosted a sleepover for two of her bestest friends. Instead of bags filled with crap, I asked the girls to color pictures using two colors that I would then transfer to t-shirts. We didn't get these done before the girls left and the project got set aside until today. Surprise, surprise, I cannot find their pictures. I do remember they had lots of hearts, so here is my interpertation:

I used two tones of the same color Circut iron-on vinyl. Each shirt has a heart with the girl's first initial. This was my first attempt at iron-on vinyl. It was easy-peasy. My 4-H club co-leader was sitting across from at the craft day, and we are already planning a club project with pre-cut vinyl shapes for this summer.

Now, maybe it's time to mail my Christmas cards ....