To Market, To Market

This morning, we came to school very excited about our field trip to the Farmers Market. To get us even more in the mood, I read a wonderful informational book called To Market, To Market by Nikki McClure.

In this book, the author shows us how each item at a farmers market is grown or made. We learned what goes into a jar of honey, heirloom apples, blueberry turnovers, and a lot more. Interestingly, there was a page on making cheese - which we will be doing next week in Science Class!

Then we were off to the market ourselves. We saw some of the things in the book - people selling fruits and vegetables, of course, but also breads, sweets, cheeses, flowers, and jewelry.

Thanks to the adult volunteers, the children were in great hands. We toured the market in groups of 2 or 3, and filled out a scavenger hunt sheets. Children interviewed farmers and asked questions like, "How far away is your farm?" They were challenged to find different varieties of the same fruit or vegetable, and a fruit or vegetable they had never seen before. Students pondered why they didn't find coconuts, bananas, or pineapples at the market, although they see them all the time at the grocery store.

Each child had a dollar to spend at the market. After they filled out their sheets, they each got to purchase something to paint in Art Class this afternoon. These beautiful still life paintings will be proudly displayed at our costume party at the end of October (details to come in a future post).

Lastly, it was time to join up and enjoy our healthy snack of cherry tomatoes. Many, many thanks to Leo's dad, Samantha's mom, Kai's mom, Dominic's mom and both of Eli's rather adorable grandparents. We had a lot of fun exploring the market, and learning a little bit more about where our food comes from. Tomorrow, it is off to the farm!