JULY 2015

Week 1     JULY 14th - 17th

BARN YARD BUDDIES:

TUESDAY JULY 14

A variety of barn yard friends call Soule home. Come meet our furry or feathered farm friends. Feed and pet while learning a little about their care. Play an old fashioned farm game or two. Create a craft to take home. Enjoy a ‘farmy’ story while eating your snack.

SLITHERING SNAKES:

WEDNESDAY JULY 15

Slithery but not slimy, snakes play a special role in our natural world. Learn about the snakes of New England, and also the biggest and smallest snakes in the world. Outside we will go on a snake finding mission. Construct a craft to take home and hear a story.

PORKY PIGS:

THURSDAY JULY 16

Pigs are very intelligent creatures who, despite rumors to the contrary, do not like to get dirty. However they do roll in the mud for a specific function. Discover why pigs roll in mud and other fun facts about these amazing animals, create a ‘piggie craft’ and visit with our omnivore domesticated residents.

ART IN NATURE/PAINTING:

FRIDAY JULY 17

Enjoy the fresh outside air and learn a few painting techniques. Discover a few past and present artists who paint ‘en-plein air’. Children will have the opportunity to paint pictures of animals, plants or farm buildings and equipment. We may even spot a farmer or two to add to the painting.

Week 2     JULY 21th -  24th

SHEEP TO SWEATER;

TUESDAY JULY 21

Visit with our diversified flock and dig your hands deep into their fleece. Learn to wash and card wool to spin into a friendship bracelet! Discover the value of wool thru its many uses. Listen to a story about our sheep friends on a woolly adventure.

ROCKIN’ GEOLOGIST:

WEDNESDAY JULY 22

We will begin our adventure discovering some of the famous rocks in our country and the world. There will be a variety of rock samples to hold and examine. We will learn how rocks are formed, and what our state rock and gem are. We will create a no-maintenance pet rock to take home. Outside we will continue our rockin’ geologist adventure by searching for the different types of rocks found at the farm and start a small rock collection to take home. We will build Inuuk’s (rock marker) on our nature trail for all the visitors to Soule to enjoy.

WHOOO’S THAT:

THURSDAY JULY 23

Look for signs of owl activity outside while enjoying our nature trail, make an owl craft, listen to an owl story and play an owl prey and predator game. We will also detour slightly to look at the birds of Soule with binoculars at the bird feeders. We will discuss the differences and similarities between our nocturnal and diurnal feathered friends.

ART IN NATURE; DRAWING:

FRIDAY JULY 24

Learn to see in a whole new light as we venture outside like artists before us to learn to draw. From farm animals to old buildings and abundant foliage, there is no shortage of subject matter. Explore the qualities of chalk, colored pencils and crayons.

Week 3     JULY 28th - 31st

RABBITS:

TUESDAY JULY 28

Meet and pet our 2 resident rabbits and learn what kind care they need. Find out the differences and similarities between a wild rabbit and a domestic rabbit. Create a bunny craft, and enjoy a rabbit story. Play ‘Bunny and the Hound’.

OUTDOOR SURVIVAL:

WEDNESDAY JULY 29

Learn simple survival skills if lost in the woods. Build a simple stick structure, a rain jacket tent and a blanket tent. Create S.T.O.P. cards to share with friends and family.

LEAPIN’ LIZARDS:

THURSDAY JULY 30

Do they really leap? Learn about the life of the cold blooded scaly skinned reptile while searching for one outside on a guided farm adventure. Discover the many types that make their home around your neighborhood. We will make a craft and have our snack while listening to a great story or two!

OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS:

FRIDAY JULY 31

Look for signs of bird activity outside with binoculars while enjoying our nature trail, make a bird craft, listen to a bird story and play a game. We will discuss the differences and similarities between our nocturnal and diurnal feathered friends. It is a hands-on adventure with bird nests, feathers and eggs.

AUGUST 2014

Week 4    AUGUST 4th - 7th

TURTLES AND TORTOISES:

TUESDAY AUGUST 4

Discover the differences and similarities between the two. Go on an outside adventure to find these reptiles in their natural environment. Hear a fable of the classic Tortoise and the Hare. Create a craft and play a game.

BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS:

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 5

Do you know the difference between a moth and a butterfly? Learn the differences between the 2 flying insects and what their habitat are. Go on a butterfly-moth adventure hunt! Create a whimsical craft, play a game and hear a story. Be ready to take flight!

SPIDERS:

THURSDAY AUGUST 6

The spider brings fear to many people, however most New England spiders are not poisonous to humans. In fact they are very beneficial to our environment. Learn how to capture and release a spider safely in our spider scavenger hunt.

GOT MILK?:

FRIDAY AUGUST 7

Visit with 6 Red Devon cattle. Learn about the cows that once called Soule their home. Tour the historic 150 year old barn, explore the expansive hay fields, make a craft to take home and end the program with homemade ice cream.

Week 5    AUGUST 11th - 14th

WHAT’S THE BUZZ?:

TUESDAY AUGUST 11

Essential to our food supply and the web of life, bees have a bad rap. Understand why they are so important, learn the products they produce, identify different types of nests, and discover how to act responsibly in a bee’s presence. Visit our bee hives, construct a craft to take home and hear a story.

FROGS AND TOADS:

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 12

Discover the magic of the farm in summer as we search for frogs and toads. Although a nocturnal amphibian and being cold blooded, they like to warm themselves on rocks by day. Learn to identify a frog and a toad and other differences and similarities between the two. Create a craft and hear a hopping good frog story.

WILD NIGHT ANIMALS:

THURSDAY AUGUST 13

Discover what animals are awake when the rest of our world is asleep. Learn to ‘walk like a fox’ and ‘hear like a deer’ as we walk our farm fields and surrounding woodlands to search for clues of nocturnal animal activity. Play a scavenger hunt game searching for camouflaged animals. Listen to a story about our night time friends and make a craft to take home to show your family and friends.

MYSTERIOUS FOSSILS:

FRIDAY AUGUST 14

Fossils from the ancient world unlock some of the mysteries of the Earth. Watch a short power point presentation of famous fossils, learn how they are formed, and learn to identify different types. We will go on an outside fossil scavenger hunt and make a fossil to take home!

Week 6     AUGUST 18th - 21st

A BUG’S LIFE:

TUESDAY AUGUST 18

The majority are small and go unnoticed but bugs play an essential role in our outside environment. Learn to identify local bugs and discover the largest in the world. Go on a scavenger hunt adventure. Construct a craft to take home and hear a story.

OH DEER:

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19

Become a deer expert! Learn all about the White Tail deer of New England. Create a deer inspired craft, listen to a story at snack time and play a game or two!

LETTERBOXING:

THURSDAY AUGUST 20

Letterboxing is a great family activity. Create your own unique stamp and journal to participate in a letterboxing activity around the farm. Learn basic skills to go letterboxing on your own. Information will be given out for local sites.

ART IN NATURE: PRINTMAKING:

FRIDAY AUGUST 21

Use items found in nature to make prints to take home. We will collect our materials, learn about design and color choices before our prints are created. We will view some famous prints and talk about how they were created.

General Information

Each day the Summer Fun Vacation Programs starts indoors discussing the theme of the day and making a theme related craft keepsake to take home before we venture outdoors to explore the grounds on a fun farm adventure. In the summer, if needed, we return inside to cool off in an air conditioned classroom while listening to a story and having our snack. We will play a game outside or inside depending on the weather.

In the classroom, while children are gathering for the program or are finished with their craft or snack before the group is ready to move on, there are interactive tabletop activities that are farm and theme related. These revolving themed stations usually include an art area, a hands–on feel and touch table with magnifiers, a bird station with binoculars to watch the birds at the feeders, a group puzzle and a book and joke station.

PROGRAM PRICING

Per Day:    $13 Member, $15 Non-member
Per 4 Day Week:    $50 Member, $58 Non-member

PROGRAM TIME AND MEETING

Tuesday thru Friday

9:30am – 12 noon

We meet in the classroom located on the lower right side of the barn. Parking is also available there and on the left of the barn.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

Please dress for summer weather with easily removable layers. The morning may start off chilly or damp but may warm up rather quickly. Sunglasses, a hat and closed toe shoes are highly recommended for an enjoyable fun farm experience.  Sunscreen and bug spray must be applied prior to arrival. With your permission we will reapply as needed.  

If it is misty or rainy we do venture outside please bring a raincoat, hat and waterproof shoes/boots.

Bring a healthy snack or lunch and a drink or two! We highly recommend a Zero Waste snack or lunch using recyclable containers, cloth napkins, and reusable silverware in a lunch box. We do cover recycling and composting at our story/snack time.

REGISTRATION AND CANCELLATION POLICY

Registration and payment is required 2 days prior to the start of a program day. A confirmation email or letter will be sent to you. Space is limited, however you may call a day before the program to see if there is room. There is no guarantee of space availability.

Payment by cash or check (payable to Soule Homestead Education Center) can be dropped off or mailed to Soule Homestead Education Center 46 Soule Street, Middleboro, MA 02346.

If we cancel the program due to extreme weather or other circumstances we will refund any monies associated with the day the program is cancelled. In the event of a cancellation we will do our best to notify you the day before the program was to run. If you should miss a day in the program there are no refunds and the money is used to help sustain the Children’s Programs.