January 5th, 2012 by Claire
For a few years, FFEC has dreamed about and planned to add a rain garden at Fernbrook. Last year at this time, Farmer Q planted three River Birch in the wet circle in the middle of the offices and Kerney Barn buildings to get the ball rolling. This October, Fernbrook Homeschool students ages 6-14 learned about the advantages and necessary considerations before planning the design of the Fernbrook rain garden! Pinelands Nursery, Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve and Fernbrook Nursery donated the wetland-loving shrubs, ferns and grasses that the students planted. Then in November, the staff prepped the garden for winter with mulch and bird feeders and we are now watching winter birds come to the new rain garden.
Homeschoolers planting in the Rain Garden
In spring, we will watch the garden come back to life showing how the students planned the flower colors and habitat design. Over time, we plan to add a wooden boardwalk bridge over the middle, a small pond with lilypads and educational signs for visitors.
Tags: education, Fernbrook Farms, homeschool, nature, rain garden, spring
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January 5th, 2012 by Farmer Q
Dear Friends,
Technology is a wonderful thing – especially when it works! You’ve probably experienced the frustration of your computer not working the way you want it to or your GPS taking you down the wrong road. ‘Smart’ technology vs. dumb people?! It seems to me that the challenge is to balance all this technology with human relationships. Not only relationships with each other, but with our communities, our land, our food, our environment.
Like in so many other places, technology becomes more and more a part of Fernbrook all the time. We use
email and
Facebook to send program and event updates rather than the postal service. We’re creating online registration for summer camp and eventually you’ll be able to pay for all programs online. Our solar array can be monitored online as well. We’ve planned several more improvements to our Kerney Barn thanks to the continued generous financial support of the James Kerney Foundation. This is what we might call low-tech: cooking appliances, biology, chemistry and physics lab equipment, projector and screen.
But the most important aspect of any of this technology at Fernbrook is to allow kids the opportunity to experience their wold firsthand. We want kids to build an Archimedes’ Screw (see article below), not just research it on the internet. We want them to catch a butterfly,
dissect a fish, or unearth some creepy, crawly thing from a decomposing log. Children can touch, taste, smell and feel the real, not the virtual, at Fernbrook. They can develop a sense of wonder. They can challenge their curiosities through exploration and hands-on activities.
As winter begins, we often think that our natural world becomes dull and uninteresting. Nature in winter can be a fascinating experience; it’s a different pace – slower, quieter – a valuable lesson in our fast paced, technological world. Put out a bird feeder, look for animal tracks, check out the night skies, and watch the sensational sunsets and sunrises we’ve had.
During this holiday time of year, we are given the opportunity to stop, listen, see and act with compassion toward our neighbors and our world. May you and your family enjoy a happy and blessed season!
- Larry “Farmer Q” Kuser
Tags: alternative energy, education, Farmer Q, Fernbrook Farms, Kerney Barn, nature, Newsletter, solar panels, summer camp
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January 5th, 2012 by Jenna Collins
The Education Center is thrilled to announce a new structural addition to our facilities which should be completed before the start of Summer Camp 2010 – a low ropes challenge course! Project U.S.E will be constructing three different elements to be used during Monday morning team-building at Summer Camp and through the year for businesses, classes, and scout groups. These elements will be built in the small meadow between the animal pasture and irrigation pond. This is in addition to a few portable elements we have/are building and an exciting second grant from the Kerney Foundation to continue improving the classroom, kitchen and lab space in the Kerney Barn.
Along with these announcements, Fernbrook Farms Education Center welcomes all families to check out registration that is now open for our Fiddlehead Summer Day Camp for ages 6-11 and Young Stewards Summer Enrichment Program for ages 12-14.
Looking for a birthday present for you child or grandchild? Consider giving a summer week or a few school vacation days of special memories, new experiences and friendships forged while exploring 230 acres of Fernbrook Farms.
So many discounts are available such as early registration discounts, sibling discount, returning camper discount, active military discount, and attend 4 or more weeks discount available as in the past.
This year we are also offering a special referral gift. For each new family that writes your name on the “how did you hear about Fernbrook?” line of their registration form, we will award your family one camp t-shirt of any available size on your first day of camp this summer. We will be holding three Summer Camp Open Houses for families who are new to Fernbrook to take a tour, meet staff, and learn about our program. Past families can also come and see the changes. Bring a new family along to meet the expected babies in the animal barn and get an introduction to 2012 camp.
Lastly, just a reminder that Winter Camp 2012 is held on Martin Luther King, Jr Day, as well as, President’s Day for kids to experience Fernbrook in the wonderful winter. Activities include animal tracking in the snow, winter bird watching, building survival shelters (with snow if we have some), caring for any early animal babies possibly and many other activities to enjoy winter on the Farm. Bring your children to Fernbrook to experience the wonders of Winter Camp with us when they don’t have school!
Tags: Challenge Course, education, Fernbrook Farms, Fiddlehead camp, Kerney Barn, summer camp, Young Stewards
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December 22nd, 2011 by Jenna Collins
Gingerbread House Making in the Kearny Barn
Over the last few months, Fernbrook Farms Education Center held three of our annual family programs that brought many new and returning families to the Farm. Around Halloween we hosted our Not-So-Scary Halloween event geared towards families and children age ten and younger for three nights. The event consisted of a tractor-pulled wagon ride around the farm while a storyteller told his story about Jersey Devil folklore and how the Jersey Devil was just misunderstood. The wagon ride finished at a campfire in the woods where attendees enjoyed hot chocolate and musical entertainment from the Totora brothers. Throughout the three nights, we had over 160 people attend which greatly exceeds 2010 attendance numbers.
The first Sunday in December we held Wreath Making with Farmer Q. We had a great turn out of 30 people! The day started off at 1pm where people gathered for the demonstration by Farmer Q in the Cottage with hot chocolate in hand. Then after the demonstration, we headed out on the wagons into the Fernbrook Nursery fields to clip a variety of fresh greenery to decorate our wreaths. The wagon ride ended at the Kearny Barn and everyone got their creative minds thinking of the best ways to use layering of colors and textures to create a holiday wreath to display in their homes.
Our final program of 2011 was the Gingerbread House Making family program. There were 42 people that attended and families were eager to test their architectural skills to make gingerbread houses out of graham crackers, royal icing, and an assortment of candy decorations. Families had a blast working together to create gingerbread houses to decorate their homes for the holidays.
Check out photos from all of the family programs held this fall & winter on Fernbrook Farms Education Center Facebook page.
Tags: family programs, Farmer Q, Fernbrook Farms, Gingerbread Houses, Not So Scary Halloween, wagon ride, Wreath Making
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December 20th, 2011 by Claire
FFEC is working on adding more engineering and alternative energy projects and applications on the property. These students took on a big trial project with the Archimedes Screw at the Fernbrook irrigation pond after building mini waterwheels also during the semester.
The following article was written for our newsletter by Sarah K, 13 years old.
This fall, I participated in the Upper Level Homeschool classes at Fernbrook Farm. Our topic was Water Ecology, and we spent the semester learning about water, its place in nature, and how humans affect the water supply. Six teens attended this semester, and we were educated and entertained by Ms. Pam, our instructor. During the last two classes, we designed and built an Archimedes Screw. An Archimedes Screw is a tool that transports water uphill with out a pump. Though it was rather useful in the time of Archimedes, it isn’t as necessary now as it was back then. Nevertheless, we decided to proceed with our project.
Final Construction Changes
An Archimedes Screw basically looks like a pipe with a giant screw inside it, hence the name “Archimedes Screw”. However, we were unable to find a screw quite big enough at the hardware store. So we chose a different design that used readily accessible materials. To make it, we took a 14-foot PVC drainpipe and wrapped a spiral of aquarium tubing around it, attaching the tubing with duct tape (pink zebra stripes!) It didn’t look awesome, but we hoped it would work. Using more PVC and more duct tape we built a supportive frame and hand crank. We looked at our masterpiece, and thought (or I thought, at least) I really hope this works! It had better work… Then we hauled it down to the pond, and placed it in the spot we had chosen for it. David, a member of the class, stepped forward and began to turn it… and our great Archimedes Screw fell down. Unfortunately there was a problem with one of the supporting poles, which we then fixed. Mostly. Right now, you have to steady the pole after a few cranks of the handle.
If you walk down to the Fernbrook Irrigation Pond, you can see our majestic Archimedes Screw for yourself, and you can marvel that it actually works most of the time! - Sarah K.
Tags: alternative energy, education, engineering, homeschool, pond, students
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November 7th, 2011 by Jenna Collins
This Fall Fernbrook Farms Education Center continued our Unit of Study program
in Trenton City Schools. We partnered with ISLES in Trenton
Fernbrook Farms partner with ISLES to better educate students about the environment.
which isa non-profit organization that helps educate teachers & students in Trenton school about how to take control of their own physical environment and personal health. This fall Mr. Jim Simon and I educated over 200 students about Forest Ecology; concentrating on understanding the importance of forests, both for wildlife and for humans. We worked in three schools; Mercerville Elementary, Village Charter School, and Washington Elementary
Ms. Melissa on Tree ID Hike showing students the Cedar trees.
This program is unique in the way that we spend a total of 4 days with the students and teachers in their school and on the farm. The first day we visit the school and spend about 40-60 minutes in each participating class teaching them about what a forest is and playing an interactive, educational game. By playing the game the students learn about the basic needs of animals and how the health of the forest has an effect on population growth. On the second day we introduce the parts of a tree and how a tree works by having the students participate in the Tree Factory activity. The third day is a field trip to Fernbrook Farms where they move between four investigation stations, including a Tree ID Hike, Soil Investigation, Wildlife Hike, and Forestry Techniques station. In all of these stations the kids learn with hands-on experiential learning activities. Some highlights of the field trip stations have been finding a garter snake during the wildlife hike, investigating FBI (fungus, bacteria, and invertebrate) in our compost pile, tapping a Red Maple tree for Maple syrup, identifying at least 10 trees around Fernbrook Farms, and lastly just enjoying the wonders of the great outdoors. On the fourth and final day Mr. Jim and I return to the school for a follow- up where we review what the students discovered on their field trip, and what they liked or didn’t like about Fernbrook Farms. We also read the Dr. Seuss classic The Lorax and review the importance of a forest and understanding the impact of humans on forests. The most rewarding part of this program comes when Mr. Jim and I receive the “thank you” letters, drawings, and gifts from the students showing us how much this experience has taught them, and how we have affected their life in so many positive and memorable ways.
Ms. Jenna showing students from Washington Elementary how to tap a Red Maple Tree for Maple Syrup.
This program continues in the spring of 2012 and we hope to connect with many more students of Trenton. We plan to focus on Wetlands Ecology. The students will visit our Pond, Creek, Meadow, and take a Watershed Forest Hike. Can’t wait to explore Fernbrook Farms in Spring 2012!
–Ms. Jenna
Tags: education, farm, Fernbrook Farms, field trip, nature, outreach, school programs, staff, Trenton
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November 7th, 2011 by Farmer Q
In preparing for our first Supporter Appreciation Day, it became astounding to us just how many of you there are who support Fernbrook Farms Education Center. Over 300!! From those who write us checks to volunteering your time to providing us with donations of materials – we truly appreciate each and every person who helps make this a special place for so many children.
New Fernbrook Outreach Program by Little Fish Theatre
The day itself could not have been better; sunshine, cool temperatures, great food and music. Everyone got to check out our rain garden, the solar system, and the Kerney Barn science lab. We got to sample the foot-stompin’, hand-clappin’, music of Little Fish Theatre. We’re booking them all over the state as our outreach to promote Fernbrook Farms Education Center and get kids outdoors. Mr. Brian was MC for our hayride that ended up at the campfire ring for some good ole’ marshmallow roasting.
Farmer Q dedicating the Eric Tadlock Trail
We then took the haywagon to the pond, and everyone walked around the pond (no frogs this time of year) to the upper stream trail dedication – it’s now officially the Eric Tadlock Trail in recognition of his successful creation of the Fernbrook Education programs.
Everyone had a fun time. To those of you who could not attend, we say thank you for your support and invite you to visit the farm anytime. We’re excited about the future; many improvements are planned from a low ropes course to expanded animal barn to a weather station. It all happens thanks to you!
Tags: barn, campfire, donations, food, Kerney Barn, music, outreach, pond, volunteers, wagon ride
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October 20th, 2011 by Claire
Fernbrook's Alternative to the Haunted Hayride
Fernbrook Farms Education Center is preparing for their annual Not So Scary Halloween event offered the next two weekends leading up to Halloween. This annual event is our way of offering more fun programs for families with little ones or not interested in the scary events. Each year there is a different story or characters to meet during a wagon ride around the farm. This year there is a new lighthearted story about the Jersey Devil complete with jokes or references to make him seem like any other animal we see on the farm. The evening will start with group games for all ages and then you’ll hear the story on the wagon ride while we travel toward the campfire site for marshmallows and songs to round out the evening.
Pre-registration is necessary so please call 609-298-4028 if you are interested. There are still spaces available on Friday Oct 21st but Saturday Oct 22nd and Saturday Oct 29th have filled to our two wagon capacity. The event is from 6:30-8:30pm and cost is $12/adult, $7/child 4-12 years and Free for children 3 and younger. Bring your cameras and we’ll take your family picture at our fall photo spot on the haybales with cornstalks and pumpkin decorations. Costumes encouraged but no masks allowed please for the sake of being extra fun and not scary for anyone!
If you can’t make it this year, check back in 2012 for more Halloween fun and see what is changed for the story and wagon ride!
Tags: campfire, family program, family programs, Fernbrook Farms, halloween, hayride, Kerney Barn, marshmallows, not so scary, Not So Scary Halloween, wagon ride
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September 23rd, 2011 by Claire
To most people, the Education Center has an unusual yearly schedule. We start our year in Fall, anxious to teach field trip students about tasty fall crops, take homeschool students to the forests for dendrology lessons and plan our Not So Scary Halloween and Wreath Making family programs. The seasons change and we build towards our most busy season, summer, with up to 100 campers each week exploring the farm and taking camping trips throughout New Jersey.
As we end this past summer and begin our new year with fall schedules, I’ve realized how important it is for staff to stop and reflect every so often like we encourage our campers to do during nature journal time. Environmental education can be a tough profession with all the outdoor activity on both very hot and very cold days, discipline issues, changing plans due to storms and weather, keeping students of all ages and grade levels engaged and safe, and acquiring funding for nature and agriculture programming. More importantly, environmental education can be an extremely rewarding and far-reaching profession.
Over the last year, I have witnessed some incredible instances of compassion, education, eagerness and wonder during our programs that make every moment of stress and extra hour of work more than worthwhile for all of our environmental educators. This summer, Mr. Peter and myself took groups of Young Stewards (12-14 year olds) on two separate 4-day camping trips that provided a multitude of “feel good” moments. Most notable were hearing the campers excited story-telling to all who would listen about our Black Bear sighting (a first for many in the group) and reading journal entries describing the family bonds campers created on a 4-day trip with others they didn’t know at the beginning of the week. Just yesterday, a 6 year-old homeschool student was at Fernbrook for the first time and our group was traveling through the field, pond area and woods searching for reptiles and amphibians. We came across many earthworms along the pond trail and the new student stopped behind the group saying that she was terrified to go near any worms. Before I could even get to the student, an 8 year old (who was very worried about new creatures when she first came to Fernbrook) had taken the 6 year-old’s hand and was leading her along the trail kindly assuring her that worms were friends and nothing to be afraid of. The girls had just met an hour earlier. On another occasion, a group of campers dug their own potatoes out of the Children’s Garden and cut them into slivers for homemade French fries. At the end of the day, I overheard one camper telling his mother that fresh, homemade French fries taste better and are healthier than McDonald’s fries. As an education center aimed at educating about sources of our food and importance of healthy lifestyles, that comment brings an instant smile to my face.
Finally, one of the most meaningful memories came during the first week of Summer Camp 2011. Fernbrook was sponsoring a group of campers from inner-city Trenton for a week at farm camp, many of whom had never been to a farm, seen a cow, picked a vegetable or touched a frog. They happened to come the day after one of our chicks hatched all covered in down and cheeping for attention. The scholarship campers were in love immediately, asking how to care for it, learning how to be extra gentle and experiencing farm life first-hand. I hope that these experiences are remembered forever by the campers and students involved as I will remember them and why we do what we do here at Fernbrook Farms Education Center.
- Miss Claire
Tags: camp, environmental education, family programs, homeschool, Not So Scary Halloween, Pine Barrens, seasons, upper delaware river, Young Stewards
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September 23rd, 2011 by Mr. Brian
The Education Center enjoyed its 7th successful summer exploring every inch of Fernbrook Farms. The Fiddlehead campers (6-11 yr olds) enjoyed the usual explorations and activities created by the superb new staff. The Young Steward campers (12-14 yr olds) experienced a rebirth to the program that included two different weeks of overnight camping!
Some of the usual activities included Tree ID guides, catching frogs in the pond, searching for unique birds, and building clay volcanoes down by the creek. Some of the featured new activities included creek clay art, archeological dig, spud & sardines, mural paintings, and fishing to name a few. Several campers were able to make fishing poles using bamboo from our bamboo forest and then headed to the creek and pond where they actually caught some fish! In another activity, a bottle piece was found that dated back to the late 19th century and originated in Ireland! But clearly, the camper favorite new activity was the game sardines and you would often have campers playing at every moment they could.
The Young Stewards of the summer 2011 will surely leave their mark in Fernbrook lore. First, there’s the impressive mural painted in the girl’s locker room that’s sure to last for years and there’s the countless day trips to all areas of New Jersey to talk about but clearly this past summer will be remembered for the launch of overnight tripping for Fernbrook campers. In July, 2 staff and 5 campers headed down to the Pine Barrens for 4 days and 3 nights of hiking. In August, 2 staff and 8 campers headed up to the Delaware Water Gap for 4 days and 3 night of canoeing. On all accounts, the trips were successful and we’re sure to do more overnight camping in the future!
As they say, all good things come to an end and the summer of 2011 came to a wet end with Hurricane Irene leaving its mark on the final week of camp. The campers and staff experienced some changes to the program but were greeted by new findings left behind by Irene.
Planning for summer 2012 at Fernbrook has already begun and we look forward to seeing campers return for another exciting summer. If you haven’t checked us out on Facebook, take a look at the photos section to see photos from this past summer.
I hope everyone has an enjoyable winter and I’m already looking forward to next summer!
Be Safe, Have Fun, and Help Each Other!
Mr. Brian
Tags: camping, canoeing, Delaware River, Fiddlehead camp, Pine Barrens, staff, summer camp, Young Stewards
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