Posts Tagged ‘Newsletter’

Letter From Farmer Q

Thursday, January 5th, 2012
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. 

Snowy Wedding Gardens
 
   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  

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Letter from Farmer Q

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

Dear friends,

It’s hard to believe there was snow on the ground just a few weeks ago! We’re playing catch up here at Fernbrook–the greenhouses are filled with new plants, the children’s garden is getting a “face lift;” peas, lettuce and carrots are in the ground. Construction on our block barn building is scheduled to begin this week, creating a new indoor space for all of our programs. We have a fantastic design for a rain garden in the barnyard which will keep the area dryer and educational. We hope to have all the work completed by the time summer camp starts. Wow! I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

We’re very happy to have Claire Wildermuth as our new full time member of the Fernbrook Education Center Staff. She has put many creative touches on our Homeschool programs and will be coordinating our “Country Wisdom” family programs. Campfires are back at Fernbrook! In addition, Claire has fired up some unique and educational experiences for our Young Stewards, older summer campers (ages 12-14) that are not available anywhere else, that I know of.

Eric has been busy expanding our “Farm to School” programs. We’ve had groups of high school kids from Trenton planting seeds in our greenhouse; the plants will be part of their community food garden in the city. By working with Education Works in Trenton, we’ve been able to keep the summer program at Washington Elementary School open in the city despite budget cuts. Each year more school trips are made to Fernbrook so kids can see first hand how a farm works. We don’t just put them on a wagonand ride them around. They get involved in small groups and make connections to what they’re learning in school.

Upcoming is our third annual Plant Sale. We’ll be open the first three weekends in May; heirloom tomato plants, herbs and all of our nursery stock will be available for sale. Proceeds will all be used for bringing low income children to the farm this summer; an experience that can be life changing for them!

I hope to see you all on the farm soon. I hope you will always feel free to make suggestions and introduce yourselves. We’re always looking for ways to improve our programs. Think of the farm as your own. We are all stewards of the same planet.

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Springtime Splendor at Fernbrook

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

First of all, hello Fernbrook families! I’m so thrilled to have joined the Fernbrook staff this year as Program Coordinator in the Education Center. It has been fantastic getting to meet some of you and hopefully in the next few months I will have had a chance to meet all of you.

A little about me real quickly. . . I grew up in the Poconos of Pennsylvania near Hawley/Lake Wallenpaupack and majored in environmental studies at Dartmouth College.   After graduating in 2008, I worked as an environmental education instructor for the YMCA in South Carolina. Before coming to Fernbrook, I spent a few months bouncing around other jobs teaching environmental education classes. Like most of our staff, and probably you, I love being outside and learning about the wonders of Mother Nature and all the amazing aspects of her life. I look forward to getting to talk to and know all of you! So, whether you’re coming for Homeschool classes, camps, family programs or just a spontaneous visit to explore and say hi to the animals, please feel free to find me and introduce yourselves.

The first month of my time here at Fernbrook seems to have flown by with heavy snowstorms, sunshine, and lots of rain; ushering in what I like to call “mud season”. I am certainly not complaining because it means I have an opportunity, along with the students in the winter Homeschool semester, to wear my rubber rain boots, which certainly wouldn’t be acceptable at most job sites! I’ve heard about and started to see so many wonderful changes to the farm as spring arrives. I am very excited to experience each of the seasons for the first time at Fernbrook. We have an adorable lamb in the animal barn that was born at the end of February and the crocuses have bloomed to provide a blanket of purple around the Bed & Breakfast and nearby gardens. Visitors are always welcome at Fernbrook, so come on over and check out the farm during Springtime (but make sure you bring appropriate footwear)!

As more families come to Fernbrook, we are anxious to plan more programs and create more opportunities for all ages to enjoy and share the farm. We hope the whole family can join us for spring and summer family programs which we are excitedly planning. You won’t want to miss the Country Wisdom Series that will allow you and your family to learn some wonderful country living skills from spinning wool to candle making. Programs are geared toward ages 5 to 14. We hope to see all generations participating together to develop useful skills and make some products to take home.

Finally, we can’t forget the evening explorations coupled with campfires, always a hit! This season, the campfire nights will include an owl prowl, astronomy night and exploring for nocturnal animals. Dates and times for all of these fantastic family opportunities are on our website, so  remember to check back often for all the Fernbrook updates!

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