Free Open House at the Moraine Farm in Beverly (October 1 from 10-3)

Looks like fun...and I actually found it right here on this blog :-)


The Friends of the Olmsted Landscape at Moraine Farm invite the public to a campus-wide Open House. The event will showcase the non-profit organizations (The Trustees of Reservations, the Cape Ann Waldorf School, and Project Adventure) that share this distinctive North Shore property. Free tours, lectures, snacks, and activities throughout the campus will welcome visitors who can also learn more about the history and future plans for Moraine Farm, as well as the specific work carried out by the participating organizations.

Moraine Farm is a 170-acre tract of permanently protected conservation land along the shores of Wenham Lake. The landscape at Moraine Farm was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1880s and remains little changed from the original Olmsted design.
 
Activities and Walking Tours:

Presentations at 11AM and 1PM by National Park interpreter Alan Banks, on the Olmsted influence and design of Moraine Farm in the Red Barn.
Essex County Greenbelt, the region’s premier member-supported, non-profit land trust, will be on hand in the Red Barn, describing its stewardship role within Moraine Farm and educating the attendees on Greenbelt’s success in conserving over 14,000 acres of local land since 1961. 
Cape Ann Waldorf School will be offering children’s bread-making, strings music performances, a chemistry demonstration, circus arts and tours of their new school building.
Project Adventure will be opening its International Headquarters for visitors to check out the innovative programming and trainings they have been delivering for the past 40 years. This will include an opportunity to tour PA's world class Challenge Course. 
The Trustees of Reservations will offer tours of its working farm and new Community Supported Agriculture Program (CSA) operation. A farm stand will be open and selling fresh fall vegetables to all visitors.
Dom's Trattoria will be on site selling their signature Italian food, made with ingredients right from the farm. 

Apple Month

September has been apple month for the Co-op.  Here are a few things we have been busy doing and would be easy to do in your own home.  Keep in mind the Gloucester library has a great selection of fall books to check out!

Apple Taste Testing and Graph Making
Many of the apple books stress the huge variety of apples that grow in our country.  Jocelyn brought 4 different apples to share with the kids - talking first about their attributes - how they looked, were alike, different, etc.  Then the kids got to taste each one and used descriptive words to talk about how they tasted - sweet, sour, crunchy, soft, etc.  If the children liked one, they would draw a smiley face under that apple and next to their name.  If not, a frown.  At the end of the taste test, they added up the results and then graphed them.  Jocelyn taught about the way graphs can help us gather and understand information.  They tried a bar and line graph.

The boys got in on the action too while Janey was napping!

How to Make and Apple Pie and See the World

Deanne read this book to the group today.  In the book, the girl travels the world to find the ingredients she needs for her apple pie since her local market is closed.  (Of course!)  Deanne created flags of each country the girl traveled to and showed them everytime the ingredient or country was mentioned.  

Italy::Semolina Wheat; France::Eggs; Sri Lanka::Cinnamon; Ocean::Salt; England::Milk; Jamaica::Sugar; Vermont::Apples

After reading, the kids were brought to the table to view the ingredients and asked if they could remember where all the ingredients came from.  Deanne gave them a recipe that they took turns adding ingredients for.  It was fun to hear her explain 1c., 1/2c. 1/4c. and show the kids that by using the measuring cups first.  Then (while the playdoh they just made cooked), she took an apple and explained whole, half and quarters by cutting it up.  Lastly, the children all got their red, cinnamon playdoh and were asked to divide it in half and then in quarters.  Awesome!

It's Begun!

This month, our Co-op has been studying apples.  I don't know who has had more fun, the kids or the moms!  Every week 2 of us teach a session while the other mother brings snack and then gets the morning off - I know we're all looking forward to that treat too!  The 4th week of the month we will go on a field trip together.  This is the schedule we've come up with and it has worked perfect so far...

9:00 Arrival
9:30-10:30 Session I - Pledge of Allegiance, Focus Book and activity
10:30 Snack
10:45-11:15 Break for Gross Motor - Outside play, Nature walk, Dancing, Theatre, etc.
11:15-12:15 Session II - Subject study of the theme
12:30 Departure, after closing in song

APPLES!!

Ideas, recipes and facts from An Apple a Day by Jennifer Storey Gillis...


*Best apples for snacking:  Macs, Empire
*Best apples for pie:  Nothern Spy


Freezing Apples
Peel, core and slice thinly your apples and drop them into lemon water for 5 minutes.  (Lemon water = 1 gallon of cold water and 2 tbl. lemon juice)  Sprinkle sugar over the bottom of a cookie sheet, layer on apples, sprinkle more sugar, continue until done with apples.  Place apples in freezer bags and freeze until ready to use them in sauce, pies, etc!


Drying Apples
Core apples and slice them into 1/4inch rings.  Thread apples onto a string and hang them to dry in an airy, dry place.  Cover with cheesecloth.  When apples are fully dry, pack them in containers and use for baking or eating.




Broiled Apple Kabobs
6 apples
1/4c. butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tbl. smooth peanut butter

Wash and core the apples.  Cut each apple into 12 pieces.  Put the apples onto skewers.  Melt butter in a small pan over low heat, mix in the rest of the ingredients until smooth.  Take a basting brush and brush the mixture onto the apples.  Broil for 4 minutes, turning 2-3 times.


Apple Pizza
1c. butter (room temp)                       Red jam (your favorite)
2/3c. sugar                                         Ground almonds (optional)
1 egg                                                  Dried or fresh apple slices
1tsp. vanilla                                
2 1/2c. flour
1/2tsp. salt
1tbl. cinnamon
peanut butter

Mix butter and sugar together till creamy and smooth.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Slowly add the flour, salt and cinnamon.  Completely mix the dough until it forms a dough.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 or 4 hours, until chilled.  Grease cookie sheet and preheat oven to 350 degrees.      Sprinkle a little flour onto a surface and roll out your dough till it's about 3/8 in.  Lift the "crust" onto the cookie sheet.  Bake the cookie crust for about 8-10 minutes till dough is slightly browned.  Cool crust thoroughly before adding toppings.  Spread crust with peanut butter, then add the sauce - jam.  Arrange apple slices and sprinkle with ground almonds.  Cut in pizza style wedges and serve with cold milk.  ~Mangia bene!

Sensory Recipes

FLUBBER
2 tsp. borax solution
1c. warm water
1c. glue
Food Coloring

In one bowl, mix water and borax.  In a separate bowl, mix glue and food coloring.  Pour a small amount of borax mix into the glue mix, stirring very fast.  Place in a large bowl and let it sit overnight.



QUICK MODELING DOUGH
1c. cold water
1c. salt
2 tsp. oil
3c. flour
2 tbls. cornstarch
food coloring

Mix the water, salt, oil and enough food coloring to make a bright color.  Gradually work flour and cornstarch in until it is like bread dough.  Knead and then model it like any clay.


Lemonade Play Dough
3c. flour
1c. salt
1c. water
1 tbls. oil
1c. lemonade mix

Mix all ingredients together, play and enjoy the smell!


Long Lasting Play Dough
1c. flour
1/2c. salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar (or alum)
1tbls. oil
1c. water
food coloring (added to water)

Mix ingredients in a saucepan over low heat.  Stir swiftly and strongly until ball forms.  Let cool 5 minutes and then knead for 3-4 minutes.  Store in plastic bag in fridge.  (This recipe should be doubled)

Crafts

I've found some great craft ideas at this website. A lot of them are simple and many use items found around the house. For instance, I just printed directions for how to make dinosaur feet out of tissue boxes, a kitchen sponge and duct tape!

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/