The leaves were turning, so we knew it was time for the harvest. Last week, the Ivy League School kindergarteners and four year old pre-school classes worked together to harvest Ivy League School’s first crop of Sweet Potatoes.
Thanks to the parents who joined us!
Taking The Classroom Outside
It’s The Great Potato, Ivy League School
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What was your favorite class when you were 4, 5, or 6 years old? The one that went outside of course! At Ivy League School, we take advantage of our 16-acre school and day camp campus whenever we can. On the north end of campus we have our Ivy League School garden. This spring we tried sweet potatoes and what success we had! We even grew a 5 lb potato!
What a great day! Fun, Learning, and Dirt!
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Knowing that our Ivy League School kindergarten class does a unit on farming, we asked Ms. Kremler to team up with Ms. Stern, our dedicated science teacher, to use our garden as an outdoor learning experiment. We also had Miss Micehelle’s preschool class join us to expose them to the type of activities that are waiting for them next year in kindergarten.
Every child was able to unearth a potato and it was an amazing experience. Many of the children and parents had not been on that side of the campus and the weather cooperated. We were expecting rain but it ‘It never rains at Ivy League School.’
The kids learned all about how potatoes grow underground and the proper way to harvest them. The kids reminded us how to get very dirty. The kids also learned that potatoes don’t come out of the ground sweet. They learned all about the science of curing to make the potatoes taste so sweet.
What’s next? This project doesn’t end here.
Like all farmers, the job doesn’t end until the food is on the table. The classes are planning to cook the potatoes at our upcoming Ivy League School Thanksgiving Feast along with our new principal, Dr. Don Sternberg. From now until Thanksgiving, the Ivy League School kindergarteners and Ivy League School preschoolers will continue to learn more about farming, agriculture, and patience while they continue to monitor the progress of the potato curing.
Stay tuned for more updates. We are counting the days until Thanksgiving.
- Margaret & Noah Cooper
