SCHOOL TOURS
Cultivating Curiosity, Planting knowledge
We Nurture Fertile Minds
A child’s curiosity can be endless. It is this curiosity we cultivate in our tours as children discover their relationship of nature and farms in their daily lives connecting through what they eat, drink and the products they use.
Using their senses, students (preschool to grade 4) discover and explore agriculture and rural life on our real working farm. Enthusiastic instructors engage the children’s interest using a mix of songs, hands-on and interactive activities that emphasize learning through experience. All activities are adapted to their age and comprehension level.
Teachers have enjoyed the balance of learning and fun, making this outdoor experience memorable and relevant to their curriculum objectives. Take home materials for use in the classroom reinforce what the children have learned on the farm.
Our tours are structured to meet the requirements of the Ontario Science and Technology curriculum and the Language curriculum.
For our most recent newsletter, please click here.
Two Great Locations to choose from!
You now have a choice of two locations – Markham and Greenbank.
Since the fall of 2008 we are welcoming school groups at our Greenbank farm. We offer preschool and primary grade school groups our 2 or 3 hour tours and grades 3 and 4 our 4 hour Science in Agriculture workshops. We have 45 acres here with a mix of habitats to explore – field, meadow, pond and forest. For the past 10 years we’ve been growing strawberries, pumpkins, squash and hay.
Come; experience the countryside as it used to be. Enjoy the peaceful atmosphere, the beauty of the rolling hills, the green vistas and sounds of nature.
Preschool/ Primary Group Tours
Our tours emphasize learning by doing. The components you can mix and match to customize your tour are
- Farm Animals – children will meet and feed the animals, learn about who they are, their characteristics and needs and the changes as they grow, as well as how we care for them and why we have them.
- Field Activities – These change with the season. Spring - children plant a strawberry plant which they will take home to nurture, hopefully producing some yummy strawberries. Fall - they will pick their own pumpkin to take home with them. With these activities the growth cycle of the plants is stressed along with parts of the plant and the importance of soil.
- Markham Farm Forest – Emphasize language with story time in our Enchanted Forest full of fairy tales. OR See, Smell, Hear, Touch and sometimes Taste. Discover nature and what resides in our forest.
A wagon ride around our fields gives the children a sense of the scope of farming and how it compares to a backyard garden.
Our playgrounds give children the opportunity for safe, unstructured play time in a grassy, natural setting allowing them to experience the fun side of farms.
Our Markham farm tours can include the Enchanted Forest or Nature walk and can be 2, 3 or 4 hours in length.
Greenbank farm tours can be up to 3 hours in length. To date - we do not have a forest component for this age group in Greenbank.
Tours are available mid April till end of June and September through till early November.
Click here for preschool/Primary school tour brochure
Our summer tours in Markham are ideal for camps and daycares with children up to 12 years old. It’s PICK YOUR OWN from our fields’ season. Our summer tours focus on fun and encourage exercise; emphasizing games and activities that allow the children to experience agriculture through a variety of farm related themes.
Check out our Summer Fun Tours.
Grades 3 and 4 Science in Agriculture Workshops
We host four hour workshops that focus on one concept in the Ontario Science and Technology curriculum for grades 3 and 4 that are relevant to farmers and important for them to understand in order to have successful, productive farms.
- Grade 3 Soil and Composting
- Grade 4 Habitats and Communities
KNOW, DO, APPLY - The children spend the day filled with informative, fun activities focusing on these individual concepts. Through hands on experience, the students progress beyond a basic understanding of these concepts to applying this understanding to their daily lives.
Workshops are available
Markham location – mid April to late June, September and early November,
Greenbank location – mid April to late June, September, October and early November
Click here for our Science in Agriculture Workshops brochure
BOOK YOUR TOUR
CALL MYRNA AT (905) 887-1086
or contact her at forsythefamilyfarms@gmail.com
TOUR INFORMATION REQUEST sheet (pdf format)
email (word format)
fax to Myrna at (905) 887-9713 (May – Oct. 31st only)
A great source for agricultural related classroom resources can be found at www.oafe.org
No Smoking, No Outside Food and No Dogs