Growth - not just at the F.A.R.M.
Many things are growing quickly at the F.A.R.M. already - kale, spinach, beets, strawberries, squash, carrots, eggplants, peas, and more! Just yesterday another group planted pumpkins in one of the raised beds. These pumpkins won’t be ready until long after the session has ended, but it is a great lesson in patience, and teaches boys the value of starting something now, that can be enjoyed by others in the future. Other things, like the strawberries and peppers, were planted ahead of the session and are already beginning to bear fruit - the tomatoes will soon be ready too!
F.A.R.M. stands for Food, Animals, Repurposing, and Manpower - all things that we learn about and use in the program. Boys care for the chickens, learn about repurposing materials to reduce waste, use manpower instead of machinery, and grow different kinds of food. As much as they are helping the plants grow, the boys are also going through a lot of growth themselves each day at camp.
Dave is here for his first year this summer, and already has his sights set on earning his “Warrior” at the F.A.R.M., which is the highest level. “I’m almost a Scout,” he declared as he helped clean the chicken coop. “Look! Two eggs!”, he exclaimed as he peered into one of the nesting boxes. He gingerly took out one blue egg and one speckled egg to show his friends. Dave is quickly working through the progressions, eager to grow his knowledge.
Mitchell was a strawberry taste-tester during second period, getting to eat one of the bright red strawberries that ripened this week. We fed another one of the strawberries to the chickens that the bugs had gotten to first. Mitchell noticed that the chickens were bigger than they were the last time he was at camp, and we asked him if he thought he’d grown since then too. “Yes!” he said emphatically, “Last time I was here I was in elementary school. Now I’m a middle schooler, and I have more responsibility!”
For some boys, time at the F.A.R.M. isn’t enough during their activity periods - John Henry came back during free choice to help get one of the raised beds ready for planting. “My favorite things to grow are cucumber and zucchini,” he said. “We have a small garden back home, but I’ve already learned more about gardening over the past couple of days.” During the last free choice period, Zeb, the F.A.R.M. manager, taught John Henry and his friends about composting, and they gathered some weeds for the chickens (they love scratching through the greens and looking for bugs).
John Henry knows that plants aren’t the only things that grow at camp. “Every time I come home from camp I’ve learned something new,” he said. “Even if it’s just a fun activity like riflery that I can’t do at home, it’s still a new thing I’ve learned how to do.” This growth mindset is exactly what we hope to foster with the boys at camp. It’s another new day here at Falling Creek - ready, set, grow!