Stonewall Farm invites preschool children ages 3-5 to learn about the special role farms play in our everyday lives. Budding Explorers learn about traditional farm and nature themes including farm animals, local wildlife, trees and other plants, the role of gardens, maple sugaring, bees, and more! These tactile and interactive programs encourage imagination and discovery in a comfortable group setting. Programs take place on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday and Thursday of each month between September and May, from 9:45 to 11:00 a.m. Caregivers are welcome, but not required, to stay and enjoy the programs. Sign up to attend as many or as few programs as you’d like: individual programs cost $13 for non-members and $11 for members; or sign up for a full semester of 7 programs and receive a 10% discount. For more information, please contact Alan Bettler at abettler@stonewallfarm.org or call 603-357-7278.

Fall Semester

September 21, 22 • Meet the Llama There’s a new critter at the farm, and his name is Frosty! We’ll meet Frosty up close, learn about llamas and how they have helped people for centuries, and then head out to the trail with our big, furry friend.

October 5, 6 • Harvest Time On the farm, fall is harvest time! The garden is burst-ing with life and color. Budding Explorers will use their five senses to investigate the garden and find out who lives in it. We’ll enjoy the delicious and nutri-tious foods that come from the garden, and discover what plants need in order to survive and thrive.

October 19, 20 • Apple Cider Press Discover a sweet drink made with an old fashioned cider press. We’ll work together to press apples into cider and then we’ll head inside to try some ourselves.

November 2, 3 • Bright Autumn Leaves Fall is a special time of year, when leaves change color and drop to the ground. We will go for an autumn woodland walk to discover what colors and shapes we can find on the ground and in the trees.

November 16, 17 • Feathered Friends We will visit the ducks and the chickens, up close. Then we’ll talk about what makes a bird a bird: how are birds similar? How are they different? We’ll also check out the wild birds at our Bird Observation Area.

December 7, 8 • Great Evergreen Trees Why do evergreen trees keep their leaves all winter long? What kinds of evergreens grow at Stonewall Farm? We’ll answer these questions and others, we’ll find some needles and pinecones to touch and smell, and we’ll finish the day by making a bird feeder out of pinecones and peanut butter.

January 18, 19 • The Horse’s Tale What do horses eat? What do they wear? What do they do for the farm? We will answer Explorers’ ques-tions as we groom, feed, and pet them. Then our Bel-gian draft horses, Prince and Magic, will take us on a hay or sleigh ride. Be sure to bundle up!

Spring Semester

February 1, 2 • Animals in Winter What do animals do during the winter? How do they survive? We’ll talk about animal adaptations and sur-vival techniques, go on a winter hike to look for tracks in the snow, and have a special visit with Storm and Harvest, our resident rabbits.

February 15, 16 • COWabunga! Stonewall Farm’s herd of thirty Holstein and Brown Swiss cows reside in the dairy barn all winter long. Budding Explorers will get to tour the diary barn; then we’ll milk a real, live cow. We will end the day with a special dairy treat!

March 7, 8 • Woolly Friends The sheep have no problem staying warm, all winter long. We’ll learn how they do it and why they are such important animals on the farm. Explorers will get to pet and feed the sheep; then they’ll try their hand at a fun wool experiment!

March 21, 22 • Maple Madness First we’ll hike into the forest to find sap buckets and see if the sap is running. Then we’ll head into the Sugar House to see where the farmer boils maple sap into syrup. It wouldn’t be sugaring time at the farm without a tasty treat of sugar on snow.

April 4, 5 • Trowels to Tractors Throughout New England’s history, we have used many tools to grow food. Today we will investigate the tools in our garden shed, from interesting trowels to exciting tractors. Budding Explorers will get to see all the nifty devices used on the farm, throughout history and in the present day.

May 2, 3 • Pond Creatures Salamanders and insects have returned from hiberna-tion with the warmth of spring. We’ll get to meet them under logs and along the shore. Then we’ll do some pond dipping to find young dragonflies, may-flies, newts, and more!

May 16, 17 • Busy Bees Bees are busy and important workers on the farm! We’ll meet our honey bees, try our hands at pollinat-ing flowers, and taste delicious honey.