Budding Explorers

Stonewall Farm offers a popular program for 3 year olds and young 4s called the Budding Explorers. The Buds, as they are commonly called, meet on on the 1st and 3rd Fridays from September to May from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. Through hands-on activities, songs, crafts and exploration, the children begin to form their first connections to the land and animals at Stonewall Farm. We explore the barns, gardens and the surrounding natural world during the four seasons of the year and build friendships and understanding along the way.

Parents, grandparents and other caregivers are welcome to stay and experience the program with their Bud, but are not required to attend.  We maintain a small group of no more than 10 children at each meeting, and provide an instructor and an assisant to guide the young explorers through the morning. The cost of the program is $15/child for each meeting ($12/meeting for members) and you may sign up for as few or as many sessions as you'd like.  Call today!  This is a program not to be missed!

Pre-registration is required.
To register, call Rebecca at 603-357-7278.

2009-2010 Schedule

September 4th • Gorgeous Garden Greens
Fall on a farm is harvest time and the garden is bursting with life and color! Together we will enjoy the delicious and nutritious food that comes from the garden after we have discovered what plants need to grow and meet some vegetables and helpful garden insects up close and personal!

September 18th • Busy Bees
Bees are busy and important workers on a farm! At Stonewall today, we will meet the honeybees, try our hands at pollinating flowers and taste delicious honey.

October 2nd • Bright and Beautiful Autumn Leaves
Fall is a special time of year when leaves change color and drop to the ground. Let’s find out what color and shaped leaves we have at Stonewall with a autumn woodland walk.

October 16th • Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere!
It is an exceptional day at Stonewall Farm when we can meet the Great Pumpkin and hear her unique story from seed to pumpkin. We will take a hayride with Prince and Magic and visit the pumpkin patch.

November 6th • Delicious and Nutritious Apple Cider
Discover a sweet drink made with an old fashioned cider press. Let’s work together to press fresh apples into cider.

November 20th • Cheerful Chickens
Can you guess what is in the Touchy-Feely Box? Its something that belongs to a chicken. One of our charming chickens will visit us in the Program Room. We will go out to the chicken coop, see what chickens eat and look for eggs.

December 4th • Meet the Sheep
Meet Snowflake, Bob, and Fionna our sweet sheep. They make wool for us to use! We can dye wool and make our own mini sheep to take home.

December 18th • Great Evergreen Trees
Evergreen trees keep their leaves all winter long. Let’s find some needles to touch and smell. What kind of evergreens grow at Stonewall? We will make an ornament to hang on evergreen trees and celebrate their winter color!

January 15th • Rabbits in Winter
Meet our rabbits close up and personal. We will bring one into the Program Room to learn about what rabbits do in the winter and how they survive.

February 5th • Moolicious Milk
The dairy barn is our MOOternity ward, where cows have calves and give the farm milk. Budding Explorers will try their hand at milking a cow and making a cool dairy treat.

February 19th • Winter Warmth
Brrrr! It’s cold in New Hampshire in winter. Come to Stonewall Farm for some warm winter activities. We will make delicious soup, visit the greenhouses, and take a winter hike looking for signs of animals in the woods.

March 5th • Horse Crazy
We will visit with the horses in the barn. What do eat, what do they wear, and what do they do for the farm? Prince and Magic, our Belgian draft horses, will take us on a hay or sleigh ride, so bundle up!

March 19th • Sugaring Time on the Farm
We will check out the sap buckets to see if the sap is running and make maple leaf art. Maybe the farmer will be boiling maple sap into syrup! It wouldn’t be sugaring time at the Farm without a tasty treat of ice cream and maple syrup.

April 2rd • Faerie Houses
As the woodland wakes up for spring, we will look for signs of spring. All around us there is life and wonder to discover and nurture. We will explore the magical side of nature while expanding our creativity in building faerie and gnome houses out in the woods.

April 16th • Terrific Top Soil
Healthy soil makes food for plants. Budding explorers will take a close look at soil and who lives in it! We will meet a great soil producer, the worm, and make our own top soil with the help of the sun, rain and a little bit of time.

May 7st • Woodland and Pond Creatures
Salamanders and insects have returned from hibernation with the warmth of spring. Let’s meet them under logs and in the pond. We will check out what is in our pond by dipping to find young dragonflies, mayflies, newts and much more!

May 21th • Spring in the Garden
It is an exciting and busy time at the farm: garden plants have started to grow. Budding explorers will use their five senses to investigate the garden and who lives in it!

For more information or to register call Rebecca at 603.357.7278