The second session of the Garden Sprouts met this morning and the breezy weather was quite apropo for our focus on fall leaves. It was also perfect pumpkin muffin weather, and we started our day by preparing our snack on the patio with the view of the farm spread out beyond.
But before we started with our leaf activities there were farm chores to be done. This morning, to the delight of most (but the chagrin of one!) we headed down to the coops to gather eggs from the nesting boxes of the farm’s Rhode Island Reds. Clutching blue wire baskets, the kids trooped down the hill, and after a brief lesson in how to place the eggs in the basket–should we hold them up here and drop them in?–they climbed enthusiastically over the fence among the clucking birds.
Collecting eggs with children is really like taking part in a treasure hunt. The looks on their faces as they spy the eggs among the sawdust is classic and their exclamations of joy and surprise a pleasure to observe. They spent a bit of time visiting with the hens and gathering eggs and despite a few casualties , we headed back up the hill with baskets full and hands ready for washing.
The watercolor leaf mobile that we would make today posed a bit of a challenge in the wind. While the kids gathered for some stories, grown-ups cut maple leaves from the tissue for the kids to paint. 
When enough leaves had been cut and the stories read, we went in search of a bit of shelter from the wind so that it would not take our leaves away before they had been painted and strung. The front of the farm store was somewhat less blowy and the wetness of the paint added some heft to the leaves to help keep them still, although we had to weigh them down with gourds as well!
When we finished painting it was time for our muffins which were warm from the oven and a nice treat for everyone. We finished up with some fun autumn songs and poems before heading on our way. Looking forward to our seed study next time!
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