archive

=This page is to serve as an archive of past meetings.=


 * March 17th, 2010**

**-secure a space**
Amy b. will call Ron Rilling about using the Green Mountain Chapel for our group meeting. She will contact Amy D. if this space is unavailable and then Amy D. will try to secure the Bethel White Church. If these possibilities don't pan out we will meet at Deonne's home for this meeting. (Both Amy's have also offered their homes as back up spaces.) Kim will contact the Baptist Fellowship and let them know that we won't be there on the 17th as we really need a kitchen for this day.

-Beth will check with Karen (the cheese presenter) to see if she needs us to bring equipment or anything besides milk and to ask about time of presentation.
 * -confirm details of cheese presentation with karen**


 * - would we like to create a page of house rules and expectations before our next meeting? A general code of conduct page???**

**The plan for the 17th:**
March is Dairy month. We will be showing the kids how to make many milk products.

We will set up a "quite activity corner".

Schedule for the day (to be used as a guide): Kim will lead a mapping farms activity. Amy D. will bring books to read with the younger kids.

Cheese Making presentation lead by Karen.

Kim will lead a dairy discussion for the 8 and ups using information from the National dairy council. Amy B. will bring supplies for younger kid activities. (moo masks, cow coloring pages, and cow mix up comic strip). Amy D. will have supplies for ink blot project. Catherine and Deonne have said they will help with the little kids projects.

Amy D. will organize a game (farmer in the dell?)

Amy B. will assign peanut butter sandwich homework for next month's meeting.

Clean up

=**__Who is bringing what:__**=

**__Everyone should bring:__**
-State maps and stickers that Kim passed out at the last class. -Donations for the supplies box: please list what you can bring here: amy b.-- two packs washable markers (wider tip), 4 glue sticks, 2 pair child scissors, one stapler, one small ball of yarn, 4 trays watercolor paints, assorted crayons. amy d - construction paper, 2 rolls tape, 3 rulers, pencils & sharpeners, lined paper, pens, envelopes, 3 pair child scissors, craft sticks -money - $6/family for cheese making milk to reimburse Jenny and for room rental (will post cost when info is available). - Bag lunches -Containers for bring home the cheese that we make. = =

I__ndividual responsibilities__: = =

Can someone sign up to bring crackers or something to eat with the cheese?

Amy B.- tote for homeschool supplies box, supplies for mask making and coloring projects. Dairy info on breeds of cows.

Kim - lesson materials for older kids dairy lesson.

Amy D. -blocks for quiet corner, ink blot book and supplies, books for story time. Book about breeds of cows.

Beth- list of dairy farms for mapping activity, extra containers for cheese, I'll bring crackers and some good bread and garlic oil for those that might what a little zip with the mozzy!

Jenny: 6 gallons of milk, play dough.

- we ditched the fondue idea for the 17th as we decided that we had enough other things going on. - expenses: For the time being we are content to have individuals be responsible for providing supplies for the classes and reimbursing others for larger expenses if they ask. We can revisit the issue of having a pool of money for expenses if the need arises. - future lesson plans. Amy B. will post these ideas on the lesson plan page and create pages for future meetings. We talked about April's theme being Cooperation, Communication, and Community. Think about ideas for a field trip and post it on the field trip page. - Amy B. will move the past meeting pages to the archives page. - Kim brought up the idea of having the kids create a book of our activities.
 * __At the parent meeting on March 11th we also discussed:__**

=__Cheese presentation proposal for the younger kids:__=

[|**Lisa McCrory**] February 24 at 7:20am Amy -

for the Fromage Blanc class, I think it would be good to plan for 90 minutes time which would include time to eat some of what is made at the end. Workshop would entail a display of all the kitchen implements we will be using, the milk, perhaps a small discussion on where the milk came from and then a hands-on approach of making Fromage Blanc, providing it in 3 stages: 1) Fresh milk with culture added 2) ladling cheese curd into cheese cloth 3) adding flavoring to a final cheese product 4) eating the cheese!

For flavoring, we could add maple syrup or some fruit or some herbs or vegetables. Anything goes... but I would like to know if parents have a preference or something that they want to avoid.

Cost for the class would be:

Ingredients expense: Culture, milk = $15.00 My time (including prep time) = $50

What people should bring with them: If people are not going to consume the cheese that we make and prefer to take it home, they should come with a container. Otherwise, if there are bowls and silverware that we can use that would be great.

we will eat one batch of cheese during the class and the other two batches that will be demo'd and not completed will go back home with me.

Let me know if this works for you...

Lisa

March 3, 2010 Dairy Month:
=__March 3rd, 2010__= please edit!

**The plan:**
March is Dairy month. We will be showing the kids how to make many milk products.

Hula Hoop name game...

In the kitchen... 1. Yogurt-- What is it made of? Why is temperature important? Safe handling procedures How do we inoculate the milk? Why does it thicken? What can we add for flavorings? etc.... (come back next time and share how you enjoyed your yogurt - plain, fruit, etc?)

2. Butter What are the ingredients? Why does it thicken? etc...

3. Ice Cream What are the ingredients What are the procedures How does melting snow freeze ice cream? etc...

4. Pizza Dough dynamics etc

Play time outside Books to read Photos to look at Clean up

=**__Who is bringing what:__**=

Amy B. Ingredients and tools for one batch of Vanilla Ice Cream Ingredients and tools to make one batch of plain yogurt One batch of finished yogurt to give to kids who brought containers Old Photos of Vermont Hillsides back when farming was more prevalent.

Kim Butter stamp I can bring more than this - so if someone is feeling as though they want me to pitch in on theirs - just let mew know - I was planning to bring snack stuff - kim

Amy D. paper products (plastic utensils, bowls, plates, napkins, paper towels, cups for icecream) hula hoops for game

Deonne Ingredients and tools for one batch of Blueberry? ice cream Pizza dough and tools/pans to bake it Jelly Jars and marble to make butter electric icecream maker and ingredients

Beth Cheese and Toppings for pizzas Pizza pans

Jenni veggies/snack 1 gallon raw milk for ice cream

Catherine cream for making butter, 2 breads (for tasting butter)

What worked and what didn't (to be noted after the event):

=**The April Theme is Cooperation, Communication, and Community**=

=April 7th --the plan for the day:=

-- Open with the telephone game and discuss the ideas of our theme - as exemplified by the telephone game.

-- Kim will present - Victory garden movements throughout history.

-- Younger Kids can label Garden Plot Rocks with vegetable names. Amy B. and Beth will get river rocks. Amy b. will bring Sharpie markers.

-- Seed identification Activities: Amy D.

-- Weave newsprint basket--- family fun. For april 7st. amy b. will bring supplies for this craft. Amy D. will bring elastic bands.

-- Planting Seeds for the Community Garden: Jenny has Flats and Seeds. Everyone who has extra seeds at home bring 'em. Jenny can take the flats home or folks can bring theirs home to care for them and then bring them to the garden at planting time. Amy D. will bring popsicle sticks.

-- Gardening Layout and Design--- keeping in mind companion planting the older kids can flesh out the garden plan.

-- Game: Oat and Beans Game Amy b. will figure this out.

-- At Lunch Time: Peanut sandwich communication assignment. Kids need to bring their instructions for how to make a peanut butter sandwich. I posted the lesson plan on the lesson plan page. (amy b. will bring supplies). Peanut butter sandwiches will be available for all for lunch.

-- Kid's Quiet Corner will be set up again with Brio Trains (amy d.) and Playdough (Jenny)

Snacks: Kim -- carrots Amy D. -- tomatoes Beth -- cucumbers, celery, and raisins

=**Who is bringing what:**=

__EVERYONE:__ -- Lunch -- if you don't want pbj sandwiches.

-- Extra seeds (if you have leftovers from your own garden planting for this year) to donate to the community garden project

-- Your children's peanut butter sandwich assignment. The lesson plan is on the lesson plan page but basically they need to write (or dictate to a parent) the instructions for making a peanut butter sandwich. Have them imagine that they are explaining this to someone who has never had one before.

Amy B. - Ingredients for peanut butter sandwich making lesson Supplies for newsprint baskets Craft supply box, Oats, Peas, Beans Game Supplies Rocks for garden markers Sharpie markers

Amy D. - Tablecloth brio trains Tomatoes for snack elastic bands? (don't remember what these were for) popsicle sticks to label seed starts Seed ID chart

Beth - cucumbers celery raisins Rocks for garden markers

Jenny - flats potting soil seeds playdough

Kim - carrots for snacks victory garden discussion supplies

**__Other Stuff---__**
Who was bringing the book about companion planting? Who was taking the lead for the garden plot layout plan?

Beth will contact Sheila and talk with her about Earth Walk. We would like to know if they could come for our May 5 or May 19th meeting and what kind of a program they would do.

Jenny said that she thought the garden would be ready for planting on or just after memorial day.

Amy D. will contact fat rooster farm to see if we might do a field trip April 28th.

Looking ahead we would like to do a group project about the community garden for the Tunbridge fair and attend as a group on Sept 16th after 1pm.

Jenny brought up ideas for tagging butterflies in aug/sept.