Hafen Elementary’s second-grade students got a hands-on lesson in farm life during an exciting field trip to Green Life Produce on Thursday, March 13. The trip, organized by second-grade teacher Ms. Brown, gave 70 eager students from three classrooms a chance to explore the inner workings of a farm as they prepared to begin a new science and reading unit on plants.
The owners of Green Life Produce, Steve and Kouanin Cantwell and Brad Thurmond warmly welcomed the students and led them on an interactive tour of their property. (Michael Floyd and Steven Khoury, who are also part owners, were unable to attend.) The young learners had the opportunity to see firsthand how plants grow and learn about the various animals that call the farm home. The Green Life team took the time to answer students’ many questions, sparking curiosity about farming, sustainability, and the natural world.
As a special treat, each student received a planting kit to take home, allowing them to apply what they learned by growing their own plants. The experience didn’t end at the farm—once back at school, the second-grade classes planted corn, which they will observe over the coming weeks as it grows.
“This was such a fantastic introduction to our new unit,” said Mrs. Vanessa Clouser, one of the second grade teachers at Hafen. “We wanted the kids to have a firsthand experience with plants and farming before diving into our lessons, and this field trip provided exactly that.”
After their engaging farm tour, students enjoyed lunch at the picnic tables before heading back to school, filled with excitement and new knowledge about the world of plants and agriculture. The trip to Green Life Produce was not just a fun outing but an invaluable learning experience that will help the students connect classroom lessons to the real world.
With their new plant kits in hand and their corn growing in the classroom, Hafen Elementary’s second-graders are now budding young scientists, ready to dig deeper into their study of plants.
