Niki has been one of Learning Tree Farm’s talented, trained educators for two years, but her affection for the farm goes back much farther than that. When Niki’s son, Miles, was five years old, they discovered the farm. It was, she says, “a hidden gem...
It’s late afternoon on a late autumn day. The light is already fading; the temperature is 30? and dropping; there’s an ice storm on the way. Most of us were heading to our cozy homes for warm dinners and hoping that nothing would require heading...
It’s a festive June day at Learning Tree Farm. Children with field trips are tiptoeing in to visit the new baby goats, nibbling the first spring lettuce and spinach in the garden, and laughing on the tire swing. Two school teachers, friends of the farm,...
[caption id="attachment_3453" align="alignleft" width="225"] The American Burying Beetle[/caption] The staff of Learning Tree Farm is committed to supporting native plants and wildlife-both on the job and off. This summer, Nature Preschool Teacher & Naturalist, Sarah Lamont, volunteered her time and spent a day with her son...
Teachers need to plan. We have requirements both from our governing bodies, expectations from parents, and… don’t go into a day full of preschoolers without some plans! However, there comes a moment, or several moments, where the children are captivated by something that is happening...
The garden at our Nature Preschool became a certified Monarch Waystation this year. Through our pledge to “Create, Conserve, and Protect Monarch Habitats”, Learning Tree Farm hopes to support these beautiful butterflies that have suffered a population decline of approximately 90% in the last 20...
This fall, Learning Tree Farm Nature Preschool was named “A Best in Ohio” Connect to Nature School. This award was a combined program led by Miami Valley No Child Left Insideand Dayton Regional Green. Through the efforts of Sarah Lamont, one of our Nature Preschool teachers, we documented...
Rene Hick, one of our wonderful Nature Preschool teachers, first knew she enjoyed working with children during her pediatric nursing rotation at Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan back in the early 90s. Her nursing background is the foundation for her holistic approach...
iNaturalist is a smartphone app that lets you easily catalog what you see in nature. With it loaded to your phone, you can help identify other people's observations and get help ID-ing something that you observed. The "Projects" feature is a way to organize your...
Balance is something that many of us seek in our lives. It is also something that often eludes us. The Autumnal Equinox, on September 22, marks the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator. When the sun shines directly on the equator, the length of...