Page 17 - Demo SS Fall 2016

new sponsorships continued from pg. 12
Renfrew Institute recently be- came beneficiary of that generosity through a grant in support of four programs within the organization’s school program series.
adorned with puzzle pieces showing nine parts of nature.
Learning About Pennsylvania German Farm Life
When puppet character Sidney the Spider tugs on one strand in her web, other strands move. Sidney invites her young friends to set out on the trail to investigate how the dif- ferent parts of nature—plants, animals, insects, fungus, soil, air, sun, water and people are interconnected in na- ture, just like the strands of her web.
Four-Squares finds second-grade students immersed in exploration of Renfrew’s historic Pennsylvania German garden. As they complete seasonal tasks that include planting, weeding, watering and harvesting,
Sidney’s Wonder Web suspended in the pine forest.
The Trail of Trees leads third- grade naturalists on a journey into tree science. Puppet characters
such as these have been the corner- stone of Renfrew Institute’s mission. The John R. Hershey Jr. and Anna L. Hershey Family Foundation has touched hundreds of young lives with its gift in support of these experiences that immerse students in the natural world and historic farmstead.
Millie Maple Leaf and Timothy Tulip Poplar have lost their chlorophyll, and their sense of usefulness in the natural world.
Young gardeners make and
taste mint tea in the 4-square garden.
Along the way, students learn about the inner workings of trees,
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SPONSORS
After consulting with Mother Nature, they invite visiting students to set out on the trail in search of clues to a secret password that will reveal their continued importance in nature.
We extend much gratitude to the Hershey family for its care for the mission of Renfrew Institute, and for this gift.
they learn about the labors faced by the 1800s Royer family to meet their nutri- tional needs on this long- ago farm.
Our Staff Keeps Learning, Too
Flax becomes linen cloth after much labor.
Growing Clothes: Flax Culture of the Pennsylvania Germans invites fourth-grade students to use reproduction period tools to transform rigid stems of flax straw into pliable fibers that may be spun into linen cloth.
Renfrew Institute’s faculty members are the ones who roll out the inspirational learning on the nature trails and historic farmstead through the school program series.
Production of linen, “the
cloth of the farm,” occupied the Royer family for an entire year, from planting, harvest, seed removal, braking, scutching, hatcheling, spinning, weaving and finally sewing clothing and household textiles such as bed linens.
As trained educators, they are the institute’s resident experts on the science and history that they bring to life for our young visitors.
both the legendary and scientific explanations of leaf color change, and the many ways in which trees are useful in nature and to humans.
Our faculty members have benefitted over the past year
Seeing the Forest and the Trees
Puppet character Old Hickory appears at the end of the trail jour- ney, summoned by the students who invoke the secret password, SOIL.
from time spent with the head gardener from Monticello, Pat Brodowski; learning about (and using!) historic dyes; and a full-day workshop on wetlands education sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. There was so much more—the list is too long to enumerate here!
Second-grade students travel to the pine forest, where they discover Sidney’s Wonder Web. Suspended in the forest, the glistening web is
Old Hickory reveals that Millie and Timothy will undergo decompo- sition, becoming soil that will nourish their trees into the future.
Since 1990, school programs
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