Presenting the TWS Animal Farm - Toronto Waldorf School


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	Presenting the TWS Animal Farm Friday, June 04, 2010 The TWS Farm and Garden Committee (FGC) has, for years, had hopes and plans for animals on the TWS farm. In the past we have had sheep and chickens for four months of the school year. Lately, due to not having a full time farming and gardening teacher lately, we have been maintaining the chickens but have not had sheep. This year, for the first time, we have chickens from a biodynamic farm and we are feeding them biodynamic feed. For the past two months we have had a student volunteer, Lennart, from Germany, doing his grade eleven social service practicum in the Forget-Me-Not Kindergarten. In the afternoons Lennart built a new chicken run to move the chickens about the farm so that they can have more free-range opportunities in safety, and he has brought new life to the chicken coop and the straw bale garden building by painting them. We also have Eva Cabaca working hard, on a part-time basis, to maintain the beautiful gardens that have been developed over many years. Farm Club with animals to be launched at TWS The Committee has recently accepted an offer from faculty members Todd Royer, Michèle Andrews and Todd’s daughter Lydia Reynolds-Royer, to raise animals year round in our paddock area near the garden at no cost to TWS. The proposal is to establish a mini-farm of dairy goats, poultry, rabbits, and, maybe in the future, a mini dairy cow. Todd and Michèle will be paying for all fencing and building improvements, would own the animals, and take full responsibility for their food and care. For the past three summers Lydia, a current grade 9 student has stayed with her grandparents in the U.S where she has been involved in the 4-H program. She has shown goats and pigs at their local county fair and has an interest someday in perhaps becoming a large animal veterinarian. As a part of the proposal they would like to create a Farm Club as an after school activity to offer children in Grade 4 and above, and adults, an opportunity in this urban environment to have the pleasure of learning how to care for and interact with farm animals. The goal of the club is to introduce its members to the basic care of livestock, including feeding and watering, shelter, grooming, milking, and handling, so that they can develop a level of competence and confidence in caring for animals independently. Currently, they have two young goats ready to move in – Cookie and Roxy - and the club will begin this spring to prepare the space to welcome the animals. Anyone interested in joining the Farm Club or being a Farm Club Booster (donating materials or labour to get it going), please contact the Farm Club at farm.club@hotmail.com. This will also provide an opportunity for any teacher at TWS to incorporate experiences with these animals into their curriculum work. The FGC is delighted to be able to offer this opportunity to enhance the children’s experience in the garden and on the farm. If you have any questions for the school please contact me at hchurch@torontowaldorfschool.com or Paul Sheardown, committee member and Facilities Manager, at psheardown@torontowaldorfschool.com. Thank you, Heather Church, FGC Chair