The big day finally arrived! We finished setting up yesterday morning and then farmers started arriving. We had decided as a class that we would dress up in farmer clothes (like coveralls, jeans, farmer hats or boots) so we looked extra special! We had our art and posters displayed on our hallway bulletin boards and in our classroom. We had a guest book table, complete with a guest book designed by some of the Grade 1s. Our partners from Mrs. Caldwell’s Oak Lake Kindergarten even joined us to c0-host the event, since we’d been planning and organizing together via Skype.
As our guests arrived, students took each farmer into our classroom and offered them coffee or tea and cookies. Farmers had the chance to relax, visit and enjoy a nice coffee break. Once everyone had arrived, the students gathered in the classroom with the farmers. We showed them our video, which we made especially for the farmers. Then we watched a really funny video (which was suggested by a student for Farmer Appreciation Day.) The video is called “What Does the Farmer Say?” and it’s a lot like the Grade 1 favorite “What Does the Fox Say?” Our guests had a big laugh watching the farmer version!
I had some special farmer guests in the crowd today too. One of my students invited my parents, who are both farmers. They brought a special surprise for all of the students involved in planning and executing Farmer Appreciation Day. Through the Ag More Than Ever program, they were able to get each student a t-shirt and some fun items like stickers, magnets and pens!
In my opinion, it was a very successful day. Our farmer guests said many thanks for the time and effort put into our event. They were pleased that we’d taken the time to show our appreciation. It makes me so proud to support young learners in their efforts to make a difference in the world and watching kids tackle a big project like this makes me feel especially lucky to be a teacher!