We had a Jane Goodall moment at the farm today

May 6, 2016

During the Thursday morning session with the children we noticed our chicken Henrietta spending a lot of time in her nesting box.

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She even had a thing or two to say to the bunny that came to visit her.

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One of the animal-assisted activities at the farm on Thursday afternoon was for the children to clean out the chicken shelter in the barn. This means sweeping and shovelling out all the sawdust. In order to get into every nook and cranny, the kids decided they needed to move out the two crates that are used as nesting boxes in the shelter. This shelter is a temporary home while Louise the Rooster recovers fully from his toe amputations.

Loo and behold, while moving one of the crates, a child discovered an egg nestled perfectly in a beautiful straw nest made by Henrietta. The word quickly spread around the farm and all the children stopped whatever activity they were doing and rushed over to have a look.

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The children have spent time with Louise and Henrietta, getting to know them and their stories. Now they can connect store bought eggs and store bought cellophane wrapped chicken to these wonderful living beings. It’s a beautiful moment when children can connect to mother nature and bond with animals. This also opens up many questions about the cycle of life which our volunteers are more than willing to help answer as best they can. For those questions we can’t answer, “let’s can google it” 🙂

Dr. Jane Goodall has made a huge impact on my life and this is reflected in the Children’s Program at SALI’s Farm. Dr. Goodall’s “ah ha” moment came when she was very in the chicken coup of her grandma’s home (more details on this in a future blog post). The Children’s Program at SALI’s Farm strives to give at-risk children their own “ah ha” moment that will help them connect on a deep level with mother nature and animals. We know that their heart is opened to a kinder world and all the possibilities that come with that.

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