There are a lot of projects happening at the Homestead at Dragonfly! Farm camp participants from town come to the Homestead twice a week to brush up on their gardening skills. For the past month we have been working on goat training, which is a favorite among the students. They have learned the usefulness of classical conditioning by using a clicker when the goats have done something we wanted them to, then feeding them a handful of corn. Both students and goats have come leaps and bounds since the first day. We’ve also built a large medicine wheel garden that consists of
eight raised beds. We’ve added compost and soil and planted many different herbs and medicinal plants, like pineapple mint, apple mint, spearmint, bee balm, echinacea, fever few, and lavender. There’s also vegetables that range from jalapeños, habaneros, to spinach, lettuce, blackberries, raspberries and carrots. Students have also helped to paint the chicken coop and dry freshly harvested garlic on herb grates in preparation for the winter.

Each Saturday, students get to participate in the Farmers’ Market where they experience the marketing behind running a farm. We also put an emphasis on face painting which the students have thoroughly enjoyed. We’ve also participated in the first ever Magic the Gathering draft where six students and two staff participated for the grand prize of a Colossus Whale foil card!