…the children were able to make connections to farming in their countries. This validated and provided opportunities for them to share experiences from their home culture.
– Pam Morgano, ESL teacher, Eldorado School

I feel that through the connections made in all the academic areas I have helped the children develop a better understanding and appreciation for nature and our world.
– Ellen Levine, Margetts School

As a veteran teacher of 12 years, your program is completely aligned with our curriculum and NYS standards. It gives students a fresh look into real life applications of Math and Science and it is easily and seamlessly injected in follow up lessons. … These lessons cover all subject areas and the students gain basic hands on knowledge from the Program and project their enthusiasms to all follow up lessons.
– Andrew Chalfin, Colton School

I've been associated with [the Outdoor Lesson] for the past four years. Through our collaboration I've been able to make connections to our Social Studies curriculum. For example, one of the second grade New York State Social Studies standards is for the children to know the differences between urban, suburban, and rural communities. Because our children have grown up in both suburban and urban communities I found the farm experience most valuable. The children automatically connected their time spent at the farm to a rural setting or community. In the second grade Science curriculum the children needed to observe and record changes in living things and changes in our environment. Again, through their experiences at Duryea Farm the children in my class were able to both observe and measure changes in living things; plants and the farm animals. The children were also able to observe and measure changes in the environment during the ecology visit when we did an unbelievable nature walk around the grounds of Duryea Farm. In conclusion the Duryea Farm experience helped bring our curriculum alive.
– Terry Bakke, Margetts School

Everything was well planned, organized, and developmentally appropriate.
– Judy Gass, Elmwood Elementary

As it has in the past, the program gave the children a feeling of what life is really like on a farm.They loved visiting and always left the trips and class visits learning something new. You were able to align your lessons with much of our curriculum in the second grade. This allowed us to make further connections as we went back into the classroom to learn. … I hope that my second grade class can be part of this fabulous and worthwhile program again next year.
– Janet Caro, Margetts Elementary

It was a wonderful "hands on" experience for every child regardless of intellectual abilities (no tests required – just participation). The children were encouraged to actively explore and appreciate nature by participating in numerous activities. … Our instructional program was enhanced by this program in a variety of ways. The experience impacted on a variety of classroom initiatives. Of paramount importance to me, was its direct effect on the developmental writing process. Critical thinking skills were fostered and the employment of graphs for science data and math. It strengthened the science program focusing on cause and effect. It demonstrated the relationship between now and then clearly identifying a delineated understanding of the growth process (both in what they observed and themselves).
– Rosalyn Hallerman, Summit Park Elementary

The children really developed an appreciation and understanding for nature and the outdoors.
– Lynda Meher

The farm trips re-awakened my own love for and appreciation of nature during all the seasons.
– P. McFadden