From Our Farm to Yours: July Activities You Love

This blog space is for the activities you're trying on your farm that may not be beautifully formatted, but nonetheless, connect learners to your farm and the joy of discovering the many species who call it home. We aim to share an activity or two each month, to collectively build a calendar of favorites. While our growing zones and crops may differ, we all can learn from each other's experiences. Want to share something? Send it to Vera, along with your farm name, city, state/province, and be sure to include the ages of participants for the activity and what you love about it. vsimonnobes@shelburnefarms.org. (Photo: Herbal Academy)

July 2026

This month we're heading to Abby's Organic Community Farm in Lutz, Florida. Thanks to educator, Nancy Niemann for sending these activities along.

During Week Two of Abby’s Farm Explorers, it's all about HERBS and FLOWERS.

We start by making sun tea. Pomegranate and lavender tea bags are put in

large pitchers of water and left in the sun for an hour or more. Served at

snack time with stevia leaves harvested in the garden and a side of

nutritional and medicinal information about the herbs in the tea.

Parents and kids, ages 5-12, will then wander and wonder around the farm

as the instructor highlights various herbs and flowers and their beneficial

properties. As we observe the flowers and the pollinators, more

conversations can be had about this relationship and the importance of

pollination for making food. Mindful picking and tasting as they go,

everyone will have something to take back to the picnic tables for craft

time.

GROUP 1: Using coffee filters, students will make homemade TEABAGS

Filled with dried mint and butterfly pea flowers.

GROUP 2: FLOWER DYES- students will arrange 3 to 5 flowers or herbs

on a 6X6 inch fabric square (old sheet cut up). The cloth and flowers are

placed inside a plastic bag. Use mallets to pound the flowers and herbs to

release the colorful dyes onto the cloth.

"I love these activities for summer because we have plenty of these items

growing, we get to craft in the shade, and we make and taste teas. That’s

our mission: Growing curious minds, confident learners, and future farmers." - Nancy Niemann