Alpaca Farm Field Trip

We loved visiting Rolling Oak Alpaca Ranch last week on April 19. It was so nice to have a field trip... our first as a whole school for an entire year! We haven't had a school field trip since April 19, 2021... that is, IF you count walking from my house to Chautauqua Bottoms Nature Preserve (Woodland Spur Trail, The Wildflower Glade, Secret Garden) to see the wildflowers.

If you don't count a field trip that is within walking distance of my house, it's been since January 2020 and our trip to the Carbondale Fire Department for "Protector" the last time I taught the grade 1 Archetypal Professions block.

We are doing the Archetypal Professions block again and this time we are on "Shepherd"! My class had visited the alpacas previously -- on February 26, 2019 as part of the grade 3 Fibers & Clothing block -- but we were back to learn about the nitty-gritty of alpaca care. We had a great time and Judy and Morgan were outstanding hosts. They answered all of our many questions very cheerfully! 

I loved seeing how they use every bit of the alpaca fiber, including putting the "scrap" fiber inside their handmade alpaca dryer balls. They also make their own goat milk soap for the felted soaps AND they shear their alpacas themselves AND dye all of their own yarn. Wow!  And they even sell spinning wheels, so when I've finally saved up enough for one I will get it from them!

Some photos of 🦙 ❤️ :

2 yr aged manure for the garden

Matt, the resident greeter, says hello to everyone!

a beautiful chart showing the results of all the dyes and dye combinations on different colors of fiber

 

the drum carder