Our Farm Program

The Farm Program at The Fulton School is truly a way to take learning out of the textbooks and put it directly into our students' hands!

Our younger students get to see the growth cycle of the herbs, flowers, and vegetables firsthand, while assisting with the care and keeping of animals, from birds and guinea pigs in the classroom to chickens and honey bees outside. As students get older they use the Farm Program in math, science, and history, in addition to building character through responsibility, persistence, compassion, leadership, and teamwork.

The Apiary

In 2014, we laid the foundation for an apiary with two bee hives. We lost one of our hives during the first (very cold) winter. But the hives rebounded quickly and we were able to split the hives. The program is flourishing (with 7 hives as of Summer 2024), and the students enjoy helping with all aspect of the beekeeping program. The elementary students don their protective suits and help check the hive for mites, feed the bees sugar water, insert new frames to expand the hive, and even construct and paint new frames!

Every fall the students take part in harvesting the honey. The Fulton School's resident beekeeper, Mrs. Valerie Mertz, retrieves the full frames from the hives. Next, the students uncap the wax-sealed honeycomb using a knife. Older and younger students have the opportunity to help with this; and everyone gets to taste the fresh honey and chew on the wax. To extract the honey, the frames are placed in a hand-crank honey extractor that spins the frames, forcing the honey to the walls of the drum where it then drips to the bottom. And VOILA... after all the spinning is done, there's a spigot for releasing the honey.

During the years when we have a plentiful harvest, we offer the honey for sale to our TFS parents. The proceeds go back into the Farm Program.

The Chickens

Fulton School students have been in the chicken business for the last 9 years! We introduced these feathered friends into our Farm Program back in 2014.

Starting in preschool, our students make serious business out of tending to the chickens, with a dedicated rotation of egg collectors, egg washers, chicken feeders, and coop cleaners. Our toddler class even makes it a point to go visit the hens.

During the school year, farm-fresh eggs are sold weekly. All proceeds benefit the Fulton School Farm Program.

Inquire with Mr. Waide if you're interested in purchasing: [email protected].

The Gardens

Here at The Fulton School, we have always encouraged our kids to get their hands in the soil and get dirty. In fact, our preschool Montessori classroom has maintained flowers and herbs in their garden playground for years. They work to prepare the soil, dig the holes, plant the plants, and water them throughout the week. The earth can be a powerful learning tool.

In our Farm Program, students have learned to grow vegetable plants from seed. They've started tomatoes, peppers, a variety of herbs, radishes, and onions all from seedlings. They also take part in planting a variety of things around school, like special hybridized Iris bulb varieties courtesy of the Greater St. Louis Iris Society.