The Farm Mission:

To create a sustainable, vibrant, inclusive space for creative, experiential lessons that will benefit our children’s opportunities for a life of learning, understanding and optimal health.

OK Chickens

All of our 8 hens have been hatched and raised by OK 1st graders and teachers! Two years ago, the 1st grade students learned about the life cycles of chickens. They were all very interested, eager to learn and super helpful. Overall, it was a really hands-on learning experience. Please bring your children back to visit and to help out. Our OK girls love to have plenty of food & water, to see friendly faces and to get time to run around outside. The OK Children’s Farm is a lovely space to visit on weekends or evenings, it is a nice way to break up a day, get outside in nature and help others. Please sign up here CHICKEN CARE VOLUNTEERS for an opportunity to have your children show you what they know so that you can take help take care of our OK flock as a family.

Ariel

OK Childrens Farm

Follow the farm on Instagram @okchildrensfarm

For 2023-24 OK Children's farm received grants from both SD Ag in the classroom and Santa Fe Rancho Garden Club to help us maintain, plant, feed and upgrade items on the farm, but none of the grants include labor, so we need your help this year!!! It is really rewarding to come together and get good projects done on our OK Children's Farm for the school community and community at large. If you know how to find and write grants, we would love your help!

During the last school year, the whole grades of 2nd, 3rd and 4th came out to the farm almost every week, 1st & 5th grade often came in small groups, or had additional projects. And one kindergarten class came out most weeks.

Our previous grant which provided materials to build wild life boxes and to plant native plants has come to some fruition - after our winter rains that native plants all flowered and are attracting at least two different kinds of native bees that have long been declining, this is exciting news! The blue birds are nesting in the boxes we built and the hawks often use the raptor perch. The elderberries are bearing fruit this summer, which may lead to an elderberry harvest and lesson for students on the medicinal plants on our farm. Just last year we were able to treat stinging nettle rashes with calendula flowers right there on our farm, and the second grade students made calendula oil for next year's skin irritations. Tomatoes are growing and so is the passion fruit, when students return we should have some of their favorite fresh snacks.

We were gifted a fabulous eagle scout project of a beautiful green house that we should be able to start using come fall. OK Farm Club had a lot of fun sharing bouquets from the farm and doing or helping with all types of activities.

Two years ago, we planted over 100 native plants around the farm and the school that are now thriving! We have a small (but will be large) California Oak, some manzanita trees, lemonade berry, coyote bush, elderberry trees, black berry bushes, rose bushes, yarrow, sage and many others.

Our hugelkultur is getting planted and growing steadily.

Thank you for all of your support, we are appreciate it and we need it! Please keep the support coming so that we can keep this amazing experience going for our students.

Join us on the farm as we plant, weed and gather as a community once a month, Saturdays (9:00am - 11:00am)

For the 23-24 school year the dates will be:

Sept 2, Oct 7, Nov 4, Dec 2, Jan 6, Feb 3, Mar 2, April 6, May 4, June 8

OK Canyon

Our OK Canyon is located just east of the field and farm fences and is the start of our moonlight beach watershed. We have some rare and endangered plant and animal species that live in this special place. Join our monthly OK Canyon Community Days where we partner with SD Botanic garden scientists, OK families and scientists, neighbors and people who want to support this beautiful land. The SD Botanic gardens received multiple grants to restore, preserve and educate others about this space. OK gets to be involved in this process, it is a gift, let's see it as one and take care of our gift. Here is an article that shares some more information about the project: THE COAST NEWS ARTICLE 

Ocean Knoll is getting an additional grant for our OK Canyon. This is incredible news as it is a big job to revitalize and protect our native ecosystem, and we need all the help we can get. Many of the native plants planted in the OK Canyon by our OK student body loved the winter rains and are looking healthy and well established and will hopefully grow for years to come. The winter rains were loved by all plants, native and invasive, so there was and is plenty to help with in the OK Canyon. The students love to take field trips into the Canyon and learn about the sensitive ecosystem and watershed and how it ties into their classroom learning. OK Canyon club was able to do some great work done and have some fun during last year as well.

Join us for some hard work and good times, connect with people and our earth in the canyon once a month, Saturdays (10:00am-12:00pm)

For the 23-24 school year the dates will be:

Aug 19, Sept 16, Oct 14, Nov 18, Dec 16, Jan 20, Feb 24, Mar 16, April 20, May 18, June 2

Please contact me (okchildrensfarm@gmail.com)  for opportunities to get involved, there are lots of small and large ways.

Please sign up to find ways that you and your family can get outside and provide great physical or financial support on the farm for our children, school, and community.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Hari Jot Khalsa-Rhodes - OK Instructional Aide for the Ocean Knoll Children's Farm

& Taya Glynn - PTA Outdoor Education Chair