Hurd's Family Farm
Welcomes You And Your Students
to Our 2003

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Susan Hurd is an experienced tour guide, former Elementary School teacher, mother, farmer, entrepreneur, amateur musician and naturalist.
She is currently serving as an Ambassador for the Hudson Valley Agriculture.
Susan has served as an independent consultant for Cornell Cooperative Extension for 2 years, presenting "Agriculture in the Classroom" workshops for teachers and also completed a Cornell agricultural leadership training. She also enjoys serving as a director on New York State's Farmers Direct Marketing Association. She is married to Phil Hurd and they have 2 teenagers.

      During the months of September and October, Hurds Family Farm will open the fields to give school groups a first hand opportunity to visit a working family farm and orchard. Our tours are lead by experienced, trained guides who are excited about sharing their enthusiasm for agriculture with your group. We believe that direct experiences are a valuable teaching and learning aid when combined with wholesome fun in the country. In planning for your educational excursion, we have worked hard to incorporate many New York State Learning Standards for science, social studies, math, art and language arts into the student’s experience.

Apple Picking

BASIC FIELD TRIP PLAN

      Upon arrival, we will greet your group and welcome you to our farm. We will cover any information that will make your field trip safe and enjoyable.

     Preschool-grade 1 We offer a guided mini tour through the maze pathways for younger grade levels who want to adventure through the design. our trained guides will show students a corn plant and share how corn grows, and how each part of the plant plays an important role. students will play an interactive Mystery Bag game and will be surprised at some products made from corn! This field trip includes the Strawbale maze, Kid's Corral, Animals and Picnic area.

      For Grades 2 and 3, we will stress Map reading. We will begin your adventure with a “Stalk Talk” to learn about growing a 4 acre field of corn, and how to design crop art in the shape of “The Pride of New York” emblem. You will be given a map of the maze and a few map reading tips. Twist and turn as you navigate among the paths created in the 10 foot high corn, to locate hidden stations. You will learn fascinating facts about places of historic importance in the Hudson Valley at the interactive checkpoint stations throughout the maze.

     For Grades 4 and up we will stress Teamwork in the maze. In the “Stalk Talk” you will learn the technology behind this project from growing the corn to getting the idea from graph paper to ground. This experience will encourage higher thinking skills such as goal setting, group decision making and communications. We will custom design your journey to include problem solving skills you’d like to have addressed. Math, Art, Science, and Technology are interconnected in the design of this real life maze. Great practice for DBQs.

LITTLE FARMERS
ABC'S OF AGRICULTURE STRAW BALE MAZE

      For the younger elementary grades we have a brand NEW self directed straw maze to wander through. Students will learn all about what products are grown on Hudson Valley farms while they scramble through the pathways following the ABC’s! Before you go through this maze our guide will lead your group in an interactive game, Grocery Bag Botany, a great way to discover about the parts of plants that we eat.

KID'S CORRAL
AND EXPANDED FARM ANIMAL AREA

      We have added a large fenced in outdoor play area for younger children, where they can scramble to their heart’s delight. The corral includes the popular 20 foot high cornstalk teepee, a tire creature, a Farmer’s Market, giant sandbox, boat, a farm tractor, The Little Farmers Straw Bale Maze, among other activities. Great photo opportunities!

Everyone will enjoy the farm animal pets!

PICNIC AREA

      Included in the Basic Plan is the use of the picnic area near the barn under the NEW red and white tent. There is also a 3 acre grassy field available where groups enjoy their lunches. Portable restrooms and handwashing station are also available.

Please allow one and one-half (1 1/2)
- two (2) hours for this tour.

Additional activities may be added to the Basic Field Trip plan.

      
For reservations or more information ,
please contact Susan Hurd at (845) 883-7825.

Easy directions:

PLEASE MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS EARLY
SO WE MAY ENSURE THE DATE AND TIME THAT ARE MOST CONVENIENT FOR YOU!

OPTION #1

      For an additional cost per person, each person may pick a Sugar Pie Pumpkin from the Giant Pumpkin Patch. Also, two colorful gourds from our special Gourd Patch

OPTION #2

Classroom in the Cornfield

CORN MAZE FIELD TRIP

      For an additional cost per person, we will provide a mini tour through the winding pathways of our 10 foot high cornfield maze. The 2003 theme is “The Pride of New York” emblem. Students will learn fascinating facts about places of historic importance in the Hudson Valley at the interactive checkpoint stations throughout the maze. The journey begins with a “Stalk Talk” where our guide will describe the theme, and share how the maze was created. Our guide will also hand out maps and give a few map reading clues before you begin.

PUMPKIN PICKING FIELD TRIP

TRACTOR DRAWN HAY RIDE TO OUR GIANT PUMPKIN PATCH.

PICK YOUR OWN PERFECT SUGAR PIE PUMPKIN FROM THE PATCH, AND 2 COLORFUL GUORDS!

SCRAMBLE AROUND ALL THE ACTIVITIES IN THE NEW KID’S CORRAL.

WANDER THROUGH THE NEW ABC’S OF AGRICULTURE STRAW BALE MAZE.

ENJOY THE NEAT, CLEAN PICNIC AREA WITH STURDY TABLES UNDER THE BIG RED & WHITE TENT.

VISIT THE BIG RED BARN WHERE SNACKS AND GIFT ITEMS
ARE AVAILABLE AS WELL AS SOME SURPRISE KID
FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES.

FOR RESERVATIONS OR MORE INFORMATION,
PLEASE CONTACT SUSAN HURD AT (845) 883-7825

     We have our Big Red Barn open that features country craft items, jams, apple butter, maple products, home grown produce, especially winter squash, and snack items such as trail mixes, bottled water, coffee, baked goods, and local cider. This year, in addition, you may purchase seasonal soup, hot dogs, and we’ve added a new popcorn machine.
     One last thought. You may want to bring along some empty boxes for storing the large bags of apples for your return trip. Markers and tape are also useful to close and label each bag.
     As always, the trip coordinator and the bus drivers will get to pick a complimentary bag of apples

     We're looking forward to seeing you.

The Hurd Family

NY Harvest for NY Kids Week in October
Teachers:
Educational Packet and stickers are available.
Great Photo opportunities -- Bring a camera!

Bring a picnic lunch and plan to spend some quality time on our farm.

		Open Daily 10 AM - 5 PM September - October
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