We’re Going to the Farmers’ Market!…

Sustainability SI Group’s Field Trip Planning Guide

C&I 371, Spring 2009

Ashley Ashbeck, Amanda Hernandez, Erika Leadholm

 

Why the Farmers’ Market?! 

Our SI Group’s umbrella topic is “Sustainability,” which entails a wide variety of potential sub-topics for study.  Our individual units focus on a variety of sub-topics, including energy conservation, how food gets to our tables, etc.  We chose to take a field trip to the Farmers’ Market for many reasons, the first being that we felt the environment would provide us with opportunities to pick out issues in our society related “Sustainability” and our narrowed focuses of study.  Secondly, the Farmers’ Market on the Capital Square is a prominent contributor to the downtown Madison culture in the spring, summer, and fall seasons.  Many of our students might not have the chance to attend a Farmers’ Market, so planning this field trip would allow them to experience a slice of Madison’s unique culture.  And lastly, we saw huge potential in creating related lessons and student activities tied between the content areas and our field trip.

 

The Farmers’ Market offers students the opportunity to see how buying local produce/goods is supported by the locals.  Recycling, using reusable bags, growing organic—all of these sustainable practices can be enforced and supported at this event.

 

Potential Content Area Lessons/Activities

Math: Exchange of money when buying objects; knowing they’ve received the correct change; surveying what goods each booth is selling (i.e.- vegetables, baked goods, etc.), then creating a graph
Science: different vegetables and how they are grown
Social Studies: Surveying where each booth comes from and mapping those locations on a map of Dane County; history of
Phy Ed: Wearing a pedometer to measure how far they walk
Art: photography; looking at and appreciating the art booths
Music: Listen to and appreciate the music of performers on the square
Language Arts: writing letters
 

Preparation

When?  We attended the Farmers’ Market on a Saturday, however given that school is in session Monday through Friday, the practicality of attending this specific Farmers’ Market is slim to none.  Madison also has a Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays, which would be more feasible given the schedule of school.  The following is the website for the Dane County Farmers’ Market, and it includes any and all types of information to answer questions about the event: http://www.dcfm.org/.  If you’re looking to plan a field trip to your local farmers’ market and you don’t live in the Madison area, the following website provides a search of all Farmers’ Markets in Wisconsin, and provides locations, times, and a brief description: http://www.wisconline.com/attractions/farmmarkets.html. 

 

Who to Contact?  Our field trip didn’t require us to make any contacts to specific individuals.

 

Cost?  Attending the Farmers’ Market is free.  Any cost would come in if transportation needs to be used (i.e. the city bus) or if students are allowed to purchase goods.

 

Time?  We would reserve over 1 hour to make the entire walk around the capital.  Make sure to add in transportation time as well.