Sandy McKelvey leads Pioneer Living workshop

Classes include hands-on activities and a visit to the barn animals 

Common Ground Farm will be offering its popular children’s workshop series on Pioneer Living this spring.  Based on the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, this series offers children a chance to step back in time and learn about the lives of children and families before the days of television, refrigeration, indoor plumbing and electricity.  Each class involves hands-on activities, a visit to the barn animals, and includes a snack.

Classes are held on Thursdays from 12 to 1:30 p.m. and Sundays from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Stonykill Farm in Wappingers Falls, just north of Beacon off of Route 9D. Upcoming dates and topics include:  Feb. 9 and 12: Life on the Prairie in a One-Room House; March 8 and 11:  Sugar Snow; April 12 and 15:  Memoirs; May 3 and 6:  Ma’s Prairie Garden.

Cold Spring’s Sandy McKelvey has been teaching the class since the fall, and says “It’s loads of fun. We start the class with everyone seated in a circle, and I read a few passages from the Little House series of books. Then we do a craft activity, play some games, visit the barn animals and have a healthy snack. It’s a great introduction to the books if you haven’t read them. And if you have read them, it’s really fun to reenact some of the events from the books with the activities we do in the class.”

The classes are designed for children ages 5 to 12.  The cost is $20 per class, $75 for the series, with discounts offered for multiple children.  For more information or to register for a class, visit www.commongroundfarm.org or email [email protected].

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