The Winona Farm Welcomes Unschooling Visitors
Sue
I'm Sue and I live in Winona MN, here on the farm we are trying to
get a place for unschoolers to be able to visit and enjoy each
others company while getting a farm experience. We have only
had 15 family groups and 3 single visitors and it would really good
to have more unschoolers visit. We only charge a very moderate
fee for people to stay.
It can be very difficult to meet other unschoolers and for some
trying to figure out if unschooling works it may be good to meet a
family living unschooling. It is also a great place for city kids to
get a chance to roam freely and get in touch with nature.
My partner Dick Gallien bought the farm in 1956, he was a
teacher in many experimental programes in the 60s and concluded
that the system just can't work. My children Nathan[15],
Rhianon[11], Madeleine[6] and Stephanie[4] and I came here from
Australia two years ago and now call Winona "Home". Here they
are free to explore from the top of the hills right down to the trout
streams and beaver pond and all the interesting places in between.
They spend endless hours doing the things that generations of
children enjoyed, until school imprisoned their minds and bodies for
twelve years or more. They look, listen and touch, then think about
their experiences and ask many questions about the things
unfamiliar to them. They learn without being taught, without
coercion, threats or bribes and they enjoy it.
The farm is open to visitors all year round. There is a self
contained apartment in the house, for that we charge $2.50 a night
for adults & $1 a night for children. We have lots of space for
camping, at a charge of $1 a night for adults & 50c for children. We
have two cabins, for home/unschoolers on Sunday through
Thursday nights [except public holidays] we charge $10 a night for
adults & $5 a night for children [these cabins rent out to tourists for
between $75 to $300 per night which is why we need to keep them
open on weekends]. The small amount of money we make from
charging unschoolers goes into improving the accommodations and
providing amenities for campers.
Most visitors like to assist with tasks and their help is very
welcome.
The farm is 175 acres of diverse land, from the trout streams at the
lowest point in the valley to 600' hills. Only 55 acres is tillable
land, the rest is returning to a natural state and is a haven for a
variety of wildlife.
We have an assortment of animals, four beef cows, and their
calves, two of which are heifers that should be having their first
calves soon, 12 holstein steers ranging in age from 6 weeks to two
years... these are bottle reared by Nathan [15], 2 of the biggest
sows in the world and 1 not so big boar [we hope for piglets
eventually if Ms Pig and Miss Piggy aren't too overweight to carry
babies], 24 sheep and 26 lambs, 9 saanen goats and their 7 kids,
3 angora goats, & one little alpine buck who we bought to improve
the milking potential of the future generations, 3 jersey wooly
rabbits, 1 just plain rabbit, 1 cat and her 3 kittens. My girls milk
only one of the goats, but plan on milking more next year, they use
the milk to bottle feed three kids. We also have 5 Canada geese
with 4 goslings so far but more due to hatch any day, 6 domestic
geese, 3 turkeys and 4 turkey poults, 6 ducks and 15 ducklings,
and too many chickens and chicks to count.
We are also the local compost site and visiting locals feed their
grass clippings right to the cattle, and their brush to the sheep and
goats. We also collect food waste from the local hospital and
university and a better class of food waste from a supermarket in
town. The food waste from the hospital and university is at
present composted with ground up brush, grass clippings and
cattle manure, however we are working on a way of cooking it at
212 for 30 minutes so that it can be legally fed to animals. The
outdated produce, baked, frozen & dairy goods from the
supermarket are fed to the animals, we rear the calves on out
dated milk and only buy chicken feed to get the chicks started.
We have three incubators that hold 288 eggs and a hatcher, so
every six days we fill an incubator, and every six days we start a
new hatch. We have incubated ducks, geese, turkeys and
thousands of chicks. We sell eggs here on the farm and at the
local co-op and sell chickens to the Hmongs.
Our third compost pile is percolating now, it is about 60'X20'X10'
not as big as the last two which are now mainly spread on the
fields, with a little in the yard awaiting my vegetable garden.
For more information contact me by email sue.m.e@...
phone 507 454 3126
or snail mail
Sue Gill Rt 2 Box 279, Winona MN 55987
Farm website: http://members.xoom.com/winfarm/
Farm newsletter: http://www.egroups.com/subscribe/Winonafarm
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority,
it is time to pause and reflect....." Mark Twain
get a place for unschoolers to be able to visit and enjoy each
others company while getting a farm experience. We have only
had 15 family groups and 3 single visitors and it would really good
to have more unschoolers visit. We only charge a very moderate
fee for people to stay.
It can be very difficult to meet other unschoolers and for some
trying to figure out if unschooling works it may be good to meet a
family living unschooling. It is also a great place for city kids to
get a chance to roam freely and get in touch with nature.
My partner Dick Gallien bought the farm in 1956, he was a
teacher in many experimental programes in the 60s and concluded
that the system just can't work. My children Nathan[15],
Rhianon[11], Madeleine[6] and Stephanie[4] and I came here from
Australia two years ago and now call Winona "Home". Here they
are free to explore from the top of the hills right down to the trout
streams and beaver pond and all the interesting places in between.
They spend endless hours doing the things that generations of
children enjoyed, until school imprisoned their minds and bodies for
twelve years or more. They look, listen and touch, then think about
their experiences and ask many questions about the things
unfamiliar to them. They learn without being taught, without
coercion, threats or bribes and they enjoy it.
The farm is open to visitors all year round. There is a self
contained apartment in the house, for that we charge $2.50 a night
for adults & $1 a night for children. We have lots of space for
camping, at a charge of $1 a night for adults & 50c for children. We
have two cabins, for home/unschoolers on Sunday through
Thursday nights [except public holidays] we charge $10 a night for
adults & $5 a night for children [these cabins rent out to tourists for
between $75 to $300 per night which is why we need to keep them
open on weekends]. The small amount of money we make from
charging unschoolers goes into improving the accommodations and
providing amenities for campers.
Most visitors like to assist with tasks and their help is very
welcome.
The farm is 175 acres of diverse land, from the trout streams at the
lowest point in the valley to 600' hills. Only 55 acres is tillable
land, the rest is returning to a natural state and is a haven for a
variety of wildlife.
We have an assortment of animals, four beef cows, and their
calves, two of which are heifers that should be having their first
calves soon, 12 holstein steers ranging in age from 6 weeks to two
years... these are bottle reared by Nathan [15], 2 of the biggest
sows in the world and 1 not so big boar [we hope for piglets
eventually if Ms Pig and Miss Piggy aren't too overweight to carry
babies], 24 sheep and 26 lambs, 9 saanen goats and their 7 kids,
3 angora goats, & one little alpine buck who we bought to improve
the milking potential of the future generations, 3 jersey wooly
rabbits, 1 just plain rabbit, 1 cat and her 3 kittens. My girls milk
only one of the goats, but plan on milking more next year, they use
the milk to bottle feed three kids. We also have 5 Canada geese
with 4 goslings so far but more due to hatch any day, 6 domestic
geese, 3 turkeys and 4 turkey poults, 6 ducks and 15 ducklings,
and too many chickens and chicks to count.
We are also the local compost site and visiting locals feed their
grass clippings right to the cattle, and their brush to the sheep and
goats. We also collect food waste from the local hospital and
university and a better class of food waste from a supermarket in
town. The food waste from the hospital and university is at
present composted with ground up brush, grass clippings and
cattle manure, however we are working on a way of cooking it at
212 for 30 minutes so that it can be legally fed to animals. The
outdated produce, baked, frozen & dairy goods from the
supermarket are fed to the animals, we rear the calves on out
dated milk and only buy chicken feed to get the chicks started.
We have three incubators that hold 288 eggs and a hatcher, so
every six days we fill an incubator, and every six days we start a
new hatch. We have incubated ducks, geese, turkeys and
thousands of chicks. We sell eggs here on the farm and at the
local co-op and sell chickens to the Hmongs.
Our third compost pile is percolating now, it is about 60'X20'X10'
not as big as the last two which are now mainly spread on the
fields, with a little in the yard awaiting my vegetable garden.
For more information contact me by email sue.m.e@...
phone 507 454 3126
or snail mail
Sue Gill Rt 2 Box 279, Winona MN 55987
Farm website: http://members.xoom.com/winfarm/
Farm newsletter: http://www.egroups.com/subscribe/Winonafarm
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority,
it is time to pause and reflect....." Mark Twain
Brown
It is so good to hear of other homeschoolers doing these things. We (dh and me,
plus 4 sons aged 19, 16, 13 & 10) have just mooved to a 16 acre block of land,
which is about 12 - 13 acres native bush (forest? woodlands? - these don't
really describe it properly) with a stream running through the middle of it. We
are living in the garage plus room that we built before we moved, and are now
trying to build the house, but the weather has been rain, rain, rain. (It is
winter here in New Zealand) The only animals we have so far are the 2 rabbits
and cat we brought with us, and a delightful puppy ds #3 got for his 13th
birthday 2 weeks ago. As vegetarians, we aren't planning on animals beyond
poultry for eggs, and a few goats to keep the gorse down. As Karen says, we
don't have much in the way of wild animals here in NZ but we are priveleged to
have a pair of keruru or native pigeon, living in our bush. These are very
large and lovely birds, which are protected now, but are still poached by
people who find them good eating.
We are about to start planting trees and are looking forward to getting our
gardens started come spring.
Carol
Anita Bower wrote:
plus 4 sons aged 19, 16, 13 & 10) have just mooved to a 16 acre block of land,
which is about 12 - 13 acres native bush (forest? woodlands? - these don't
really describe it properly) with a stream running through the middle of it. We
are living in the garage plus room that we built before we moved, and are now
trying to build the house, but the weather has been rain, rain, rain. (It is
winter here in New Zealand) The only animals we have so far are the 2 rabbits
and cat we brought with us, and a delightful puppy ds #3 got for his 13th
birthday 2 weeks ago. As vegetarians, we aren't planning on animals beyond
poultry for eggs, and a few goats to keep the gorse down. As Karen says, we
don't have much in the way of wild animals here in NZ but we are priveleged to
have a pair of keruru or native pigeon, living in our bush. These are very
large and lovely birds, which are protected now, but are still poached by
people who find them good eating.
We are about to start planting trees and are looking forward to getting our
gardens started come spring.
Carol
Anita Bower wrote:
> We have 15.5 acres in southeastern Pennsylvania: meadow, pasture, woods,
> pond, barn, house. We currently have it classified as farmland. Farms on
> all sides, including Amish across the road. We, too, hope to keep it from
> being developed, but are putting off doing it until our son gets older and
> we have more time. I am gradually introducing native wildflowers to the
> meadow, and eventually hope to do the same in the woods.
>
> We have 3 Scottish Black Face Sheep, 6 chikens, 2 dogs, 6 cats. A pair of
> Canada Geese nest on the pond every year, and a Great Blue Heron fishes
> there regularly. Something eats the goslings, though, which makes me very
> sad. Could be a fox, which we have, or a snapping turtle, which we may or
> may not have. Also, a possum frequents the barn and decimated our flock of
> banty hens. We now have them in a hen house, but, I think the banties
> aren ot happy being cooped up, even though they have a run. Do you know
> anything about banties?
>
> Anita......who loves living in the country!
Brown
Hey Karen - ring me on 825 7980 if you'd like to come and visit - on a fine day,
because it's a bit cramped in our shed on a wet day! We're only 1/2 an hour from
Dinsdale, at Te Mata, on the way to Raglan. Did you used to live in
Morrinsville? If so I think you rang me once quite a while ago.
Carol
Karen Judson wrote:
because it's a bit cramped in our shed on a wet day! We're only 1/2 an hour from
Dinsdale, at Te Mata, on the way to Raglan. Did you used to live in
Morrinsville? If so I think you rang me once quite a while ago.
Carol
Karen Judson wrote:
> We're in Hamilton now, in the suburbs but with a very large section and
> gully, and next to a reserve. Lots and lots of trees.