St. James School enjoyed a visit to the Garret Williamson Foundation Farm in Newtown Square, PA, home of the Penn State Delaware County Cooperative 4H extension program.

Students learned about the sheep, beef cows, dairy cows, chickens and pigs that are housed at the farm. They were able to touch and interact with the animals. Penn State Extension provided tours that focused on “where our food comes from and how it is produced.”

After the extension tours, students worked on drawing animals with Art Teacher Deena Ball, who also teaches for the Penn State Extension/Delaware County 4H summer programs.

Her familiarity with the facility and the challenges of drawing animals from life helped students gain a unique perspective from the visit.

After the art lesson students enjoyed a picnic lunch and a chance to play in the open fields of the property.

Back at school, the sixth grader students used their drawings as guides to sculpt a balsa foam block into a farm animal, which will be on display in the library shelves for a few months.