- Author: Susana C. Bruzzone-Miller, RDN
Fall education outreach season: 4-H Farm Field Trips and Classroom Outreach at HAREC, ended last week with three days and over 1000 thrilled Kindergarten students enjoying a pumpkin themed morning on the farm.
This season, the education team reached over 3000 youth in grades K-8th. To the delight of teachers and parents, hands-on learning activities entice, teach and entertain youth while reinforcing science and math concepts taught in the classroom. Nutrition activities teach where food comes from and promote healthy choices.
Planning and implementing HAREC programs is a team sport! Staff and UC volunteers play equally important roles from planting and caring for the bountiful field trip harvest and education gardens to preparing lesson and building props, to delivering the program on site and in classrooms all over Ventura County. Staff relies on the expertise and support of volunteers that devoted over 1200 hours in educating students and over 1700 volunteer hours supporting the education gardens used as "classrooms" in the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
Here are highlights from Pumpkin Pumpkin at the Farm and Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon
![Master Gardener (MG) Elaine Pepe-Williams prepares Plant-a-Seed Center Master Gardener (MG) Elaine Pepe-Williams prepares Plant-a-Seed Center](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33083.jpg)
![Grain Maze Grain Maze](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33092.jpg)
![Event based on children's literature Pumpkin Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington Event based on children's literature Pumpkin Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33093.jpg)
![MG Candis Hong and Bill Harris at fruit and vegetable tasting center MG Candis Hong and Bill Harris at fruit and vegetable tasting center](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33094.jpg)
![Students encouraged to Rate the Taste Students encouraged to Rate the Taste](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33095.jpg)
![Annabel Faris, Program Coordinator and Olivelands teacher Paula Brown enjoy the day Annabel Faris, Program Coordinator and Olivelands teacher Paula Brown enjoy the day](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33096.jpg)
![MG Kim Herron teaches youth and adults about winter squash MG Kim Herron teaches youth and adults about winter squash](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33097.jpg)
![27 27](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33098.jpg)
![Predicting--will it float? Predicting--will it float?](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33099.jpg)
![MG Linda Bizzelle at Story Time center MG Linda Bizzelle at Story Time center](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33100.jpg)
![MG Ginette Watson uses Herbie the Puppet to teach the parts of the plant MG Ginette Watson uses Herbie the Puppet to teach the parts of the plant](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33101.jpg)
![46 46](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33102.jpg)
![Sensory table allows youth to see, touch, smell various winter squash Sensory table allows youth to see, touch, smell various winter squash](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33103.jpg)
![Future farmers Future farmers](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33104.jpg)
![IMG 4924 IMG 4924](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33105.jpg)
![Planting seeds with MG Lynne Carey Planting seeds with MG Lynne Carey](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33106.jpg)
![Hay ride with farmer Jim Hay ride with farmer Jim](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33107.jpg)
![IMG 4933 2 IMG 4933 2](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33108.jpg)
![Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33109.jpg)
![Carole Rowland, 2015 Education Volunteer of the Year Carole Rowland, 2015 Education Volunteer of the Year](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33110.jpg)
![Nancy Bowker, 2015 Garden Volunteer of the Year Nancy Bowker, 2015 Garden Volunteer of the Year](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33353.jpg)
![Thank you to staff Jose Hernandez Alvarez and Santos Rodriguez Ramirez that devote so much time caring for the field trip harvest gardens. Thank you to staff Jose Hernandez Alvarez and Santos Rodriguez Ramirez that devote so much time caring for the field trip harvest gardens.](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33113.jpg)
![Another Education season behind us. Time to prepare for spring! Another Education season behind us. Time to prepare for spring!](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Hansen/blogfiles/33111.jpg)