LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Genesis Farm School

Visit this working farm and enter into a learning laboratory where students will have fun and a hands-on experience with nature.

Preview your trip on the web: Genesis Farm School

three cows gaze into the camera

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  • Lesson plan: The needs of animals In this lesson plan first grade students will examine photographs of 4-H club members with animals from North Carolina. They will make observations from the visual material to build an understanding of the needs of animals. They will begin to learn that these needs have remained the same in different times.
  • Agriculture in the Classroom: AITC Kids Zone An agricultural website for kids that uses interactive maps, pictures, and games to circulate information about science fair projects, barnyard animals, favorite foods, and state agricultural profiles
  • The Farm An interactive exhibit that uses videos, an interactive quiz, and a multimedia exploration to teach kids about the many hats that a farmer must wear as well as figuring out how some of the heavy machinery works.
  • Kids Farm View images and listen to the sounds of animals on a ranch in Colorado. Also features images and information about the rodeo, wild flowers, farm equipment and more. A spelling bee will help kids learn how to spell the names of several animals.
  • North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service Find information that pertains to agriculture, nutrition, environment, parenting, health, gardening, 4-H, and much more. Many resources are also available in Spanish!
  • Ag in the Classroom - Teacher Awards Lesson plans and resources for the study of agriculture in North Carolina, including economic impact, history, and children's activities. The program offers a teacher award; nomination forms are available on the website.

Related pages

  • Intrigue of the Past: Teach your students about North Carolina's fascinating past. This edition contains lesson plans about the fundamental concepts, processes, and issues of archaeology, as well as essays for the teacher with detailed information about four periods in North Carolina's ancient history.
  • North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences: Resources for learning about natural North Carolina including animals, snakes, insects and ecosystems.
  • North Carolina A&T University Farm : Discover Agriculture provides an interactive experience for students to learn about agricultural science including farming with the environment in mind.

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Welcome to the idyllic world of Trudy Matheny and her animal friends. Located just five miles west of the busy streets of Carrboro and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Dr. Matheny’s twenty-acre working farm has become Genesis Farm School, an outdoor learning laboratory for students to explore.

After teaching college biology for many years, Dr. Matheny decided to settle down and bring the world of farm animals, gardening, and environmental education to area students. Her goal is to bring students closer to nature and the agricultural way of life. Here they can have fun, “get their knees dirty,” and apply what they learn in the classroom.

Beginning with a “Cow Clinic” students learn the anatomy and the behavior of cows while “dressing a cow.” A volunteer from the group becomes “the cow” and Dr. Matheny places parts of a cow costume on the student. By the time she is done explaining the cow’s anatomy, the student is in a complete cow costume! Students may even take turns milking the stationary cow, Bessie, and learn about making butter. Out in the field, the cows Lukey, Moozart, Legs, Charlie, and Summer watch contentedly.

A trip to Genesis Farm School includes three 20-minute programs. In the garden, students will learn about plants, how they grow, and what makes them healthy. They will plant seeds and see that they come in different shapes and sizes. The children will also have fun making compost, discovering what makes healthy soil, and learn why soil conservation is so important. Dr. Matheny’s future plans include creating an edible garden, a fragrant garden, and a tactile garden.

In the barnyard, Molly the donkey and Patches the miniature horse greet the students. Both animals were rescued and are happy at home on the farm. The children learn how to groom them and take care of them. Dr. Matheny knows that children form a bond with animals and has seen this first hand with Molly and Patches. Touilly, the Pilgrim goose, has bonded with them as well and if you are lucky you might see her sitting on Molly’s back! The guinea hens make great “watch birds” and have a sharp eye out for strangers and anything unusual in the barnyard. They will let you know when you are getting too close to the roost where their pals, the chickens, live. Guinea hens love eating ticks, which helps to keep the yard tick-free. Rocko, the Bantam rooster, struts his stuff around the hens while they peck away at the soil. He is much smaller than they are, but that doesn’t faze him. Students may be surprised to learn that different breeds of chickens lay different colored and sized eggs. There are five different breeds of chickens on the farm: White Delaware, Rhode Island Red, Partridge Rock, Araucana, and Cochin Bantam.

As the ducks swim in the pond, the students will learn about pond ecology. Lots of critters live in and around the pond and students will learn the importance of being stewards of the earth. They will also learn how to tell which plants might be poisonous and which ones have medicinal properties.

Genesis Farm School is open Monday and Wednesday mornings from 10:30 to 12:00. The fee is $8.00 per person, if the group is more than 25 and $10.00 per person, if group is 25 or fewer. There must be one adult chaperone per 10 students. For more information and to schedule a visit, send email to Dr. Trudy Matheny at theny2003@yahoo.com or call her at 919-968-4759.

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