Green Mountain Orchards
GROUP TOURS
Available weekdays only.
Intended, but not limited to school grous, tours can be designed for people of all ages, including preschoolers. In fact, the majority of the tours given have been to younger age groups.
The following list of available activities. Activities may happen in any order. You select whats best for your group:
1. Tractor drawn hay wagon ride through the orchard. (15-20 mins)
2. Apple picking - individual bags to take home or big bag for the class Pumpkin picking in season,( 20-30 mins.)
3. Visit the animals - (chickens and horses)(10-15 mins.)
4. Cider making (for age K+) and/ or tasting, with fresh, homemade doughnuts for snack (30-45 mins.)
GROUP PRICING
Available weekdays only.
The whole package (all activities) $6.00
per student (chaperones and siblings free)
Apple picking:
$3.50 ½ peck bags /$12.00 ½ bushel bag
Pumpkin picking:
$0.25 lb.
Cider and doughnut snack:
.50
Tractor drawn hay wagon ride:
$2 each (10 people or $20 minimum)
It’s a good idea to plan on a couple of hours if you want to do everything and you have a big group. Big groups can be divided into 2 or 3 smaller groups that can rotate through the various activities.
PLEASE CALL TO SCHEDULE TOURS
802-387-5851
TIPS FOR TEACHERS
As a teacher, here are some tips you may want to consider before bringing your class to the orchard:
Prepare your class and yourself for inclement weather and field conditions.
The orchard is located on hillsides and has cool breezes and wet morning grasses. Don't forget bee kits if you have students who are allergic.
Plan pre-visit classroom activities and discussions to stimulate curiosity and to help the children develop questions that they can research at the orchard. In order to help the children think of the questions, give them categories and record their ideas under the separate headings. Example: jobs, people, machines, trees, seasons, or who,what,when,where,why.
Plan some after the visit activities such as:
- Make individual or class books.
- Make a "Jeopardy" type game with the information everyone has gathered.
- Make up a quiz to give parents, or another class, or the chaperones.
- Make a mural of the orchard based on sketches Have an apple tasting parents night.
- Plan an off season visit to the orchard to see what is different.
And, please remember:
The orchard is a busy place! While we have made a commitment to teaching children about apples, this is not our primary job. Please be active in the control of your class and careful in the selection of your chaperones. Orchards are full of equipment and workers who are rushing to get the crop harvested and stored and there may be additional schools or classes visiting at the same time.