Wiscasset Middle School eighth graders have been mucking out barn stalls, feeding animals and learning about the many facets of sustainable farming as part of a multi-day outdoor learning adventure at Chewonki this past week.

Daily visits by Wiscasset students to the outdoor learning camp on Chewonki neck has been a long-standing tradition, but staff there say these students have only recently begun to take part in overnight experiences there.

Their four-day adventure was made possible by a grant offered through a collaboration among several outdoor learning organizations in a program called Environmental Living and Learning for Maine Students.

With the stars overhead and the open fireplace as their kitchen, students broke into groups and spread out over the 400-acre campus to study forest and pond science, as well as to take group challenges, such as a “barn climb” and “crossing the gulch.”

Students learn to live in a community with others, while fostering an appreciation for the natural world, staff members said. The outdoor experience also helps students develop social skills.

“You hear a lot of teachers look for group cohesion and thoughtfulness that is sometimes lacking in a classroom setting,” said Andrew Bezon, assistant director of the Outdoor Classroom program.

The students got their hands dirty helping out on the Chewonki farm, an activity Bezon said many students naturally gravitate toward. They become engaged in the work while learning to appreciate the process of growing and producing food from the ground up. Along the way, they learn how to work together and appreciate one another's skills.

Instructor Matt Stern took the eighth graders around the farm to demonstrate how the 28-day planting cycle works in sync with the rotation of livestock feeding areas.

Stern said they have been doing a lot of hands-on activities, pulling mustard greens and learning about crops, then in the afternoon, helping out with farm chores.

“We're trying to familiarize the pigs with us, so they recognize us when they go out into the woods,” Stern said, as he and his students stood among a dozen or more piglets in a sheltered pen.

Farmer educator Caitlin Thurrell has students feed and water animals, collect eggs and clear out the animal stalls. “Students are not just visitors,” she said. “They are fundamental part of what we do. I see students begin to value themselves as capable, important members of a community.”

Students also get to see the fruits of their labors as they enjoy a farm meal. All foods at the meal are either grown or raised locally, according to Bezon. The Chewonki farm has a pasteurization room, where they process the milk and also make cheese.

People can read and watch videos on how milk is produced, but Bezon said tasting the milk from the farm, having see the process through from its roots, provides students with an authentic experience.

“They're having a ball,” said Carol James. Her son Ethan participated in the excursion.

James works at Chewonki, but took part in many of the activities with her son. She said the students enthusiastically chopped wood and pitched in on other chores without complaints.

James was particularly impressed with the students who might have had some reservations about wielding an ax and chopping logs, but who launched ahead anyway. Girls, she said, were splitting and stacking right alongside the boys.

One student hesitated before “the gulch,” where group members lash onto ropes and cross several feet above ground to the other side. As other students donned safety belts and hooked themselves onto the ropes, he walked around one side by foot. He watched as his teammates crossed one by one, then paced back and forth. At the encouragement of his peers, the student strapped on the climbing gear and with some trepidation crossed the gulch. James said his face changed from a look of fear to a beaming smile as he made his way across.

“It's just great to see them do stuff they never did before,” she said.

To learn more about Chewonki and the many programs they have there, visit their website or call 207-882-7323.