Zenger Farm

Scrub jay.

Peering into a demonstration hive.

Fabulous homeschooling mom Shannon scored our homeschool group a field trip to Zenger Farm, and our kids happily roamed around this idyllic farm in search of wonders.  It's  owned by the City of Portland and has an educational mission.  They offer hands-on classes in gardening, bee keeping, composting, and  chicken keeping, as well as providing opportunities to learn about the ecology of the extensive wetlands that also grace the property.  The kids got to watch the bees at work on the many fruit trees, look into a bee hive and a compost bin, and pet a chicken. But their favorite thing of all was gathering water from the natural springs to look for pond critters through a magnifying lens, which is endlessly fascinating. 

A tiny Pacific chorus frog.