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Grafton Farmers Market Session #1 (June 29th)

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #1 (June 29th)

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The first session at the Grafton Farmers Market went well! The first activity that was implemented was geared toward adult attendees and consisted of planting basil seeds in biodegradable pots. Attendees received education about caring for their plant, along with a handout with written directions. The activity for children involved making a terrarium in plastic bottles. Both activities were chosen as they promote environmental sustainability through the use of occupations. These activities also promote our mission statement, along with the mission statement of the Grafton Farmers Market.

The most stressful aspect of program planning was finding a farmers market to attend. In hindsight, it was fairly simple for us to obtain a table at the Grafton Farmers Market. At one point, we had not yet head from Jake Morris (the Market Manager) about whether we would be able to have a table or not. It had been challenging to decide whether to reach out to Jake again, and whether we should begin reaching out to other local farmers markets; the line between being proactive and being too forthcoming is something I found challenging. After reaching out to Jake, he was able to confirm our spot for the dates we requested. While I knew my group members and I would readjust our plan as needed, confronting situations that are not within my control are both stressful and challenging for me.

Once we had the site of our program implementation, we developed a needs assessment that was completed by Grafton residents via a Google Forms survey. Jake also provided answers to questions regarding attendee demographics, and how he would like us to address sustainability. Jake mentioned that a composting activity and education on sustainability may be beneficial. Results from our Google Forms survey indicated that a majority of residents would like to see horticulture activities when attending a farmers market.

Creating our program design based on our needs assessment was both fun and exciting! We used our own creativity, along with the help of online websites like Pinterest, to choose activities that tailored for the needs of Grafton residents. For our first session, we decided on basil planting because it met the needs of residents. Growing local herbs also promotes sustainability. Making a terrarium is also a horticulture-based activity that utilizes recycled materials and provides education about the water cycle.

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #1 - Basil Plant

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #1 - Basil Plant

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #1 - Terrarium

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #1 - Terrarium

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #1 - What Went Well

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #1 - What Went Well

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My group members and I were able to exhibit flexibility during our first session at the Grafton Farmers Market. While we had designated roles that we mostly abided by, these roles were flexible. For example, if I needed extra help because a group of children stopped by, Caroline and Simone would help me. On one occasion, a woman who was deaf came to our table. She was fully able to participate in planting the basil seeds. We pointed to the materials that she needed in the appropriate order and referred to the handout. This situation reflected our ability to adapt the activity and instructions to her needs.

My group members and I also came prepared to the session, which helped it to go smoothly. We had all appropriate flyers and materials, and we were aware of the specific questions we were to ask to promote social participation. I tried to think of additional materials that may be helpful; for example, I brought plastic wrap that individuals could wrap over their plants so the dirt would not spill, along with brown paper bags they could carry their plants in. Although these materials were not listed in our Program Design, they were a spontaneous addition that proved to be beneficial.

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #1 - What Did Not Go Well 

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #1 - What Did Not Go Well 

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Although our first session went well, there had been a miscommunication between Caroline and Simone about who was supposed to bring the tent for our table. A tent is needed to participate in the farmers market. Despite this miscommunication, all group members were able to stay calm and problem solve. There was no placing blame; rather, all energy was spent determining how to obtain a tent. Luckily, Caroline's father was able to drop a tent off to us well before the start of the market. By the time the farmers market began, our table (and tent) were set up and ready for attendees. Although this mishap occurred, our ability to remain calm and professional speaks to our problem solving and teamwork skills.

During our first session, we did not have a flyer for the terrarium activity. In retrospect, having a flyer would have been helpful for those who wanted to recreate the activity.

With education being part of our program, we did not measure whether attendees learned something new. Education was evident by explaining tips on how to care for one's plant and what a terrarium is; however, we did not measure whether attendees were necessarily learning from the education we were providing.

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Farmers Market Session #1 - Changes for Future Sessions

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Farmers Market Session #1 - Changes for Future Sessions

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The shortcomings of the first session at the Grafton Farmers Market will be useful when dictating what our future sessions will look like. Although my group members and I have had adequate communication for the duration of this project, more emphasis needs to be placed on clarity regarding who is bringing what supplies. One idea is for each member to provide a list of what they are bringing via text; that way, all members are aware of who is bringing what.

Future sessions will also include a flyer for the bird feeder and binoculars activities. Flyers will include the steps that one can take to recreate the activities.
Future sessions will also make use of questions to measure whether learning has occurred. This will be added to our observation log, so that our group can measure learning along with social participation and engagement.

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #2 (July 6th)

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #2 (July 6th)

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The second session at the Grafton Farmers Market proved to be a success! During this session, attendees made compost mason jars. Children made bird feeders out of recycled cans. Jake stated in his answers to the needs assessment questions that composting may be a beneficial activity to include. Both activities promote sustainability, education, and social participation.

My team members continued to work well together. During the program planning and implementing process, we each seemed to take on leadership roles at various points. For example, I took the lead on communicating with Jake via email. Simone was able to provide many of the larger materials that we needed for the activity, like a table and chairs. Caroline was also helpful in terms of gathering needed supplies. While I supplied basil seeds and gardening supplies for the first session and printed flyers, I made it a point to be the one to bring most of the supplies for our last session. Our communication regarding who was bringing which supplies was stronger for this session. Via text the night before, we all stated what we had packed so that there was no confusion about who was bringing what. No supplies were forgotten for this session.

My group members and I also made it a point to measure whether attendees learned something from our session. For the compost activity, we would ask people to name something from their home that they could add to their compost jar that they were not aware of previously. In a couple of instances, it was evident that individuals learned something by comments they made. After looking at our flyer about what items can and cannot be composted, one woman commented that she was unaware that tea bags can be composted. For the bird feeder activity, children were asked if they could name one recyclable item they could make a bird feeder out of. This was added to our observation log. Flyers were also created for the bird feeder activity, which were handed to parents. This flyer documented the steps one could take to create their own bird feeder out of recycled cans.

Jake had sent an email out to vendors stating that this week may be slower since it is a common week for people to take vacations. Although this session started slower than our first session, it ended up being comparable to the first session (the first session had 33 fully completed projects and the second session had 28 fully completed projects).

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #2 - Compost Mason Jars

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #2 - Compost Mason Jars

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #2 - Bird Feeder

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #2 - Bird Feeder

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #2 - What Went Well

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #2 - What Went Well

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Improvements that were needed from our first session were made for this session. This session seemed to go smoother than the first, as we were aware of where to go/directions (it was challenging for us to find the location for the first session). We also now had a streamlined way of explaining who we are and why we are at the Grafton Farmers Market.

We also did a great job of working social participation and education into our conversations with attendees. During this session, the activity for child attendees (bird feeders) was much more popular than the composting activity. While many individuals were interested in composting, they were unable to compost due to living in a complex that does not allow it. Even though they could not complete the composting activity, we were still able to engage in social participation by asking them questions about what they know about composting. Education was provided, as we explained what can and cannot be composted; individuals who were interested in composting were provided flyers even if they could not complete the activity.

Even though we were expecting less people for this session, we still came prepared with an adequate number of supplies. These supplies ended up being needed, so it was important that we were came prepared.

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #2 - What Did Not Go Well 

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #2 - What Did Not Go Well 

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We received a couple of comments from attendees who stated they were confused about who we are and why we are at the Grafton Farmers Market. Although all passerby received our verbal introduction, I can understand why attendees may be confused initially; we are not selling homemade goods or fresh produce like other vendors are, and it is uncommon for vendors to have engaging activities at their tables.

Additionally, one aspect that I had not previously considered is that not everyone can compost. Most individuals who declined our composting activity were interested in composting but could not because of their living situation. Luckily, these individuals were still able to receive education and engage in social participation about composting. The activity for the third session is making homemade laundry detergent that is environmentally friendly. This activity should allow for all attendees to participate if they would like to; if they do utilize a particular type of detergent, they may be able to give the homemade laundry detergent to someone else.

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Farmers Market Session #2 - Changes for Future Sessions

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Farmers Market Session #2 - Changes for Future Sessions

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Due to the initial confusion among attendees when first viewing our table, a banner on the front of our table for our last session may provide passerby with visual information about who we are. Additionally, when selecting activities in the future (that are made to appeal to a varied number of individuals), I will make a more conscious effort to consider whether this activity applies to a majority of individuals, regardless of where they live or what they have access to.

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #3 (July 13th) 

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #3 (July 13th) 

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The third and final session at the Grafton Farmers Market went well; it was a great ending to our time spent at the farmers market! Upon arriving, Jake had informed Simone that attendees had reached out to him by email, asking him if we would be attending and which activities we would be implementing. That comment from Jake was nice to hear, as it indicates that people found our presence at the market beneficial and/or enjoyable. During our time at the market, we would receive questions from adult attendees about the activities we would be conducting at future sessions. Our flyer regarding our dates of attendance was helpful to provide to individuals who appeared interested about our attendance schedule.

The last activity focused on making environmentally sustainable laundry detergent. In mason jars, individuals would scoop 1 cup of Borax, Zote soap, and washing soda. We provided verbal instructions to individuals about how to use the laundry detergent, including how much to use per load. We also explained how using this detergent is more sustainable, as it uses less plastic and chemicals that are more environmentally friendly than standard detergent. We also stated how individuals can make the occupation of laundry more sustainable, such as by opting to air dry clothing or using reusable wool dryer balls. This activity stimulated a larger conversation about sustainability; a few individuals made comments to me about how they were looking to be more sustainable in their everyday lives. I encouraged attendees to first start with one occupation (such as laundry) and gradually incorporate sustainability into other aspects of their lives. Therefore, education was an important aspect of this session and conversations about sustainability in general promoted the idea of social participation.

The second activity was making binoculars out of recycled toilet paper rolls. Children were encouraged to decorate their binoculars to their liking. Depending on the age of the child, they also were encouraged to tie the string to their binoculars. This activity encouraged a larger conversation about how recycled materials can be used for other things.

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #3 - Laundry Detergent

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #3 - Laundry Detergent

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #3 - Binoculars

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #3 - Binoculars

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #3 - What Went Well

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #3 - What Went Well

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My group members and I continued to be flexible in our roles. My role was to attend to the laundry detergent activity, Caroline attended to the binocular activity, and Simone was the floater who was also in charge of updating our observation log as needed. However, during times when there were multiple children participating, Simone would assist Caroline, and I would take over the job of updating the observation log.

The laundry detergent activity seemed to be a popular activity that was enjoyed by those who completed it; most individuals who stopped by our table completed the laundry detergent activity. When compared to the composting activity, the laundry activity is more universal. When preparing activities intended for a variety of individuals, I will keep this lesson in mind; the more universal, the better!

Like our previous sessions, there was a great turn out! Despite occasional lulls which allowed us to eat a snack or sit down, most of the time was spent with attendees. This not only made our time at the market go by quickly, but also allowed us to get the most out of our programming experience.

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #3 - What Did Not Go Well 

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Grafton Farmers Market Session #3 - What Did Not Go Well 

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When we first arrived at the farmers market at 1:00pm to set up, a gentleman began talking with us. We politely told him to come back at 2:00pm, when the market began, to engage in our activities. We were happy to see him return to our table once the market was in session. He did not want to participate in the activities that we had to offer, but he was very interested in communicating with us for quite a bit of time. While this is normally not an issue, his presence may have deterred others from coming up to our table. Despite telling him to come back to our table if he changed his mind and wanted to participate, he continued to converse with us about various aspects of his personal life. I personally found this challenging, and it brought up an area of improvement that I would like to focus on. When working with clients in the future, I will have a succinct amount of time to work with them and collect the data I need. For talkative clients, who may tell stories or discuss issues that may not be relevant to care, I will have to be able to draw their attention back so I can get the information I need in a short amount of time.

Interestingly, a few of the children and parents we had developed rapport with during our first two sessions at the market were not present during the third session.

This was disappointing, as we were unable to say bye to them or thank them for their participation in our activities. We were told by one attendee during our second session that her daughter had been waiting all week for the farmers market, and similar comments were received from other parents. These comments were not only validating for our program, but it was also enjoyable to see how happy our activities made the children!

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Grafton Farmers Market #3 - Changes for Future Programming

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Grafton Farmers Market #3 - Changes for Future Programming

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If I were to implement this program again in the future, I would make more of an effort to obtain a Worcester State OT banner for our table. While we did not receive any confused comments from patrons during our last session, I believe it would have made our table look more official.

I would replace the composting activity with another activity that all (or least most) individuals could participate in. Possible ideas include decorating reusable tote bags, making additional sustainable cleaning products, and decorating reusable water bottles.