At Aunt Jan's Porch, students will observe how the parts of a spinning wheel influence one another, as well as the fibers used to spin the yarn.  You will learn how changing the relationship between two parts, a change in gear ratio, affects the speed of the wheel.  Aunt Jan will also describe for you the various animals that have been bred and cross-bred on the farm to give the desired characteristics to the animals and their fiber that she spins.  (GPS # S5CS4 - a; QCC 20)

A visit to the Petting Zoo, Chicken House, Bee Barn, Water Garden, and Bat Theater will give you an opportunity to sort many different animals into vertebrate and invertebrate groups.  You will be able to further sort the vertebrates into groups, such as fish, bird, and mammal.  Learned behaviors, inherited traits, physical characteristics, and protective adaptations are just a few of the things about all the animals on the farm that are readily observed and can be compared and contrasted everywhere you turn at Uncle Bob's.  (GPS # S5L1 - a; S5L2 - a; QCC 17 & 18)

Plants that you see in the Herb, Water, Sun Dial, and Vegetable Gardens, in the Crop Maze and Pumpkin Patch, and along the Nature Trail and Vine Tunnel can easily be sorted into groups based on their various parts and plant structure.  Of particular interest are the carnivorous ones found at the Water Garden. (GPS # S5L1 - b)

In the petting Zoo and in the Bee Barn, you will be told about a number of harmful microorganisms that can kill a herd of sheep or goats, and those that can wipe out an entire bee hive.  You will also learn about some beneficial microorganisms without which rabbits cannot survive.  (GPS # S5L4 - a & b)