Moonshadow's Friends
Who was Moonshadow?
In a sunny little pasture, on a quiet street in Brandon, lives a friendly herd of goats that graze on grass and hay, eat fresh oak leaves, and wander under the trees.
The largest of these goats, a big boy with brown and white markings, was a handsome fella named Moonshadow.
Originally from Whitestar farm in North Carolina, Moonshadow was the friendliest Nigerian dwarf goat, and he loved attention from children and adults alike.
Bottle fed as a baby, Moonshadow was good-natured and curious. In fact, he seemed to capture everyone’s affection. He always met visitors at the gate and was considered our school mascot by many. If you ever wondered whether goats have personalities … you only had to meet Moonshadow to realize that they do!
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Moonshadow lived for fourteen happy years, and he biggest blessing was to teach children and teachers about the unconditional love that God's creatures hold for us.​​​​
Visiting with Moonshadow!
Children practice so many skills as they care for our sweet goats!
So who are Moonshadow's friends?
Moonshadow lived at First Discoveries Academy for ten years, and grew old beside his family of goats.
Today, we have one sweet goat at the school. Cole is a black goat who is frisky and playful. He is looking forward to welcoming new goat friends to his barnyard soon.
Until we are ready for new goats, Cole is petted and cared for by all the children and teachers at the school.
​​​​​​So, who gets the opportunity to meet our sweet goats? Most visitors to First Discoveries Academy tour the playground, organic garden, and goat pasture as they learn about the programs offered to children here at our school.
Which, of course, brings us to the next question … Why exactly does a school have a herd of goats?
“Caring for animals provides so many learning opportunities for children!” explains the owner, Cindy McConnell. “Every day, a small group of children accompany the teacher to the goat pasture and help feed and care for the goats – filling their hay, giving each goat a scoop of grain, cleaning water containers, even brushing the goats with special brushes. Being calm around the animals promotes self-regulation and gives children opportunities to learn about animals through hands-on experiences. It’s one of the many ways our kids learn about the world every day!”
