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Across the Fence:  I need advice  |
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Love-in-a-Mist
True Blue Farmgirl
367 Posts
Shannon
Independence
Oregon
USA
367 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 11 2007 : 8:14:53 PM
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My sons pre-school teacher and my Mothers of Pre-Schoolers group have asked if they can bring the children to visit our farm. Of course I said yes, but give me sometime to prepare. So the pre-school class is coming in May and the MOPS group is coming in June.
I have never done this before and I really want the kids to have a good experience. This will be the first time to a farm for most of them. I have been planting flowers and doing yard work in between the rainy days. I painted most of the chicken house and have the paint for the tack room. I have so many plans and not enough sunny days or money. Do any of you have suggestions or advice on how to make this go smoothly? I'm starting to freak out, when I know this should be a fun thing. |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2007 : 8:43:29 PM
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I don't know what kind of critters you have on your farm, but all little kids that come here love anything resembling an animal. If you don't have any, could you borrow a couple of caged rabbits?
A mini-maze with hay bales?
Help collect eggs?
Could each child plant a flower?
Could each have their picture taken with a cowboy hat on a hay bale?
Hmmm...have to think on this one some more!
Di |
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OregonGal
True Blue Farmgirl
511 Posts
Chris
No. IL
USA
511 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2007 : 8:57:39 PM
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Preschoolers won't notice the paint - if it were me, I'd forget the paint - just straighten up the place a little. They will want to see and maybe pet the animals, will want to know what you do on a farm, see the tractor, see the garden, plant a seed, pick a radish or some lettuce or spinach, smell the hay, milk or feed a goat/cow, collect a chicken egg out of the nest, see where the chickens sleep at night, see the kittens? A little bit of hands on kind of stuff....they probably won't be there a very long time. Have some cookies and milk maybe a piece of fruit? Relax, enjoy, answer questions and teach....you'll know more what to do after the first group comes. Have the teachers talk to the kids about farms and what happens on a farm (maybe particularly your farm) so they will be ready for you. I think you'll have great fun - just keep the age of the kids in mind, what does your pre-schooler
like about your farm? Maybe he can help teach the other kids too....give him an opportunity to shine a little. |
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Meg
Moderator/Farmgirl True
974 Posts
Meg
Idaho
USA
974 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2007 : 8:58:54 PM
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Diane's ideas are great! Animals do seem to be highest on the list...another interest might be BUGS. Yummy food too...In Parents magazine this month they suggested buying terracotta pots and letting the kids all plant their own plant and take them home. Kinda cute...If they get to run around and not be in a classroom they will probably be pretty content at that age. What fun!
MaryJane's daughter,
Meg
megan@maryjanesfarm.org |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4464 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4464 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2007 : 04:09:36 AM
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Having some simple farm snacks, and maybe playing some farm related games would be fun. Keep it simple. WE did this once for 4-H, not at our place though. Sinse it was for June Dairy month we played games like, throw the inflations in the milk can, sack race. We also had some simple displays set up mainly more for the parents. Planning things ahead, keeping it simple, will help to keep it from seeming to over whelming. Michele
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Love-in-a-Mist
True Blue Farmgirl
367 Posts
Shannon
Independence
Oregon
USA
367 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2007 : 08:53:49 AM
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Thanks for putting things back into prospective for me. I guess I was starting to worry more about what the MOTHERS are going to think than the kids.
We do have alot of animals right now. We are concentrating on making our farm self sufficient, so our animal population is bigger than ever. We have bottle-fed lambs, turkeys, rabbits with babies, chickens, horses, cows, llamas, dogs, cats and fish in my little garden pond.
I have stumbled on to an agritourism farm niche without even realizing it. There are some other big farmers around here, closer to town that do the pumpkin patch, rent out barns for parties and have cut flowers. But non of them have animals, except the emu farm. I finally have something different to offer people. Yeah!!
That's the other reason I want to make it extra nice.
I'm planning on expanding the garden into alot of little themed gardens all over, to make it fun to walk through.
Any more ideas would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks farmgirls! |
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BackyardTreasures
True Blue Farmgirl
189 Posts
Anne
Connecticut
USA
189 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2007 : 09:34:52 AM
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You have been given a lot of great ideas. I wish we could come and visit your farm. :-)
A couple of things that I thought about in regard to the garden themes are...
1. Make a bean teepee that the children could actually go into and pick beans from.
2. Be sure to make a small herb garden where they would be allowed to pick the herbs and smell them. Lamb's Ear would also be a good herb to grow....if you're not familiar with it, the leaves get soft and fuzzy and my kids always liked to just hold them and rub them between their fingers.
These are ideas that you probably can't have ready for the upcoming visits this year, but perhaps in the future. Think of things that would appeal to the 5 senses of a preschooler. They like to touch things, smell them, taste them, etc. Of course, we all are probably like that too. :-)
~~Anne
www.homesteadblogger.com/BackyardTreasures |
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Forrester Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
703 Posts
Ann
Belmont
MI
USA
703 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2007 : 09:55:10 AM
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Shannon, Isn't it funny how we start to worry about what the mom's think - I've done that so often too! Your farm sounds perfect. The ideas mentioned already are great. To have something that the kids could take home with them - like seeds planted in egg cartons or a polaroid photo that they could put in a popsicle stick frame - would be a nice touch.
Ann
http://annforrester.tohe.com |
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westernhorse51
True Blue Farmgirl
1681 Posts
michele
farmingdale
n.j.
USA
1681 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2007 : 12:23:29 PM
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give them something to pet, all kids love to pet animals. Let them (with supervision) feed them. They wont care about the paint or flowers so much. Maybe they can help make cookies or pie or something easy farm related. I always wanted kids to come to my farm (don't have it yet) to learn about wool & sheep, let them feel wool & explain about it. Maybe something like that.
she selects wool and flax and works with eager hands Prov.31:13 |
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Tracey
True Blue Farmgirl
766 Posts
Tracey
State of Confusion
USA
766 Posts |
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Love-in-a-Mist
True Blue Farmgirl
367 Posts
Shannon
Independence
Oregon
USA
367 Posts |
Posted - Apr 13 2007 : 08:57:40 AM
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| Thankyou for all the great ideas. I'm making a list of them. I'm really excited about doing this for our community. Once I get going I'm going to let the other pre-schools know about it. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22944 Posts
22944 Posts |
Posted - Apr 13 2007 : 09:39:14 AM
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Maybe you could give a quick little talk about organic/sustainable farming/gardening? I started learning about things like that when I was in preschool and I think you would be surprised at how receptive the kids are if you make sure the talk is “at their level” so to speak. I think it would be great if you had a “demonstration” garden where you could let them dig a bit and see how there are worms and bugs in healthy soil.
I certainly second the suggestions to show them the animals. Maybe they could help bottle feed the lambs? And almost nothing is cuter than baby rabbits!
Also- depending on how long they will be out at the farm, you could have them start soaking beans when they arrive and then right before they leave you could help them plant the sprouted bean either in a garden plot at the farm or in cups to take home. I think it would be neat if they all got to plant something in a small section of your garden- then you could send updates to the preschool and play groups and when harvest time comes around maybe they could get a little bit of what they planted? It could be a great learning experience for them if you took weekly photos that the preschool could look at and have the teacher explain how plants grow and such.
It sounds like the kids will have an awesome time at your farm! These kinds of experiences really stick with kids and are so positive! I think it is great that you are opening up your farm to these kids!
Alee
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22944 Posts
22944 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2007 : 09:20:30 AM
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Agritourism Bump!
Just bumping this up since there was a question about this thread in another section.
Alee |
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Sweet Harvest Homestead
True Blue Farmgirl
279 Posts
Lindy
Stanfield
NC
USA
279 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2007 : 09:47:14 AM
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Thanks girls for helping me find this.
Shannon,
I am so excited for you. I don't have any suggestions yet...... You already have so many great ones.
I was interested in your post because we have been thinking about doing something like that out here at our place. I thought that a Harvest Home Celebration would be nice. I could do a demonstration on apple butter making, soapmaking, broom making, etc. I think it would be so very fun.
Folks go crazy for this type of thing too. I know that before we moved to the country, I would seek out any kind of pumpkin patch or pick your own farm that I could find. I am not sure but it seems that you could make a bit of extra money too.
Anyway, best of luck to you with this venture. You have a lot of other farmgirls rooting for you!
Lindy
www.sweetharvesthomestead.typepad.com |
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Love-in-a-Mist
True Blue Farmgirl
367 Posts
Shannon
Independence
Oregon
USA
367 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2007 : 11:05:11 AM
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Thanks Lindy, I don't know why I didn't think of this before, it took people asking me to come out to realize the potential in it. I'm constantly trying to figure out ways to make extra money doing things I love and involving my kids. I'm even going to sell my rabbit poop hehe.
This will be a way to get publicity, teach people, and convince them how great things like rabbit poop are and why they have to have it for their own plants. :)
Doing demos is a great idea too. I would love to come to everyone of the one's you mentioned.lol
My biggest reason for wanting to do this though, is sharing with the kids! I can't wait to watch their faces light up.
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Tracey
True Blue Farmgirl
766 Posts
Tracey
State of Confusion
USA
766 Posts |
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kitchensqueen
True Blue Farmgirl
521 Posts
521 Posts |
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Across the Fence: I need advice |
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I need advice
