Farm Field Trip 2013

 Every year school visits Greenfield Farm a couple miles up the highway. This year, instead of each grade level going on their own, the entire school went together! It was a little crazy, but total fun to see everyone interact and play, especially all the siblings. This farm is a good field trip choice because it’s not open to the public like an orchard is – and we had the entire place to ourselves. There’s a little-kids-play-area filled with toys and bikes and fenced in, a hay-bale maze, a big slide and spiderweb climbing space, a giant slide, a triple corn maze, some animals, tons of space to run, and a hay ride.

 

 Over the hill and on the animal side of the farm is a small pen containing two turkeys. The kids were enthralled. And afraid. And hysterical. I’m not sure how it started, but one child (it might have been Evan – he’s a ringleader like that) started the whole group slowly inching toward Mr. Turkey quietly calling, “Here turkey, come here turkey…” Of course Mr. Turkey wasn’t fond of a massive wall of threatening 4 year olds advancing toward his cage and bearing down on him, so he let out a huge Gobble. The kids absolutely freaked and ran squealing and screaming backwards about 10 feet, laughing all the way. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. And repeat some more. 

 The Giant Slide, aka “Drainage Pipe With Stairs” is always fun. All the kids had a blast (and used mass amounts of energy climbing the hill stairs and sliding, first separately but then in groups of 2-10, down the bumpy slide. Drew got in on the fun, Mr. Fearless, and giggled all the way. Being that drainage pipe is corrugated and echo-y, and that Drew’s giggles can already be heard miles away, you heard each and every of the 100+ bumps on his way down. All us parents were in stitches!

After running and climbing and laughing and running some more, the kids were ready to eat whatever was left out for the animals, but luckily we had all brought lunches. It was near silence as they all dove in and tried to replenish some of their expended energy. However, slightly before we all sat down to eat, Drew decided he was hungry. Without saying a word, he quietly slipped over to the picnic tables, searched the over 60 bags and jackets and blankets, found ours, opened it, and pulled out a snack. He then zipped the bag back up and wandered back over by us, innocently munching on his treasure. He’s a sneaky one…

 

Next came the hayride, divided by grade level. Drew nearly fell asleep in my lap, but Evan’s class spent the time singing songs and being generally silly. It was so fun to listen to their silly songs and watch them all be 4-year-olds together. Why can’t we take this entire class and move them all to kindergarten together next year? :(

 

When it was all over, each kid got to take home a small pumpkin (some parents tried to take them too, since we paid the full admission price too, but the Pumpkin Guard was having none of that. She watched us like a hawk and yelled at anyone with more than one pumpkin, “Do you have two kids?? I need that pumpkin back!!”). After some tears, “But I don’t WANNA leave!!” and a full de-mudding and de-haying and clothing change at the car, we drove back to school for nap. Both boys practically sleep-walked to their classroom mats, happy and exhausted.