We gathered all of the children on the square hay bales to talk to them first. We welcomed them, thanked them for coming, talked about how things would work & gave out a few warnings, (stay with your group, don't wander off, ask before petting.) Thrn we broke them into groups. We were able to have 2 high school students spend the day with us helping talk about animals, moving groups, etc.
I took my group to our Tamworth pigs first. I had our pigs in a trailer and asked the kids to guess what was in the trailer just by using their ears. The kids had so much fun guessing! I explained how the pigs are a year & a half old, both had babies in their bellies & how both mommies came from litters of 10! I explained that these are a heritage breed of pig & they LOVE grass to eat! The kids were surprised to learn that pigs don't actually stink! Pigs, (just like any animal) in a feedlot will stink! Animals with fresh air, grass, and room to roam, won't smell! Then I let the kids stand on the edge of the trailer, a few at a time to pet the pigs.
Then we moved over to the Holstein bottle calves. We have 4 and the kids loved hearing about how cows produce milk and beef. We talked about the size of the bottle and let the kids pet them.
In our front, bottom field, we had a herd of beef cows and the bus got to drive right next to them. The kids thought that was great!
Then we moved over to the turkeys. The kids enjoyed hearing the tom turkey gobble. His defense is to puff up really big & gobble to protect the hens. One of our turkeys even laid an egg during the field trip!!! The kids thought it was so cool! We talked about how turkeys give us eggs to eat and meat, especially for sandwiches & Thanksgiving!
Next, we moved over to the quail. Not very many children knew what they were, but loved seeing how a full grown bird could be so tiny! Again, we explained that they are used for eggs (which are very tiny) and meat.
Our next station was the ducklings! The kids enjoyed quacking at the ducklings and watching them play in the water.
Our next stop was the goats! We had a friend, one of the high schoolers, bring her momma goat and the twin babies! She got the twins out for the kids to pet! This was a hit!
We also had another friend bring her hair sheep over. We had 2 babies and they were so sweet! The kids loved petting them also!
The following station was our laying hens! We talked about laying hens, meat birds and what we got from them. Sadly, our chickens were a bit frightened & wouldn't lay an egg for the kiddos!
We also had our bunnies for the kids to pet & play with. The bunnies were so good and the kids loved how soft they are!
Finally, I took kids over to a table and helped them plant an organic seed, (either organic tomatoes or cucumbers) in organic soil and biodegradable pots. Then they got to take them home.
The kids had a little time to revisit their favorite animals for a bit before leaving. They each got a picture on a tractor & were sent home with a treat bag full of coloring sheets, stickers, etc.
It was a great day and we really enjoying being able to educate both kids & adults!
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