Patterson Farm field trip

We joined some friends and were "farmers for the day". We went to the Learn & Grow Discovery Farm at Patterson Farms. It was a lot of fun! The people of Patterson Farm want to help the kids understand how their food gets to the table - from the farmer and not just the grocery store. First the kids gathered in the barn and had to pretend to put on their overalls and boots. They each received a basket for the work ahead.

Our first "early morning" stop was to feed the animals.

After the butterfly garden, we headed out to the bee hives to learn about caring for them and harvesting honey. The kids collected a honey bear for their basket.

Then we headed to the "apple orchard" to pick apples for our baskets.

Next was the chicken coops. We gathered some eggs into our baskets.

Then we headed to the milking barn. They had a cow milking simulation for the kids to try out. We gathered a carton of milk for our baskets.

Our next stop was to the garden to pick produce. They had strawberries, potatoes, tomatoes, and pumpkins.

The kids got to dig in the dirt and plant their own seed. Then our last stop was to the the composting area.

We then turned in the items in our basket at the farmer's market for $1 that we then bought ice cream with. It was a nice cool treat after so much work. :) For fun, we got to ride some miniature farm equipment and then headed to the play area.