Friday, June 5, 2009

Redemption


Today was the day! The end of the Farm unit in kindergarten was punctuated with a trip to my farm. We walked out of the building and down the side of the road, practicing getting out of the way when a car came. We even had the little boy that cried wolf...I mean "car" just to see everyone jump to the side of the road.
My little farm is a hop, skip and a jump away from the school so it is a natural for a field trip.
First I handed out handfuls of grain to the kids and then let the chickens out to eat what they threw down. The hens took one look at that line of children staring at them and ran like chickens with their heads cut off. Especially the blond ones. I'm just sayin'. The Americauna hens acted like they'd never seen a person. After a while things settled down and one by one the kids went into the chicken coop, past the broody hen, and gathered one egg out of the nest box each.
Next stop, the pigs. All the while we are feeding the chickens the pigs have been squealing and vocalizing like only a pig can. We got the pigs out of the pen and I showed them their one trick...sit. Everyone was so impressed. It was a teaching moment for pigs everywhere. I showed the kids how clean pigs are and how they keep their pen clean if they have the chance. The pigs were the favorite by far of all the animals.
Then came the goats and the mini horse getting their share of carrots and animal cookies (which the poor teacher drove to 3 stores to find and I told her later that saltines would have been just as good).
But to get back to the title of this post-Redemption. That involves Penne. You see Penne is a pushy llama. She is all about the food. I am constantly pushing her away when I am trying to do something because she is sure food is involved. She sticks her feet in the goat's water bucket..or rubs on the fence by the bucket so that her hair falls into it. She leans on the fences until the post snaps. She is just a tad bit annoying.
Until today...
I put her halter on her and let 16 kindergartners lead her around the pasture. She was very patient and when she had enough she'd just lie down.
She was very gentle and well behaved. Each child got his or her picture with Penne for their kindergarten book.
All was forgiven when I saw this.....

Which really isn't so remarkable when you consider that all sixteen had given her a carrot.

And after an impromptu game of Farmer in the Dell it was time to go back to school. Don't look now Mrs. H. You have company.

No wonder the pigs were the favorite.

It's not every day you get to see a pig run.

9 comments:

Heide said...

Wonderful memories for these kidlets and the animals too! Speaking of kidlets, any news on whether or not your goat is pregnant?

Holly said...

What a wonderful day for everyone!

Gosh this was a great post!

@JDHealingTimeOnEarth said...

Great day, Wendy! And I think you're on your way to YOUR dream too! I bet you were taking mental notes on what worked great and what could be tweaked, weren't you? So glad it was fun for everyone (except the chickens!).

goatgirl said...

I don't think she is Heide. She would be due in a couple of days and unless there is one kid hiding in there I just don't think she is pregnant. Darn.

Holly it was a fun day. I'm glad you enjoyed this post.

Clare, What worked great was making it into a tour where we went to each pen one at a time and I talked about all the animals. What they are, their care, and anything interesting about them. Then let the kids feed them. I loved every minute.

Marigold said...

What a great day. But of course the goats were the hit of the day, weren't they? Did the kids bring Peanuts???

goatgirl said...

I'm sorry Marigold, since the kids had already seen Cora Belle and Filbert the goats were old hat. The pigs were the favorite. I am sure it's because of their wide vocabulary.
No peanuts. I don't want my goats to ever know how wonderful they are. I am sensing it causes a one track mind.

Country Girl said...

What a great experience for the kids. That was also real sweet of you to bring your goats for the autistic children to walk.

Jennifer said...

What a great day for all involved! When I was kid we got to visit a farm and make butter. That was 25 years ago, but I'll never forget the experience. I'm sure those kids will always remember their trip to your farm, too.

frugalmom said...

Oh Oh! I see a llama. I heart llamas. Did you know that?

That was so sweet of Penne to let all the little kiddies walk her..even if they did each give her a carrot.

Sigh. I wanna walk Penne. Ill bring some carrots.