Thursday, April 19, 2012

Things To Do With Kids: Don We Now Our Bib Overalls


My wife says that the only men that should ever wear overalls are those whose work somehow requires it.  I strongly agree with her.  But, if you are a guy that just loves the feeling of covering your entire body with one continuous piece of denim, here's your chance.  Take your kids out to the farm.


For my dad's generation, America was still close enough to its agricultural heritage that the term "family farm" was still relevant.  Now the closest thing most people have to a family farm is a sister with a  yard large enough for a trampoline.  We have to go out of our way to give our kids some of those experiences that make a boy into a man, and it can certainly be a challenge.

Farm Tours

But alas, there are still opportunities to tour real, working farms.  Two of the coolest experiences I had as a kid were going to a pig farm and watching the birth of piglets and touring an organic farm where we could walk amongst the cows.

A simple google search of "farm tours", can point you in the right direction.  The first one that turned up for me was Fair Oaks Farms.  There website makes it pretty obvious this is a quality option.  Granted, I am located in Indiana in the heartland of the US, but you'd be surprised how isolated the city crowd here is from the farming crowd.  We don't all live in small towns, believe it or not.  No matter where you live there is some kind of agricultural action within drive's reach.

Pick Your Own Produce

Another great option, especially for those with little ones who like a lot of tactile stimulation, is going to farms to pick your own produce.  Now, I'm not talking about a special, permanent arrangement with a farmer or anything like that.  I'm only referring to the entertainment purpose of doing this once a year or so.

We have a farm in the Indianapolis area that has been around forever.  It's called Stuckey Farm, and people around here all seem to know about it.  I remember going there when I was kid....great holistic-type memories.  I really think picking your own food is something everyone needs to experience at one point in their lives.  I can't imagine it being bad to know the origin of your food.

Take your kids out to the farm some Saturday soon.  You literally could create an afternoon outing they will always remember.  Cool huh?

If nothing else, it will give you that excuse you've been looking for to don those overalls.

If you have a suggestion for a farm outing, leave it in the comment box below.

2 comments:

  1. Chase- check out this family friendly organic farm. Do your own tours or schedule one. See Web http://www.tpforganics.com/
    Also to volunteer at a community urban farm go to Indy Urban Acres. NT

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    Replies
    1. Great suggestion. I love the Traders Point Farm.

      Anyone else?

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