A visit to a farm can be a wonderful trip for you and your child. If you don’t know a farmer, ask for a referral from your county extension office, farm bureau or local agriculture office.
If you visit a dairy farm, encourage your child to ask questions about the cows and their care. What do they eat? Do they sleep? Where is their food kept? What happens to the milk when it leaves the farm? How does it get to the grocery store? Many dairy farmers will let your child try her hand at milking a cow; others will explain how the equipment is used and the way milk makes its way from the farm to the grocery shelf.
If you visit a farm that grows crops, encourage your child to look at the crops and ask questions about what she sees. What crops are grown? How are they planted? How are they harvested? What are they used for? How do they get to the grocery store? If your child grew up in a city, she may have no idea what corn, soybeans, potatoes or pumpkins look like as they grow in a field. Caution: Don’t let your child eat vegetables of fruit unless they have been carefully washed—and the farmer has given permission!
On any kind of farm, farmers use special machines such as tractors, harvesters, balers and so forth. Encourage your child to ask about any machines that she sees, including what they’re used for and how they work.
Parenting viewpoints from parents in the trenches, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual. In addition to