We went apple picking today at a local pick-your-own farm outside of Madison. Sam was excited all day to meet up with her daddy after work and pick apples right off the trees.
The second we got there she looked at every tree and asked where the apples were.
One of the best things that we did on this field trip was to get a map for Sam. When we were in the gift shop I noticed that they had really cute picture maps showing the different features on the farm. Sam watches some Dora and those that are familiar with Dora will know about The Map. So I knew that Sam would think it was great to follow a map on our trip.
We showed her where she was on the map and where we had to go, then we showed her some of the features that we would need to pass along the way. She loved it. She held on to it the entire walk out to the apples.
And we picked a lot of apples!
Then we played on the tire swing.
We found a toad.
And Sam climbed her first tree.
It was a great trip.
There is the most adorable little gift shop that we got cider, apple butter and some adorable hand knit hats for the girls. We were running out of time so we didn't get to check out the animals that they had there or the pond, just reasons to go back later!!
Places like this, that are just 20 minutes outside of a great city, are why I love where we live.
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The Nitty Gritty!
It is always great to show kids where there food comes from, so pick-your-own farms are very valuable. If you have pick-your-own anything near you I would say take advantage of it. Yes you will leave with more of one kind of food then you would normally buy at a grocery store, but most of the time it is cheaper then at the grocery store and with a little bit of research and effort you can find a way to save it (canning, freezing or baking) and use it over time.
Any field trip that you go on it is always a good idea to see if they have a map of the facility. Kids are very good, especially when the maps are simple and use lots of pictures, at following along with where they are on a map. It can also be a great way to keep them busy during the in-between times on trips.
