We went to Miller farm to pick vegetables this week.
I never realised that picking vegetables could be so much fun. I picked fruit regularly when I was younger, but never thought to go vegetable picking.
The kids were enthusiastic from the ride on a tractor trailer full of bales.
There were two other family groups on the tractor we were on. Only one group had been before and they were very organised in how many bags and what to get. We just followed them. I guess they were thinking of canning and freezing.
We chugged around together and at each stop we all jumped off and picked vegetables until our bags were full; the sun too hot or the kids complained- whichever came soonest.
The ‘tractor man’ as my big guy called him would go further off into the fields and come back with more produce or bigger produce for us. He was always greeted by a big enthusiastic “WOW!” from all of us.
First stop.. the potatoes.
Seeing them pulled up by the tractor- another machine created the wow factor in all the kids there. Once they recovered they ran around and picked up as many potatoes as they could stuff in their bag. You’d think candy had been dropped on the floor ,the excitement.
We picked tomatoes, peppers ( some hot Jalapenoes some green peppers), red and white onions, squash, corn and carrots.
There were beets and other vegetables but I was already thinking about what I was going to do with the 8 bags of vegetables I already had…
Those little red kid trailers were great for hauling all the veg back to the car.
We went with a playgroup day trip so had the group discount rate but the price was very reasonable for all the veggies we picked.
At the farm there are other distractions just for the kids. A big bale pyramid , bouncy castles, swings, a parked VW Beetle ( big hit with my boys) not to mention covered seating, a farm shop and washing facilities.
Through the 90 degree heat, dust and unexpected bogs of water, my little guy tripping over giant-well to him- onions and getting lost in the forest of corn we left tired, loaded with vegetables and very mucky but strangely happy at our achievement. We harvested vegetables that we’ll eat.
The best thing was hearing my son recount the experience; all the vegetables he picked and how they grew. He spoke so fast and had so much to say at the dinner table.
He insisted we cook corn that evening. He peeled the corn himself. I cooked it and he served his dad the ( read: special corn he held all the way home) corn he had picked. He was so proud. Explaining how it was white before and now it’s yellow because it was cooked.
Both boys ate all their veggies that night.
*******Any ideas on what I can do with all this produce?***
………Squash muffins sounded so nice when Jamie Oliver described them on Women’s hour. The recipe sounds so good.
The Mentormom sent a brilliant play activity this week. Thanks Jill.
It’s hard to believe that summer is nearly over! If you are looking for an activity to give your preschooler or kindergartner an ‘extra edge’ before school starts, have I got an activity for you.
It’s a learning wheel.
I learned of this activity from one of the preschool teachers with whom I work. She regularly puts this activity out during the free choice time and the kids just love it.
Here’s what you will need:
A heavy duty paper plate.
Clothes pins (the kind that you have to pinch to open).
Permanent markers in a variety of colors.
You can make a variety of different learning wheels which I will discuss in a moment. But let’s start with a simple number learning wheel:
Write the numbers 1-10 around the perimeter of the paper plate
Write the numbers 1-10 on the end of the clothes pins
Have your child match the clothes pin numbers to the corresponding number on the plate
To do colors, you need only color the tips of the clothes pin a variety of different colors and do likewise on the paper plate scribbling in colors in a circle shape.
For older kids like those about to enter kindergarten, you can also do this activity with letters of the alphabet.
You may want to start with the first half of the alphabet and when they have mastered that do a wheel for the remaining letters.
For younger children, you could start with the letters of their name. Start with their first name and then when they have that down, add their last.
Here are some other ways to modify this activity:
Print out some clip art of farm animals, different vehicles, shapes, etc. Be sure to print two of each.
Cut them out
Paste one copy on the paper plate and glue the other cut out onto the end of the clothes pin (Be sure the clip art isn’t too big. You may want to have the cutouts that you paste on the clothes pins laminated so they are more durable.)
There are a number of developmental benefits to this activity:
The squeezing of the clothes pins is great for fine motor development which they will need to strengthen for writing and using scissors.
It encourages one to one matching which helps with math and reading.
It encourages problem solving.
It encourages letter, number, and color recognition.
It encourages visual perceptual development.
Young children learn best from hands on activities!
Who needs flash cards when you can make this simple and inexpensive activity! Of course with this being a sit down kind of activity, you’ll want to get the kids up and moving before introducing it so that their attention and concentration are enhanced!
The most important part of making this a fun and educational activity is your role as teacher. Here are some tips:
Model how to do the activity.
Be patient. Some kids will need more time and more practice.
Follow your child’s lead. If your child isn’t interested in the activity when you present it or moves on to something else shortly after it is introduced, you need to move on with him or her.
Keep it fun! If you are having fun, chances are your child will too!
Jill Urbane, aka, The Mentor Mom is a social worker, parent coach and early childhood educator. She lives in the midwest with her two active kids, fantastic husband and menagerie of pets. To learn more about her or to subscribe to her blog feed, go to www.thementormom.com.
Sign up to our play-activities email and you will receive a new, fun, educational activity to try at home with your child each week. Best of all, it's completely FREE!
Subscribe by RSS
