Visit A Dairy Farm:
To visit a dairy farm is a great way to spend time with your child! See what working farms there are in your community to see which one would be best for you and your child to visit. Depending on where you live, there may be several options for you, or you may have to get creative in how you go about finding a place to visit. Depending on where you live, there may be several options within a 30-60 minute drive.
WMTDS (What Makes This Date Special):
Visiting a working farm is a unique experience for a child. First, there is an excellent experience most children feel when they get to visit a farm, especially one with lots of animals. Depending on the child’s age, most elementary children are naturally drawn to this environment. No matter your child’s age, there is a lot of value and community in your visit. This date is uniquely special if your family lives in an urban area, and this time allows you an opportunity to visit the country.
Farmers live tough lives most of the time. Talk with your child before you go and see if there is something you can do to help encourage them. Bake them some cookies or bring them a gift card so they can go out to dinner in a nice restaurant in your area. The smaller or family type of farm it is, the higher the likelihood they are working tons of hours and are on the verge of burnout. I’m sure any gesture of kindness would go a long way.
Teachable Moments:
Lots of teachable moments with this date.
Where food comes from – What was so evident in generations past is lost in our ability to go to the grocery store and never see what goes on behind the scenes.
Work and dedication – There are also teachable moments in teaching your child how important work and commitment are to something.
Treatment of animals – If you visit a farm with animals, hopefully, you will experience humane conditions for the animals. Sadly, that is so often not the case in our American farms. The focus and movement are there, but we still have a long way to go. Regardless, you have a great opportunity here to talk to your child about the treatment of animals.
Variations:
There are a variety of farm types you can visit. If you don’t have a farm within a considerable distance to you, another option here is to visit a farmer’s market. Even in urban settings, you can often find a farmer’s market, especially on the weekends. While there, ask them if they know of any local farms you might visit.
Categories:
Community. Education. Animals. Nutrition.
Expense:
Some farms may charge for a visit. We have a large dairy farm in our area that charges a small admission fee, but so many of the farms you can visit may be free. They may or may not charge an admission price, but either way, this is a very inexpensive date idea!
Planning:
Check and see if the farm you want to visit has a website with hours, directions, etc. If not, just give them a call and see if they offer tours and schedule your time to visit from there.
Materials Needed:
No materials needed
Google/Pinterest Search:
Reference Websites:
Amazon Resources:
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Alternatives:
For a list of other ideas on how to spend one-on-one time with your child, see the full list here.
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