Curtin Farms

A couple of weeks ago, we spent the better half of a day at the farm. After four hours of classes, animals, demonstrations, tractor rides, and hay-bale mazes I was able to convince my kids it was time to head home. Something about being outside, being with new friends, touching and moving... times flies by and learning happens in the context of good ole fashioned fun.

We learned a little about raising beef cows and all the responsibilities associated with that. We learned about the life cycle of a pumpkin (did you know it's actually a fruit?) and some creative things to do make with pumpkin. We learned about shearing alpacas, spinning the hair into yarn, and using it to knit clothing. We learned about harvesting corn, grinding corn, and feeding corn to the animals. And the list continues.

Curtin Farms did a great job of planning various learning stations and keeping the information and discussion lively and interesting. The kids and I have visited many farms over the past few years and hands down, this was our favorite farm experience. Also, the farm owners were a delight - so personable and generous and willing talk.

This particular day was reserved for homeschoolers from the Lake Wylie area, so it was a wonderful chance to meet other kids and moms in our neck of the woods.

Every fall I have to consciously remind myself that I am home schooling and that I do, in fact, need to spend some time actually at home. It's just so hard! Once September arrives and the weather cools, we enjoy being outside. North Carolina really is an amazing place to enjoy the perfect weather of fall.