Saving for a Dream: Staycation Day 4: Day at the Farm

This morning my 4-year-old asked me if he was going to school today. And I said, "No, it's Spring Break, there's no school this week." And then he got all excited and started squealing "Yay! We're going on the Disney Cruise today!!!" Because silly me, I told him that we were going on that when school was out, but of course I meant out for the summer, not out for Spring Break.

So once he got over the disappointment that we weren't sailing away today, I told the kids we were going to a farm. And my 7-year-old was not happy. "I don't want to go anywhere! I don't like farms. I don't like to feed the animals and I never have any fun at farms." I think he would be content to stay in his PJs and play legos all day. (Except eventually he'd go stir crazy and the siblings would start fighting and arguing and then we'd have wished we'd gone out).

So I persevered with getting all 3 kiddos dressed, fed, and in the car. We were heading to the Heritage Farmstead Museum in Plano for their Staycation--Spring Break Farm Fun activities. Another family from our neighborhood meet-up group met us there, so the boys were excited to have another friend to hang out with and I think that turned around the sour attitude of my oldest.

The farm is set up with several buildings & hands-on stations. The first one we stopped at was the chicken coop. The boys got to grind their own corn and then feed it to the chickens (and turkeys).

Our next stop was a historical house with a manual lawnmower to try.

Then onto the stilts walking.

The one-room schoolhouse was a big hit with all the kids. They each got their own desk with chalk and slate and took turns being the teacher. They practiced math and spelling.

Then we made our way to the special activity of the day--outdoor cooking. The kids got to make their own quesadillas on the outdoor stove. Yum!

Then they took turns milking the cow.

And we went on a tractor ride around the farm.

We visited the Blacksmith shop where they got to hammer on some things.

And they each got to try out a hand plough.

At the edge of the farm was a path leading down to the creek. And out of everything we did today, the boys said this was their favorite. Just throwing rocks into the water, collecting sticks, etc.

Then we had some lunch.

And goofed around some more before heading out.

I think my kiddos had more fun than they expected. This is a perfect place to visit if you have kids between the ages of 2-10. Admission was $5 (under 3 are free).

This day was so lovely that we spent more time outside at home. After dinner, Brian took all 3 kids out for a bike ride while I walked our dog.