October 14-15

The beauty of Minnesota

It feels like education come to roost… Sunday marked our first true Minnesota homeschooling fieldtrip and we managed to share that experience with another family (granted NOT a homeschooling one, but a good match anyway!), the Novaks. The local nature center (like 10 min from us) had an apple cider (well more juice) celebration type event. 

But first… a walk with the cousins and grandparents before we head out (without the napping Echo)

As has been the norm it was Darcy, Ken and myself with the kids though this time we left Echo at home with Nana and Baba to nap. Definitely a good choice. 8 kids at once was a handful and the trails were not really Echo or stroller friendly. We all got there around the same time and headed into the center itself to see what all was going on. 

Walking to the center

Ken and I (note another of my crocheted hats!)

There was actually a few things to see and do at the center. We started with the crafts in the basement… There were three stations:

Apple stamps… where you painted half an apple and then used it much like a potato stamp on a piece of paper.

Stamping apples

Leaf rubbings. We let whoever wanted to run out to grab fresh leaves. I think this is one we will repeat with our leaves in our yard as well. Then the kids could do some rubbings and send some examples of Minnesota to their pen pals. 

Leaf rubbing

And then some squirrel colouring pages and mazes. I had to sit down and colour Trinity a purple squirrel… she approved!

Colouring

Checking out a sand table

After the crafts it was time to peek through the critters and play room… snakes, turtles, lizards and a full out beaver dam to play in.

A beaver dam full of kids!

Once we enjoyed all there was to see inside it was time to head outside and taste the apple cider/juice…

Ken and Darcy share some of the same sense of humour

And then learn how to make it AND assist!! 

After the apple cider we picked up clip boards and headed out along the trails to do the nature scavenger hunt. We had kids running and looking, smelling and listening to the world around them… oh and climbing trees! 

On the portable dock

Aidan found the VERY elusive pinecone, there is like ONE tree in the entire place!

Watching all 8 kids go go go was rather amazing. They had so much fun and really listened and behaved really well. The area was lovely and the walk very reasonable. I am so glad that the Novaks (minus big Andy) could make it! I love sharing these sort of experiences with another family. 

Isn’t our godson a looker!

I have to say having a chance to go out and run and play and be together with a good friend and laugh with our kids… this is something I really needed! Thank you so much Darcy for coming with us!!!

All 8

And all 8 again

October 7

Fall weather calls for fall themed adventures and of course a Sunday afternoon is a terrific time to do so. Add in Nana and Baba and the cousins AND their parents (Joe and Faith) and we had two full vehicles of kids and adults. Of course the kids ALL wore their new winter coats with pride! Echo long before we even left!

All decked out minus her mittens

We got as far as a cousin picture…

The cousins minus Echo in front of an apple tree in the (at that time) parking lot

before nature made herself known in an obvious way with a very visible VERY tiny snake… Thanks to Baba they all got to see and touch this little critter (with yours truly a SAFE distance away). A Northern Red Belly apparently. Something new and interesting to note about Minnesota – the snakes here – NON venomous! Speaking of critters in the state… the night before I got my first experience of a MOUSE in the HOUSE! ACK it was skittering across our unfinished ceiling along a… get this… copper pipe (talk about a TINY pipe)… traps have been set and I am to start placing bounce sheets in everything (apparently the smell offends the mouse’s delicate nose… Well works for me, I LIKE the smell of those sheets and HATE the idea of a mouse in my drawers!). 

SNAKE

After the snake was released back into the wild it was time to start with the apple orchard. The sun was out, the wind as well (but not too bad) and the kids ready to run. We started in the barn where all sorts of things, including Nana and Baba’s favourite apples – HoneyCrisp. We especially had to check out the bees on display with some of their honey. 

Checking out the bees

Ken and I snuck the kids out of there pretty quickly, they are not all huge fans of apple cider yet and with loose teeth abounding candy apples were a definite NO NO. So instead we headed over to the Kettle Corn stand to buy a bag to share. Very yum, though the kids assured us NOT as good as Baba’s.

Kettle corn!

And then onto the other entertainment… there was goats to see and pet…

Goats were there and so were we?

And a hay maze to check out that was VERY simple I am told. Of course the kids were not SUPPOSED to be on top of the maze, ours weren’t… but others…

A little knowledge

Time to maze it up

We then took advantage of the loose hay that you COULD climb all over and took pictures, ran off energy and covered the kids in hay! 

Cousins in the hay

After all the fun at the apple orchard it was time to pack back up and head over to the Country Sun Farm. They had all sorts of things there to see… of course we had to go feed the animals corn… goats, sheep, chickens, turkeys… all of the kids were impressed.

Feeding those animals

We peeked at the corn maze but chose not to purchase tickets… 

CORN MAZE

And then headed into the structure to look at pumpkins (numerous) and fall and Halloween displays and to send the kids into the… corn pit????

Pumpkins everywhere

Echo was a bit too little for the pit so she enjoyed the company of the adults and checked out pumpkins on her own. 

Hanging with Uncle Joe

With fresh mini donuts and water it was time to head back to the house, we totally wore out the kids… and then some!!! I think it was a great day out. And now we have a bunch of interesting experiences to document in our journals and a critter to read about! Oh and a new recipe for honey pumpkin pie I will share AFTER we make it! I will be sure to share a few of our findings and illustrations! 

Post play snack