The Big Red Barn

We spent a beautiful Tuesday last week at Crowe’s Nest Farm with Tyler’s Pre-K class. The weather was gorgeous, windy, crisp and cool – it felt like fall. I was a little worried about this field trip. Tyler had gotten car sick a few days prior and I was afraid he would puke all over the bus. I told his teachers to withhold snack and water from him on the bus to prevent such an episode from spoiling the field trip for all involved. I am happy to say that we survived the field trip without any puking.

Highlights of our field trip were the hay ride, milking the cow and the pot belly pig. The hay ride was a blast! The farmer drove his tractor like a Nascar driver, so we had to hold on for dear life. We toured parts of the farm on our ride and saw ostriches, buffalo, ponies and longhorns. Tyler was intrigued with the ostrich egg that we saw - it was huge. He also thought it was funny how the ostriches ate their food – their bobbing head movements made us laugh.

The dairy barn was an adventure. The farmer asked the kids if they liked milk and then he grabbed an utter and squirted the first row. This was gross and funny all at the same time and I had a hard time containing my laughter. Thankfully no children with milk allergies were harmed. After he explained to the children the process of getting milk from the cow to HEB, he hooked up old Bessie and milked her. Tyler was mesmerized – he loves milk – and he especially enjoyed the loud noise the machine made. A couple of times later he gravitated toward the dairy barn, wanting to hear the sound again, but we moved on to complete our walking tour.

The animals were fun to see. Tyler loved the potbelly pigs and my favorite had to be the goats. I like the fact that they are so wild and fearless. One got up in my face and begged for some food. I think he would have eaten my jacket if I got any closer. Goats will eat anything! We also saw ducks, lambs, donkeys, mules, a porcupine, butterflies, snakes and turtles. All in all, it was a lovely, fun-filled and educational day at the Big Red Barn.