My New Kentucky Home

A blog about faith and family, home and homeschooling.

Our Last Day of School and a Trip to the Farm

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Our Last Day of School and a Trip to the Farm--Gallrein Farms





The end of another homeschooling year calls for a celebration, right?  Well, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with a field trip!

Actually, I learned a long ago that field trips are a great way both to begin AND end our homeschooling year.  For our first day of school every year, a field trip makes a great so-long-summer, this-is-the-last-hurrah kind of day before the regular routine of school begins.  For our last day of school, a field trip is a reward for hard work and a perfect way to celebrate all we’ve accomplished throughout the year.

Our destinations vary, but this year we decided to spend our last day of school strawberry picking at Gallrein Farms in Shelbyville.  It’s a place we try to visit at least once every year, if not for the strawberries in the spring, then for the sweet corn in the summer.

But last year we didn’t get to go AT ALL, which had me distraught!  Fortunately a friend came to my rescue and gave me some strawberries, so at least there could be a little homemade jam.  But I missed the visit to Gallrein’s so much and the kids and I were anxious to go back this year, so for our last day of school we made the 50-minute drive to lovely Shelbyville.

One of my kids’ favorites spots at Gallrein’s is the petting zoo, which had seen some MAJOR upgrades since our last visit.  This beautiful barn wasn’t here before, and neither was a bunny barn and pig house.  

The birds were a new addition.
There were chickens, too, and ducks.  Of course our kids are pretty ho-hum about ducks, so no pictures there.
The miniature donkeys have been Little Man’s favorite since we first started coming to Gallrein Farms.  
And this was the first camel I’ve ever run into in Shelby County!  
I’m not sure why, but he loved Peanut.  I’m wondering if he felt some sort of kinship with my son…you know, stinky camel feels drawn to stinky little boy.  All I know is he spit at the people in front of us and then nuzzled up to Peanut like he was a long-lost pal!  Go figure! 
As for the photo below, there was once a time when all four of my kids were eager to line up for a picture here, but now all I get from 3/4 of them is, “Aw, Mom.  Do we have to?”
Sniff.  Sniff.  
At least Peanut was willing to cooperate for his sappy mama.  
There’s a little pond with a dock within walking distance and my kids always insist on feeding the fish.  I try to bring along an old pack of crackers or a bag of stale cereal for that purpose.  
Catfish.  Can you see them?  Oodles and oodles of catfish, some of them big enough to swallow a small child.  
Okay, maybe not, but I am really creeped out by catfish.  I have flashbacks to a fishing trip with my dad and watching him bleed profusely as he tried to get a hook out of a catfish’s mouth.  I still remember those evil little whiskers squirming around my dad’s fingers while he tried to dig that hook out and me thinking to myself that if I ever caught one of those again I was cuttin’ the line and lettin’ her go.  I would never, ever touch one of those things again.  Ever.  
And, yes, I realize it isn’t the whiskers that cut, but the fins, and, no, my dad wasn’t permanently scarred.  In fact, he acted like it wasn’t a big deal.  Meanwhile, I was traumatized. 
Anyway, moving on from that little blast from the past for which I obviously need counselling…..
I love wondering through the greenhouses and the market.
There’s a deli inside, and there are lots of Kentucky-grown food products for sale, but before long this market will be FILLED with fresh homegrown goodies.  Their sweet corn is fabulous.  I’m making a mental note to visit again in late July or early August.
My kids always head for this observation beehive.  It’s amazing, (and a little scary!) to be so close to so many honeybees.  They like to search for the queen.  (She’s the one with the blue dot on her back, though how in the world they tagged her, I’ll never know!)   
And of course the kids love hanging out on the front porch…
Wish we had a porch like this at home!  Actually, I wish we had a FARM like this at home, but, then again, I’m not sure where we’d put it.  
My children were SO ready to bring this dog home. 
But of course it loved ME best.  Dogs are always drawn to non-dog people.  Always.  
After that, it was time for my favorite part:  The strawberry picking!!  Gallrein Farms provide the buckets; we provide the picking-power.

Of course Peanut did more eating than picking.

Can you see that?  He’s still eating.  Kind of glad they didn’t weigh my kids before and after picking and make me pay for the difference.  I might be bankrupt.
Hey, don’t be fooled by all the strawberries in Peanut’s bucket!  Those were put there by ME, not by the kid with the red-stained lips.  
……………………………………………….
Gallrein Farms was a perfect place to end our homeschool year.  It’s a beautiful farm and I always enjoy our visits.
And I also enjoy a sweet bounty of red gold for months afterwards!
School is out and the freezer is full of strawberry jam.  Ah, sweet summer’s bliss!

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Comments

    • kentuckysketches says

      It was really a wonderful day. And I am SO thankful for the strawberry jam! We ran out last year, so with 33 pints, I'm making sure that doesn't happen again!

      Thanks for reading!

  7. Shecki Grtlyblesd says

    😀 I grinned my way through your post. The catfish story, weighing the kids before and after, and I'm a non-dog person, myself.

    We do our farm visits in October, but seeing those strawberries makes me think we might be missing something.

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