Fall means occasional trips to a farm where families look at the animals living there. While visiting the farm, there may be apple picking and some treats like candied apples or cider donuts.
There are plenty of things to do when you’re on the farm. When The Oppressed was younger, she liked to visit the animals and feed some. She liked trying to get the loads of hay over the rail down to the animals who saw the food and waited not so patiently for it. The hay usually didn’t have a chance to reach the ground before it was snapped up and munched up by the four-legged creatures.
Visiting a farm means animals, food, tractor rides. Farms mean jobs for some people. It can also mean getting some fresh eggs or local honey. Not many people who visit a farm leave empty-handed.
Puck and a Duck on a Truck
Some people want to see as many animals as they can when they visit a farm. Some people got to see a specific animal. Scott Selsor has written a children’s book about a boy named Puck who wants to see a duck on his fifth birthday. That is the subject of a book Written by Scott and his sister, Crista Selsor Stubbs titled “Duck on a Truck”. In the book, Puck’s mother has an idea and takes him to a farm to see a duck. What better place to see a duck than a pond on a farm?
Puck’s mother drives him to a farm to see the ducks, but when they get there, there aren’t any ducks to be found. Puck needs a little patience. The ducks may not be where he expected them to be, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any ducks.
Patience doesn’t just mean looking for ducks. It also means being patient when sitting in the car getting to the farm. Puck is anxious and impatient. He wants to see the ducks and wants to get there fast. His mother reassures him they will reach the destination, but it’s going to take a little time.
We all need to be patient from time to time. On Christmas Eve, children are impatient. They want Christmas to come right away and see what Santa Claus brought them. If there is a day trip, our Miracles of Christ are anxious to get there. Traffic is going to add for that anxiety, and it that anxiety may even hit whoever is driving the family. When the children are waiting for the day of a special event or occasion, I remind them it’s going to come eventually, and fretting over it isn’t going to make it come any faster. If we are going somewhere, I assure them we’re going to get there, but worrying about it isn’t going to help us get there faster. For me, getting there is as much fun as the destination. I tell my children that when we need to take a lengthy drive.
Having Patience, Having Fun
It’s not always easy when we need to teach our children patience. There was a time I wanted to take my children to Valley Forge one day. My hope was to look at the soldiers’ quarters, the officers’ quarters, and the museum. I wanted to see how the Continental Army spent that winter and how they survived and were able to face the British Army that following spring. My children had no such patience, and they wanted to do something else. There have been other times when I have been more successful when trying to teach and instill patience in my children. That day at Valley Forge wasn’t one of them.
Farms can be fun. Heck, I even wrote about a farm once. You may see something you planned on seeing, or you will see something unexpected. Puck saw some things in places he didn’t expect to find them. Were they ducks? I’m not telling. Don’t want to ruin the surprise.
Scott’s book is fun. It takes the subject of going to a farm and seeing different animals, an activity enjoyed by all ages, and shows how the animals can be found in unexpected parts of the farm. Sometimes you have to look, and sometimes you don’t have to look too hard because they will be right there in front of you.
