Pumpkin Patch Outing

The kindergarten class field trip to a local pumpkin patch was attended by nearly as many parent volunteers (and younger siblings) as students. Noah also got his very first ride on a school bus. Jonah and I went from home.

Here they are in the patch looking for a pumpkin:



Each student got to pick out a pumpkin about the size of their head to take home. I think Jonah could almost fit inside this one if it were cut open and cleaned out...

It's a big field out there:

Not as big as his head, but manageable.

We also saw sunflower plants and various squash.

It was so different from what us "city kids" are used to. The pumpkin patch we go to at home is usually set up in the far corner of a shopping center parking lot. Pumpkins will be brought in and lined up in an area sectioned off with hay bales; hay will be scattered around to give that "farm feeling." There will also be small carnival rides and a petting zoo.

This pumpkin patch was at a real farm! Some pumpkins were still on vines. The kids (and guests) got a hay ride out to the field; a farm staffer gave a presentation at the petting zoo, where there were sheep, goat, chickens, ducks, and a giant turkey all milling around in the same area; and a "real" farmer led the kids into the produce area and gave them a quick lesson on the differences between fruits and vegetables (ask Noah) and then we all went out to the garden area where he pulled carrots, beets, and lettuce out from the ground.

A nice time was had by all. (It's possible Noah will say a ride on the school bus was just as fun!)