Parenting Now: Build curiosity, creativity into family's fall farm visits

Kalina Glover-Moresi
·2 min read

From pumpkin patches to hayrides, local farms offer a variety of fun things to do with your kids. That’s why it’s a fun idea to visit different farms and see what your family enjoys the most — and each farm will have different experiences to share with your family!

Many farms have a pumpkin patch where you can pick a pumpkin right off the vine. This is a great experience for your child to pull the pumpkin off the vine; it also helps with gross motor skills.

Each farm will have different types of food they grow. Some farms grow specific fruits or vegetables. This time of year, you might find apples, pears, corn, green beans, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes and more. Even if you have a child who is a picky eater, this can be a great time to have them try new things. Have your child pick out some new fruit and vegetables to try. You might be surprised at what they are willing to try.

A lot of farms also have animals to visit. This is a great opportunity to talk about what different sounds animals make and what kind of foods they eat. You can also talk to your child about what the animal does to help the farm run smoothly.

Farms are also the perfect place for a fall scavenger hunt. Before you head to the farm, make a list of items to look for, including apples, corn stalks, goats, hay bales, scarecrows, pumpkins, different colored leaves, tractors, wheelbarrows, crows and spider webs.

When you're done with your scavenger hunt, you can draw pictures of what you saw and tell stories. This is a great memory game to play with your child. Then you can tell a make-believe story about what happened. Let them join in on the fun and see if they can add to it. Maybe even make up a fun story about your day.

A day at the farm will be a lot of fun for the entire family.

Here are some local farms to visit this fall season:

  • A & M Family Farms: 84735 Parkway Road, Pleasant Hill. Pumpkin patch, farm stand, homemade cinnamon rolls, goats.

  • Bush’s Fern View Farms: 90536 Territorial Highway, Junction City. Pumpkin patch, hay maze, apple cider.

  • Detering Orchards: 30946 Wyatt Dr., Harrisburg. Tractor rides, cow train rides, apple blaster, treasure mining, mechanical bull, corn maze, animal corral, and playground.

  • Hentze Family Farm: 30045 Hentze Lane, Junction City. Wagon rides, hay maze, apple cider, pony rides, scavenger hunts.

  • Johnson Farms: 89733 Armitage Road, Eugene. Wagon rides, hay maze, miniature pumpkin launching, u-pick pumpkins.

  • Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farm: 36777 Wheeler Road, Pleasant Hill. Haunted corn maze on weekends; scavenger hunt, Halloween store, sunflower maze, farm stand.

  • Thistledown Farm: 91455 River Road, Junction City. Tractor-drawn wagon rides, horse-drawn wagon rides, market with apple cider.

Kalina Glover-Moresi is a parenting educator, as well as Children’s Program coordinator for Parenting Now.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Parenting Now: Build curiosity, creativity into family's fall farm visits