Field Trip to Grave's Mountain

This past Tuesday was Jon's first field trip. I decided to chaperon and to drive. Jon, Samantha, and I went to Ashley's last field trip last year. One nice thing about driving other than the comfort of your own vehicle, is the freedom of time table. I was able to sign Jon out and just take him home with me after the field trip rather than taking him back to school just so that he could get on the bus and come home.

We went to Grave's Mountain Lodge. It is a farm and orchard located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I was glad that the driving directions took us via rural routes. It seems like everything has been so busy lately, that I haven't had time to enjoy the fall. Driving through those roads allowed me to really enjoy how beautiful it is right now.

Half of the Kindergarten classes (4 classes) went on Tuesday. Our first order of business was to divide into two groups and get our itinerary. Otis let us know who would be in each group and what we would be doing first. I know it doesn't make him any more or less of a real farmer, but I LOVE it that this man's name is Otis and he was wearing classic bib overalls. So great.

Our group went on a hay ride first through the orchards and to the pumpkin patch. We learned about frost and plants along the way. Something I found particularly interesting was how they deal with bears in the orchards. Because they are in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where bears reside, they are often visited by bears. There are corn fields all around the orchards. These are planted for the bear. Apparently, the bear like corn better than they like apples. Sometimes the bear will still get into the apples though. We could see some evidence of that, because when the bears climb up in the smaller apple trees to eat the apples that are in abundance toward the top, they smash the tree. No picture of that I am sorry to say, but now you know what to do if you ever have to deal with bear getting into your fruit trees. :)

At the top, the kids all got to pick a pumpkin. Sami kept going for the nearest she saw and then trading it as she walked up the hill. Jon was a little more discerning, but got the pumpkin he was after and rather than putting it in his backpack, held it or had me hold it for the duration of our field trip.

Afterward, we took our hay ride back to the starting point where we learned about seeds, sorted some seeds, and planted some wheat in the garden. We then had lunch and free time to play around and look at the animals. Among the usual pigs, goats, etc., they had some beautiful pheasants and peacocks. They also have a beehive, which Jon loved. Among the favorites had to be playing in the hay bale stacks.

We had a really good time even though it was a bit on the chilly side. I particularly loved this tree growing through the bed of an old truck, so I am including the picture.

Jon's (Mrs. Strickland's) Kindergarten class