Planning Ahead for Spring

Even with no tours, the farm is still abuzz with activity this fall, as the garden harvest comes in and as we try to tackle some landscaping that is easier now than in spring! The corn is almost done and the pumpkins are starting to orange up. Along the river, the trees are turning bronze and gold. The cows have presumably all started their new babies to be born in spring. We are putting together our spring program, and, if you are, too, feel free to contact us with any questions. If you have a certain date or day of the week you are interested in booking a tour on, it's not too early.

2007 Wrapped Up

It's pretty quiet around here, now that the children and the buses have stopped arriving for the year. We're busy putting things away and assessing the past season, as well as making plans for next year. What are we going to set up differently? What tour parts were the best and which ones should we update? Which projects on the yard are we going to tackle first? We look forward to the next few months, when we'll have time to answer these questions. We enjoyed all your feedback over the season, but would relish more. And if you have a preferred date in mind for 2008, contact us anytime. Thank-you for your business this past season. We enjoyed it very much and we are excited about the future.

Thanks for Coming to Family Day!

The last two Saturdays were super! Family Day was enjoyed by all, according to the comments we received. We had a steady stream of people for most of the day and would have been glad to see even more. We now look forward to our last two weeks of scheduled tours for daycares, who tell us they really appreciate the quiet, relaxed atmosphere and the freedom the children have to interact with the animals. If you missed coming to the farm this year, keep an eye on our website for next year's Family Days or call us to book a tour for your organization in 2008.

FAQs about Family Day

Family Days are July 14 and July 21, Saturdays, and on these days everyone is welcome to experience the farm. To find out what is happening when, see the last posting for a schedule. But here are some of the questions you've been asking about Family Day:

Do I need to pre-book? No, on these days, families are welcome to come when they want to and for however long they want to, no registration required.

Can I bring a birthday party? Yes, you are welcome to bring any number of children, as this is the only time we can do birthday parties. If you call ahead, we will reserve a picnic space for your party.

Do I need to bring a picnic lunch? Yes, there will be no food for sale at the farm. There is a grocery store in the nearby town that has over the counter lunches.

Is there enough parking? Yes, there is ample parking for everyone.

Can I use a stroller? Yes, almost every area of the farm works with a stroller, and there is some walking distance between some of the sights.

Do you provide a guided tour? No, we will provide a map for every visitor with the activity locations marked, and at every station, there will be a helper to answer any questions in that area. Families will be free to spend as much time as they want in each area.

Will you charge for pony rides? No, the pony rides will be included with every admission.

Family Days are Coming!

School's just about out and the summer is heating up, so we're getting excited about Family Days! These will be on Saturday, July 14 and Saturday, July 21. We have set up a schedule of some events, so that you can plan your day. All the stations of the farm will be open all day for you to come and go: the small barn with lots of baby animals, the chicken barn with chickens to feed and more animals to pet, and the scale and cattle chute to explore. There will be free pony rides at the beginning of every hour and hayrides at: 10:30, 12:30, 2:30 and 4:00. You can also try your hand at goat milking at 11:30, 1:30, and 3:30. Feel free to bring a picnic lunch and stay all day, or choose the best time for your family. The farm opens at 10:00 and closes at 5:00. The cost is $5 per person, one year of age and older, or $20 per family.

Farm Feedback and Favorites

Now we have three weeks under our belt! We've had lots of feedback, including the following:

"I was pleased to see how easily you accomodated our large group." pre-school teacher

"We hardly noticed the other groups that were here." elementary teacher

"I liked being able to hold all the animals." student

"We will most definitely be back next year!" pre-school teacher

"I can't think of anything to suggest that you change." elementary teacher

One of the favorite spots is the hayloft. Right now, we have a mother cat, Scooter, with her three-week- old kittens that just opened their eyes today. The puppy, Jillian, sleeps when she can in an old, plush, Winnie-the-Pooh chair. There are also seven rabbits scrambling around in the straw. All these in a cozy top floor of the barn, where the children are free to hold what they want.

We are officially full to the brim, so call us to book for next year. We're excited about this summer and especially our Family Days, where we can meet some of you again. Soon I'll post a schedule of each day's events, so you can plan when to come and enjoy.

You love the farm!

Here are some of the comments from our first week:

"Your farm is the best experience we've had on a farm trip, and we've been to a lot of farms!" (parent)

"We are certainly going to come back next year, we really appreciated the hands-on freedom that the children were allowed." (teacher)

"Can we live with you?" (parent and kids)

Great sentiments and we're pleased with the response, to say the least! Also let us know how we can do better.

We've decided on some days in July where anyone can visit- see the sidebar "Family day at M.S.F." for details.

Puddles on Opening Day

It was not quite rain, snow, sleet and hail, but just about! Our first tour was a real baptism by rain. It seems that all concerned were pleased with the day's activities, but all of us got a little wet. All the activities went ahead, except the hayride, which would have been extremely soggy. We're so thrilled to have gotten a start on the tour season, after all this time of preparation.

If anyone has any questions about preparing your group for your tour day, give us a call. We could give you some topic suggestions. Our July dates are filling up, with only the Mondays left. There may be room for a small group here and there. Looking forward to seeing you!

Countdown to Opening Day

Things continue to hurtle at a startling pace toward opening day, only one day away! New babies are popping out all over the place, visiting animals have arrived, and the final touch-ups are still in full swing tonight. We are very excited about the upcoming season and we look forward to your visit. Please let us know if there is a special way we can connect with your class on their tour day.

Calamity has Triplets!

This weekend, we had an opportunity to observe Calamity, our large, white nanny goat, give birth. On Saturday morning we noticed that she was ready and quietly gathered to watch. She had always had single kids in the past, and due to her size, we expected twins this time. We were so delighted and shocked to see the third kid appear! One large, white male, one small, black-and-white female and one small, white female. They all have short ears like their la Mancha father. Today, they are all nursing well, spending the day outside and running and jumping together.

We're thrilled to be all booked up for May and June and sorry at the same time, so we've started a cancellation list. We are considering opening on Saturdays in July, so call us if you are interested. We have had a cancellation on May 18, with no one able to take it so far, so let us know if this is the day for you!

Arrival of Babies has Begun

Jewel, one of the beloved riding ponies, had her foal yesterday! It is earlier than we expected, but seems to be doing well, as it is already running around. Many other births are just around the corner, like the nanny goat who is about as wide as she is long! We'll keep you posted.

Updates

Here's a quick tying-up of loose ends on previous articles:

Sugaring off- We ended up with about 3 litres of syrup at 2:00 in the morning. The syrup is darker than last year and stronger tasting, but we're not sure what all the causes are.

Moving the chickens- Our hens adapted very well to their new environment, although whether their drop-off in egg production was due to the move or the cold or both, we'll never know. They quit laying almost completely for a couple of weeks, but since then have rebounded nicely to about 18 eggs a day, with at least one hen sitting on a nest of 14 eggs.

We're feeling the rush of spring work now that the snow is gone. Every day has little excitements, the smaller, the better! Let us know what your group will be the most interested to learn about, we'd love to hear from you.

Sugaring Off

The more there is to write about, the less time there is to write. Today was, (and still is, maybe for a couple more hours!) sugaring off day. We had been freezing the sap from 15 Manitoba maple trees for a couple of weeks now, and the freezer and the snowbanks were beyond capacity. So today we had a wood fire burning in the fire pit, starting at 9:00 in the morning, and we've shrunk 38 gallons of sap down to just a few. By the end of tonight, we'll have the finished product, probably in half-a-dozen jelly jars. I'll let you know what the end result was.

Many other exciting things are happening, but you'll have to hear about them another day. I should mention that in July, we are doing a little less intense tour, suited to kids on summer vacation, and we are accepting a little smaller groups. We also will not be taking bookings for August this year, so plan ahead to book in July. Please contact us with any questions at all.

Where would we be without stairs?

We've got a staircase to the hayloft! After much planning and almost a week of work, the stairs ascend beautifully beside the barn door, ready for so much foot traffic in a few weeks. From the top landing, looking out over the river, we saw a large otter scamper across the ice and plunge into the water. That sighting was a family first!

Our excitement is building as we see the calendar filling up and the ground thawing and drying.
Our direction signs are in production, our driveway sign is ready to be picked up tomorrow and we're thinking about fence painting. Large areas of grass are almost dry enough to rake. The long daylight hours help us change our schedule to match the increased demands on our time.

One teacher has made a request to include some information and demonstration on our maple sap collection during her kindergarten class' tour, as this nestles in nicely with their study of trees through the seasons and their uses. We will gladly comply, and would love to hear any other input on how we can tailor your tour to where your class is at.

We had a new date open up today- May 31 is now available due to cancellation. We also still have May 14 and 16, as well as May 30; June 27-29 and many days in July. Please contact us with any inquiries.

Let's call it spring!

Now the river has risen, the sap is running and the rubber boots are out! It must be spring. Sure, this week we're having a little secondary winter, but it's a small glitch in the real agenda- SPRING! We're thrilled to see the farm thaw out and to be able to prepare for our first tour in about six weeks.

There is a special preparation going on for the beginning of new life. Mr. Farmer delivered a batch of duck and chicken eggs to a nearby incubator. These eggs will be timed to hatch on the same day and will be the fuzzy balls of down that are so special for the children visiting in the first few weeks.

We still have a few days available in May: 14, 16, 18, 30
as well as June 27, 28, and 29.
We are also taking bookings for the first two weeks in July.

With any questions or to make a booking, contact us.

Help us help you!

How can we assist you teachers in preparing your students for a day at the farm? We would like to make information available to make the time at the farm more meaningful and memorable. Let us know what you want to teach your students. We'll already be putting current farm information into our blog, but would welcome any suggestions that would be of specific interest to your students. Any feedback would be followed up on closely. Contact us and help us make your farm trip even more educational.

Interest in the Farm

It's been very rewarding speaking to so many teachers over the past two months. Everyone looks forward to the children's wonder and excitement at the farm. We can't wait for tours to get started in May. But each day has its assigned tasks as we roll along toward spring. There are always things that need to wait until the ground thaws. Scheduling the groups does not wait, however. And this week is no exception. Our available dates are as follows:

May 14, 15, 16 18
May 22
May 30
June 27, 28, 29

Of course, July is when the farm is best for day care groups and day camps. Please contact us if you have any inquiries at all.

Moving the Chickens

Well, the sap didn't run, so we have something to learn in that regard. Maybe today.

This morning, we're giving our laying hens a new home. They spent the winter coming of age in the small barn, coming out to eat snow and going in to warm up and make a mess. So, in the name of using resources wisely, we are going to send them over to the big cattle shelter to clean up the grain that the cattle waste ( and any that goes straight through undigested). Right now, the great round-up is on, and the preferred method of transfer is grain sacks. There was some concern that the disturbance would set their ability to lay eggs back a few weeks. They had started to lay about a dozen eggs a day as the weather warmed, so we'll see if the dire predictions come about.

As previously mentioned, we're booking for May and our month of June is full up to the 26th. We have had a cancellation on June 5th, so we could take a group that day. For a full description of a day at the farm, see the posting from March 8th. To make a booking, contact us.

Hoping for Sap

This Wednesday, we tapped 15 maple trees along our riverbank. We hung ice cream pails on the hooks, and the wind promptly blew half of them away on Thursday. Live and learn! But we are hoping to see some sap running today.

As ever, we are expecting to have our first farm tours in the middle of May, and would love to book your group. June only has room for bookings on the 27th, 28th and 29th. It seems that the rest of June is maxed out.

Please see "events at Morning Sound Farm" posting for details about our tour. Contact us with any questions you may have.

Events at Morning Sound Farm!

Right now, we're excited about the upcoming season! We'll be having our first tours the week of May 14th. The month of June is almost full, except for the last three days. Our plans are full steam ahead for a new washroom block and a new tour segment about cows, including a "day-in-the-life-of" where kids will get to do some cow type things.

As always, our tour will consist of these three parts:

-the small barn: This is where you learn about horses and their equipment, you get to pick up chicks, bunnies, kittens and puppies, as well as play in the hayloft, and, of course, you get a pony ride!

-Mr. Farmer's tour: Mr. Farmer is first going to teach you all sorts of wild and wacky things about chickens and eggs, then he will shear a sheep while you watch, where you will also get to take home a little piece of wool. Then you will see him milk a goat and get to try that for yourself. And you'll never guess how far he can make a goat spray her milk!

-the hayride: On the hayride, you will see the outlying parts of the farm, the pastures and herds, and learn a little about how they are managed.

Give us a call soon to book your tour. We can take any size of group, up to about 150 people. If your group is operational in summer, we recommend booking in July for more availability. See our website for full contact information morningsoundfarm.com