Exploring outdoors – return to the farm

As our field trip for the 30 days to hands on play we returned to the farm. This is our favourite farm, it’s by my parents and is a rare breeds centre as well as being small enough that J was comfortable walking around it on his own. Well things have changed. I no longer have 1 toddler instead T is walking as well and this time at the farm we took Rainy Day Dad, Nana, J, T and were joined by our Auntie A and Z as well for the first time in almost 2 years.

T is 13 months and started walking around 10 and a half months and by her first birthday she was toddling around indoors but hadn’t ventured out apart from in the garden. Recently though all field trips have been accompanied by a very vocal T shouting OUT OUT OUT from her buggy or the back pack. Last major field trip we headed to the beach it was the first time I had taken J and T there so getting her out of the backpack wasn’t an option as I wasn’t familiar with the beach and 2 toddlers heading in opposite direction near the sea was just not a good idea.

However this time T was out and boy did she do well. She walked from the moment we arrived until we left with only stopping for a lunch break the rest of the time she was on the go.

T and her cousin Z

She was inspired to keep up with her cousin Z we think, over the week and the half that they have been in the UK so far she has become his shadow and where he goes she follows – and if he’s not around then J will do.

T looking at the animals at the farm

Whereas J has always been interested in the running quickly from pen to pen at the farm and enjoyed the petting areas most T was fascinated by all of the animals spending ages returning to each animal looking at them and asking “What’s That” I followed her around the farm letting her lead the way.

One of the many animals we saw a week old baby rabbit that we rescued

One of the animals that we found in the pens was a week old baby rabbit still with it’s eyes closed which had fallen out of the nest. I found a worker on the farm and they returned it to the nest.

T on the go

For T the farm visit was a great “What this” experience learning names of animals or as my blogging friend Kim over on Little Stories says Filling up her pages with animal names and sounds of animals it was also a great opportunity to get her stamina up and improve her walking.

J feeding a lamb some straw

J really enjoyed the day as well. Rainy Day Dad and Nana were in charge of him as I was following T around keeping her out of trouble – the only time we really saw J apart from lunch was on one of our many visits to the lambs and found him “feeding” them straw over the bail. Last time we visited he wouldn’t even go near the lambs it seems that the more we visit the stronger his confidence gets and the more he interacts with the animals.

As this was T’s first real field trip where she got to take the lead our book link is Busy Farm a lovely ladybird book that we have taken out of the library a few times recently on T’s choice. She loves the colourful pictures. We have re-read this many times this week and we’ve progressed to “What’s That” for every animal to her pointing to the different animals as we say them on the pages.

So what was your babies first field trip on their feet?