I hate when my kids sit at home, they fight or watch TV, which I despise almost equally. Not that TV is bad, without it I would certainly be submitted to looneyville. Plus, according to my husband, my kids would certainly not know how to read simple words without educational programs on PBS.
There is another added bonus the less time I spend at home, the less is there to clean up after later. So if I had it my way we would never be at home, well maybe for dinner, bath and sleep, or occasional snuggle on a rainy day.
I try to dig up things to do in our town with time always finding most unusual and interesting shtuff. So this past Saturday we had a blast going to an amazing puppet show performed by Barefoot Puppets, sponsored by county library system.
After we drove 30 minutes across town (I know it is not LA), to see sheep shearing at Meadow Farm Museum, an 1860 living history farmsite and museum about rural South.
Personally I was not sure what to expect. I have never seen a Sheep being Sheared, not really sure what it meant, but it sounded cool. I got even more excited when we arrived and we saw a guy holding a sheep with some really sharp objects in his hand.
We all piled into a shed and the the sheep proceeded to get her haircut, not that much different then the one I give my dog when I forget to make a grooming appointment and get tired of looking at him with long hair.
The sheep just like my dog actually likes this experience and lays there just as it would getting a massage, unless it is nicked (but that happened only once)
Apparently (to most, I didn’t know so I asked, making me look super stupid) sheep are sheered only once a year, in a spring, allowing all summer and winter for the hair to grow back. Did you know that? Sure you did, how often do you get your haircut?
Once one side was done the sheep was flipped on another.
By then (actually much earlier) my kids lost their interested and became much more interested in the loose sheep in the pen with us. My son particularly tried to have intellectual conversations with her, even trying to feed her some hay, to which she only answered Baa. Loud Baa, like an alarm clock, which woke up everyone and got kids even more excited.
My daughter enjoyed the proximity also.
When the sheep was almost done we had enough and decided to walk around the grounds where we found the most amazing sight.
Baby Lambs, just enough to start thinking about Easter.
For those of you in Richmond Meadow Farm has three more dates available for Sheep Shearing and the participation is free. On April 16 they Farm will show you the process of turning the wool into shawl. Spinning, weaving and natural dyes are all part of this process.
For those all over the country looking for fun free things to do with your kids check out your local libraries, bookstores, county/city websites, community associations. I bet you will find a lot more then you ever knew existed.
Authors bio is coming up shortly.
