Fun on the Farm

I went to work and piled my aides and two students into a school van for a trip to the farm.  We picnicked next to the pond in the upper field.  The weather did not exactly cooperate as we anticipated a sunny day with warm temps.  Instead, we had cool air and cloud cover all day.  That did not dampen our spirits, however, with the kids running wild through the fields, ecstatic over being in such wide open spaces.  We gathered firewood to cook the food and went down to let the sheep out.  It was so gratifying to be with these kids who are usually giving me such a hard time about everything under the sun and seeing their faces radiant with joy and wonder everywhere they turned.  When I asked if they wanted to go with me to let the sheep out to graze, W. asked if he could open the gate.  The sheep stampeded out and the kids' jaws dropped.  I wasn't crazy about swimming in the coolness but they talked me into it.  What a glorious feeling it was to be back in my pond, with the added fun of kicking and racing with my students.  The doggies were in awe of the spectacle and Tanner decided to swim out to me.  Didn't know she could swim!   My colleagues were reluctant to go swimming, having no suits or dry clothes to change into.  When it was time to leave the kids begged to stay a while longer so they could explore the farm.  They even went into the spooky silos.   Perhaps the high point of the day was when they found a newborn baby buck kid in the field.  I winced when I saw they inadvertently chased away the mother, but we got them reunited later.  What a thrill for these city boys to hold a baby goat, cord still hanging, in their arms.  I know they will remember this day the rest of their lives. Back to Norwich to drop them off and get back to school in time to leave for the day.