City Find: Wagner Farm

During our first week here in Skokie, we took a morning trip to a little historical tribute to farming families in Glenview, IL: Wagner Farm. We've passed by this little farm-life restoration many times on previous visits during our treks to Glenview's Trader Joe's (Hello Skokie. Get on the TJ bandwagon!), but for some reason we never thought to stop, until now. We had a wonderful morning learning about dairy cows, fresh chicken coop eggs, and watching the sheep try to stay cool in this humid Midwest heat.

Wagner Farm is one of the very few still-standing farms of Cook County, and is surrounded by vibrant suburban life, homes, and major roadways. The Wagner family owned, lived, and farmed on this property from 1855 until the death of Rose Wagner in 1997!!! It now functions as a museum-like tribute to this farming families history. Aside from the farm animals and green gardens, there are indoor interactive exhibits where children (and adults!) can learn about whole food and it's origin, including their "shop through history" 1930's grocery store. Also on location and open for exploration is the original farmhouse - the home of the Wagner family - with furniture and all! So interesting!

Their tagline is "If your kids think that milk comes from a carton, corn comes from a can, and chicken from a cellophane wrapped package - it's time to visit Wagner Farm!". If you're in the Chicagoland area and looking for some fun and educational trips to do with young children in tow, I'd highly recommend stopping by for a visit. You can check out more about the farm and it's programs here.

Water Paint

This has got to be the simplest, most mess-free activity for preschoolers. Goes to prove that, even today, all a toddler really needs is some summer sunshine, water, and a slab of warm pavement to keep 'em happy!

iSpy Bottle DIY

  About that in-flight, time-consuming activity.....

I've been seeing this concept in all the toy stores recently, and I figure it's one of those toy fads. Anyways, I figured it was easy enough to make one of my own. All you need is a collection of small trinkets from around the house, a good (dry!) water bottle, and rice. Plus, a camera to photograph the objects before inserting them into the abyss, and some hot glue to keep things tidy. :)

I gathered a slew of little toys and random house objects, and lay them out on a white paper to photograph. I then began layering rice and toys into the water bottle. Make sure you leave a nice amount (more than an inch) at the top of the bottle so that the kids have room to shake it and move things around. Cover the bottle, and glue it shut. I printed the photo and laminated it so that Freida can hold it and go from object to object on her own. We assembled it together (which was part of the fun), but then I hid it away until on the flight, at which point she was ecstatic to play with it, and spent ample time problem solving with each little shake.

Enjoy!!

Garden Eats!

Nothing like pausing the backyard play to pick some garden bounty and ring the snack bell! It's amazing how much more open children are to eating new things when they partake in the process. Picking the fruits and veggies from the earth, cutting, mashing, and tossing made it that much more plausible for curious, yet timid, little palettes. (Thank you again Estee Berkowitz - now start with your radical-homemakers mom blog already!!!) Chunks of avacado, cherry tomatos, and chopped leek was never consumed by children with such gusto! Plus, watching it go straight from earth to mouth... the nutrient viability must have been intense! :)

Freida pulled a leek from the ground and exclaimed "that was freaking awesome!" - to my delight and Estee's horror. :))

Bouncy House Now

At the final Mommy & Me meet of the season, Morah Chanie whipped out one of the most wish-listed toddler activities - a bouncy house. But not just any ol' rented bouncy house, this one came out of a simple lidded box - from a classroom closet!! Apparently Little Tykes makes a line of these inflatable party-on-the-spots - just plug it in and watch in pop up! What an incredible thing to have in your garage repertoire - takes play dates to the next level, and birthday parties are cake! You can check it out here.