Friday, July 26th 2024, 4:34 pm
A farm created for kids is introducing agriculture at a young age.
Kiddie Farm is an 80-acre property in Bartlesville. Kelly Zimmerman opened it to the public about four years ago and runs the farm with Col. Ken Suggs's help.
"They can come out here, and they can ride the John Deere Gators and tractors, they can haul hay, they can play in the sand, and they have water play over here," she said.
Explorations Child Care & Nature School often go on field trips to the farm.
"The colonel walks around and talks to them about the tractors, how to work the tractors, and they talk to them about the farm," said owner Careese Hallett. "We come down here, we pick tomatoes with the kids, then we go back, and make salsa with them."
She said that on each visit, the kids learn something new.
"We want to raise those kids and teach them about the equipment at little ages," said Zimmerman. "Then, as they transition to be a little older, we have trained lots of teenagers on the tractor and implements."
This helps get kids outdoors and away from screens, which is what drew Hallett to it. Her childcare services focus mainly on outdoor learning and activities.
"They need to develop their gross motor skills before they develop their fine motor skills and so the more we can get them outside, the more gross motor activities we can provide for them, the better," she added.
While Kiddie Farm is geared more towards little kids, there are several pools for adults to sit back and relax in.
Zimmerman and Col. Suggs are also adding drones for teenagers to learn how those tools can be used in agriculture.
Kiddie Farm is open Friday and Saturday evenings from 6:30 p.m. until dark. You can also reserve it for birthday parties for $100. It is located at 530 Wilshire Ave. in Bartlesville.
Playing at the farm is donation-based. Kids up to 70 pounds can play for $1 with a season T-shirt or $10 regular. T-shirts are available for a $20 donation and never expire.
To learn more about Kiddie Farm, visit their Facebook page here.
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