Playing Farm - In Real Life

We had the opportunity to get our hands dirty with some more hands-on learning a while back.  I just love finding 'real-life' experiences for my family.  There is nothing quite like 'living it' to bring home a lesson.  As such, I'm learning to be bold and ask around for opportunities and have been delighted with what we've found.  Field trips know no limits and are often more enjoyable when you simply find everyday people who love what they do!

We tagged along with some good friends when we were learning about chickens and their lifecycle/development.  The boys had a blast learning how to 'carefully' collect eggs.  After collecting the eggs, the boys had the opportunity to 'carefully' wash some of the eggs for us to take home to eat (making this pregnant momma VERY happy) and our friends graciously agreed to give us some to incubate (including the loan of their incubator).  SCORE!

 As you can see the three year old confused farming with cowboys just a bit and came 'well-armed.'

Feeding the chickens was also a fun treat! 

The feeding part was so much fun, that they let us tag along and feed the horses.

Check out the tumbleweed behind their property.  Yup, we live in Arizona!

Do any of you have chickens?  I love fresh eggs and am praying that someday my husband will want to take on our homeowners association with me to secure permission.  We're allowed to have aviary's for just about any kind of bird you could want except poultry.  Apparently only non-contributing pets are permitted.  Welcome to Suburbia. :(