Autumn Equinox Birthday Celebration

Today as we welcomed the first day of Autumn, my family and I celebrated Brianna's 6th birthday with her friends from school at a local farm.  

The party began with the instructor talking to the children about the various animals on the farm and explaining all of the ins and outs of the farm itself. The little girls are at such a cute age and they are so genuinely interested in our earth and the animals.  I believe it is just so important that they are taught where their food comes from and how nature works.  That is why I try my hardest to expose our daughters and other children that come into our life with hand-on experiences like this to inspire a love for nature and a true connection to the world they live in.  

Something as simple as understanding what is involved in getting the milk they put into their cereal each morning is so valuable to them as they grow up.  The instructor talked about how the cows that produce dairy on their farm are all girls because they must have a calf first before their body will make milk.  These little things many children these days do not even know.  And as an adult, I couldn't help but think of what a huge sacrifice we are asking from these animals.  It really stuck with me throughout the day.

 The children were able to brush the cow.

And I was able to watch them in their natural state, seeing that they show compassion and playfulness with one another.  I am not a vegetarian... I want to be but it is so hard for me.  My oldest daughter is and I admire her for sticking with it since she was 13.  After seeing the animals, I always go home and cannot eat meat for a few days.  I think if we all had to see what was involved with us getting meat on a frequent basis, many of us would reconsider what we were eating each day.  But in our world, we just go to the supermarket and purchase a steak without even considering where it came from.

Next we were able to visit the sheep and talk about wool and its uses.  I am a knitter and crocheter so I think I may have been even more excited about this party than Brianna was.  The sheep are so beautiful.  I would just love to have a few of my own :)

 When we went back to the classroom, each child was given a piece of wool of their own.

 They used hand carders to comb the wool and prepare it for spinning.

Then they just used a simple hook with a partner and twisted and spun until a simple strand of yarn was made to create a simple bracelet to take home.

Brianna loved her party and had so much fun with her little friends.  I think the children enjoyed a new experience.  

And when I was paying the bill in the office I noticed that they were selling skeins of wool yarn from the sheep at the farm!  I couldn't resist and ended up with 600+ yards of this beautiful purple yarn.  What should I make?

Happy Autumn to all of you!  I hope to share more of what we do to celebrate this special season this week on the blog here.

xoxo