Tolay Fall Festival

Last Thursday Arran had a school field trip to the Tolay Fall Festival. We had stumbled across it as a family a couple of years ago, before he had started school so I knew it would be a fun outing to take the girls on too. I feel bad that I cannot get more involved at the school, but a lot of things just do not work with two more little children in tow. I asked ahead of time though, if this one would be OK to bring them on and got the all clear. His teacher was very gracious, or wise, as the case may be, knowing I would have the girls with me she opted not to assign me as an official helper, responsible for anyone, but instead let me tag along with Arran and his assigned parent-helper.

Checking out some snakes!

We started in the Nocturnal Animal Barn which was packed, not only with kids, but starfish and snakes and spiders and scorpions and a very 'interesting' taxidermy collection with everything from a fawn to a bear, all sorts of amphibians and I am sure we only saw about on third of the collection.

A very important part of every day is, of course, snack time. We all met up again briefly for bottles of water, Graham Crackers and cheese sticks. The girls were so great, I had told them that it was Arran's trip and there might not be enough snack for them but they didn't complain or whine, just waited patiently. Fortunately there was plenty and Asia carried her water bottle around with her and (her piglet) the rest of the morning.

We took a hay ride out to the pumpkin field and thus began the search for the perfect pumpkin. I have no idea what makes the perfect pumpkin on any given day, but this can be quite the process; how it looks, how it feels, how heavy it is. It is a task to be taken most seriously...and not to be rushed. Fortunately Arran had both his sisters on hand to 'help'. The one rule I gave him was that he had to be able to carry it, it was his responsibility not mine. I was, on and off, busy carrying an almost three-year-old!

                                                                              Once the selection had been made, each child wrote

their name on the bottom of their pumpkin. Perish the
thought that a fight might erupt on the bus ride back to school as to the rightful owner of any given pumpkin.

We took the hay ride back then checked out some farm animal, ran through the hay maze and did some potato prints and seed planting in the eco-village. There was so much more that we could have done, but by then it was time to head back to school and for me to get the girls home for naps.