• HOME
  • {A}’s Chipmunk Training Archives

 Homepage

  • The Homestead
    • Home Projects
    • Home Improvement
    • Home Decor
      • Seasonal Home decor
        • FALL Home Decor
        • WINTER Home Decor
        • SPRING Crafts and Creations
        • SUMMER Crafts and Creations
    • Our Chickens
    • Gardening
    • Organization
    • Re-Purposing
    • Furniture Refinishing
    • Budget
  • Crafts & Creations
    • Seasonal Home decor
      • FALL Crafts and Creations
      • WINTER Crafts and Creations
      • SPRING Crafts and Creations
      • SUMMER Crafts and Creations
    • DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Project
    • Kids Arts and Crafts
    • Homemade/Handmade Gift Ideas
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Fan Pulls
    • Free Printable/Downloadable
    • Sewing Projects
    • Giveaways
    • Business Features
  • Recipes/FoodFun
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Main Dish
    • Sandwiches
    • Appetizers
    • Slow Cooker
    • On The Grill
    • Side Dishes
      • Soups
      • Salads
    • Baking
      • Breads, Rolls and Muffins
    • Snacks
    • Treats
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
  • Homeschooling
    • Elementary Homeschooling
      • Elementary Homeschooling READING
      • Elementary Homeschooling MATH
      • Elementary Homeschooling LANGUAGE ARTS
      • Elementary Homeschooling SCIENCE
      • Elementary Homeschooling HOME ECONOMICS
      • Kids Arts and Crafts
    • Middle School Homeschooling
      • Middle School Homeschooling SCIENCE
      • Middle School Homeschooling HOME ECONOMICS
    • Language Arts
    • Math
    • History / Social Studies
    • Geography
    • Foreign Language
    • Field Trips
    • Games
    • Nature Study
  • The Big Picture
    • Life In General
    • Celebrations
    • Faith
      • Into the Light; The Series
    • Giveaways
    • Reviews & Sponsors
  • Photography & Lettering
    • Photography
    • truck lettering
    • vehicle graphics
    • Newborns
    • Kids
    • Engagement
    • High School Senior Pictures
    • High School Senior Pictures Sneak Peeks

Learning at the Fair; (Come Stroll the Fair Series)

September 13, 2010 By Laura 7 Comments

As a home schooling mom, I often find myself speaking to others with inquiring minds regarding the home schooling choice, that daily opportunities to teach and to learn, are everywhere you turn throughout every day.  Home schooling is truly a lifestyle.  It’s not an activity or a part of any given day, but for most home schoolers, it is literally woven intricately throughout every aspect of their life.  It certainly is for us.  Being and living in that frame of mind, the opportunities to teach, and for our children (and often us as well) to learn are all the more evident in the course of our days at home, or out and about.

So knowing there was probably a lot we could learn at the fair, when we went as a family,  was expected. What we weren’t expecting, was for there to be such an organized and fun program put together by the fair, for the kids to learn.  It was a pleasant surprise, to say the least!! Nothing like this has ever been at the annual fair we usually attend.  Check this out:

Upon admission, each kid was given a pamphlet, like the one above.  As we walked around enjoying the fair, they were to keep their eyes open for various spots all over the fair, for a sign like this one:

(Missing Photo: We’re sorry.)

Their pamphlet had a question in it for each station participating, that they had to find the answer to at that specific station, by listening or watching the demo instructor there, reading the information around the exhibit, etc.  When they were ready, they went up to the head of the station, and the one in charge would ask them the question.  If they gave the correct answer, they got a stamp on their pamphlet for that station.  When all of the stations in their pamphlet had a stamp, (and there were LOTS of them), they went to a specific area to get a ribbon.

I thought it was the greatest thing, for all fair-going kids!  SUCH a learning experience.  It was much like an educational treasure hunt, and the treasures were bits of knowledge. ; )   My kids just love this stuff, so they were on a mission the whole time.    This post only shares some of the stations.

See the sign to the right?  The Birds of Prey was a Kid’s Station.  The question they needed to find the answer to was:

“Why are birds of prey also called raptors?”

There were several birds of prey on display here.   I thought this owl was so beautiful, and fascinating.

His wing span was beautiful and impressive too.

But right after I took this shot, he shot a sharp and forceful stream of urine, that actually startled me.  There was some definite wow factor to the action.  I think I stood there wide-eyed with my jaw hanging, for a second.   They may be wise, but I didn’t see a whole lot of dignity with this one.   Goodness.

The American Kestrel.

 

I loved watching the kids be questioned, and answer with such confidence.

The answer to the question was:  Because they catch their food with their feet.Oh!  Another Kid’s Station!

This was in the Agricultural Building.

 

They didn’t really have to write the answers down, but they wanted to.  They just had to answer the question verbally, correctly.

Maybe because they had new pens that the guys from the Air Force station gave them.


We came to this cow milking stand, where kids could learn how to milk the cow.  It wasn’t a Kid’s Station, but they just wanted to try it.    So I assessed the situation, and learned something myself that I pretty much already knew….

You just can’t trust any cowboy you meet.

And I sure did not trust this one.

I saw him help a little girl down from the steps, and I got a little chill.  So before my kids went up, I said to him quite clearly, “My kids can get up and down all by themselves, thanks.” With a little wink for good measure.  I think he caught my drift.  He went back to his shifty-eye-mode quick though.  He let each kid milk the cow for like…a milli-second, and he was like, “Alright clean your hands. ”   Which was fine with me really, because I couldn’t move on soon enough. At this bird wood carving station, the kids had to identify 3 birds in the display case. They all manged that fine, as we do a lot of bird watching and identifying.

{A} was not doing the Kid Station pamphlet, as she was a little old for it all.  But she went in and named them all to the guy, because she couldn’t help herself.  Her bird-loving grandmother would have been proud.

This was my favorite Kid Station:

I even loved the sign.

{A} was not excited to go take a closer look around here.  You could say she had a bad experience with bees when she was little.  Very unnecessarily, due to another kid’s foolish action, who should have known better.  She got stung all over of course.  I can hardly talk about it without my blood boiling all over again.  I thank God she didn’t turn out allergic to bees, because up to that point that day, we didn’t know!

Anyway….I try to encourage her to face her fears little by little, as she can.  It’s not healthy to let them control you. (I apply the same philosophy to myself, by the way.) So she came in and looked around with us.   She just got the willies.  ;
>

I loved this display.  What a science fair project, huh?

 

Check this out:   This honey comb box had a air vent tube to the outside, and all of these bees were local, and drawn to this honey comb.  They went out, collected pollen and came back to the honey comb.

The question was:   How many queen bees are in a hive?

The answer is one, in case you didn’t know.  ; )

They marked the queen bee here, with a dab of paint, so that exhibit visitors could spot it.

Do you see it?

 


The satisfaction of getting that stamp, at every station, never wore off.


We watched how glass blowing is done too.  This was one of my favorite shots from the fair.

~~~

Well that concludes our “Come Stroll the Fair Series.”   We hope you enjoyed it, as much as we did!  Did you?

Were you able to attend a fair this summer?  What is your favorite part of the fair?  Is it the fair food?  The crafts?  The rides?  The exhibits or performances?  Tell us.  We’d love to know what brings you to the fair.

 

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Filed Under: Homeschooling Tagged With: bees, birds of prey, education, exhibits, fair, Home Schooling

Comments

  1. 1
    Lisa Melnick says:
    September 19, 2010 at 7:50 am

    So many bloggers live in cool places with GREAT fairs. I happen to live in a place where the fair is basically a carnival. I would love to go to a 4-H type fair. I look forward to reading through more of your stuff. Ilove pictures and it looks like you have a blog full of them…
    Lisa

    Reply
    • 1.1
      Laura says:
      September 19, 2010 at 7:04 pm

      Hi Lisa, Welcome!! Thanks for dropping by. We look forward to seeing you around. ; )

      Reply
  2. 0
    Paula says:
    September 19, 2010 at 7:38 am

    That’s it. I’m moving.

    Reply
    • 0.1
      Laura says:
      September 19, 2010 at 6:59 pm

      O.K. I’m totally good with that. Make it real close, too. ; )

      Reply
  3. -1
    Elaine Nawiesniak says:
    September 17, 2010 at 7:40 pm

    Loved seeing your photos from the fair. Our fair started today and my kids and I are looking forward to going. Its an annual event around here and even my oldest came home from college b/c she just couldn’t miss The Great Frederick Fair! There is so much to learn and see there. I look forward to it just as much as they do.

    Reply
    • -1.1
      Laura says:
      September 19, 2010 at 7:04 pm

      Hi Elaine! Nice seeing you here!! Out where I grew up, there is a really big ‘Exposition’ every year called the “Big E”, that is really the big fair of New England. It runs for 10 days or so, and many people travel to that one. The fair is a nice tradition to have. A great family affair. (lol.) Hope you all have another great time this year at yours!

      Reply
  4. -2
    Samantha says:
    September 13, 2010 at 12:22 pm

    Wow, your fair looked awesome! So many different activities. I’m glad your kids had a great time.

    Reply

Please leave your thoughts with us! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We are wicked happy to have you here! We hope you find much inspiration, help, humor and enjoyment here.




Archives



POPULAR POSTS

* * * * * *

SUBSCRIBE to House of Joyful Noise blog! Every new post, delivered right to your email box!


Privacy Policy

Amazon Affiliates

Never at any additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission for our endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products from our website. Your purchase through our links helps support our family, while sharing with you the products we authentically use and recommend, for various ideas, and letting you know where you can purchase them. Thank you for your support!

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2025 HouseOfJoyfulNoise.com ยท Genesis Framework by StudioPress