To do: Go on an adventure to harvest local crops, preferably ones you can eat right away like apples!
Time: 1 hour
Materials: A short car ride to a local farm
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What can you do to get involved in your local harvest?

Nothing beats spending time on the farm to see the hard work and excitement of the harvest. During fall, your child also may have the opportunity to harvest, too.

Specialists like farmers are typically very passionate about what they do. A child’s enthusiasm only reinforces a farmer’s chosen work, and inspires both parties to share their knowledge! Which brings us to our activity:

Activity: Work the Farm!

For today’s activity, seek out a local working farm that is harvesting crops. This can be a local CSA bringing in autumn crops, an apple orchard, or a pumpkin patch. Encourage your child to watch the harvest and to participate where they can – many CSAs allow families to help harvest the fruits and vegetables they produce.

While there, ask your child to spot the kinds of equipment used to harvest and ask them to help you find ripe vegetables. If you are picking apples, sort them like the farmer would into “good to eat” and “not” and talk about why.

For the older child, encourage them to ask questions of the farmer: What are they curious about? Where does the food go after it leaves the farm? How do the crops they grow feed any animals they have? Who buys the things that they grow?

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