fun at the farmstead

we are so lucky to have the deanna rose children's farmstead in our area. we visit it probably 5 times a year. we spent 4 hours there one day last week and i was so glad that i remembered to take my camera. **warning** this is a very long post! if you are planning to visit kansas city this summer, this farmstead should be on your list of things to do! the deanna rose children's farmstead, established in 1978, was designed to depict a turn of the century farm. this beautiful and diverse park provides a fun, safe and educational farm environment that cultivates an appreciation of farm life, wildlife, and kansas heritage.

it was a beautiful day to walk around the farmstead. we purchased a sack lunch upon arrival, found a shady picnic table and talked about what animals we wanted to see.

a small pond with goldfish and turtles was our first stop. there are food dispensers all over the farm to feed the fish, goats, ducks, ect. 25 cents per handful.

i love all the farm equipment that is placed around the farm. the gardens are just beautiful.

volunteers do all the plantings, and maintenance of the gardens.

so many nice paths to walk on. this was the first time we've been this year and even though we took the stroller, cooper wanted to walk with his big brother. and was always grabbing for his hand to hold....how cute is that?!

cooper spotted this kitty taking a drink of water out of a bucket.

this is the childrens garden. brick paths, vegetables, flowers and fun things to look at.

most of the flowers are marked, so it's also a wonderful learning environment.

large flowers to look through for funny photos.

fun paths to walk on...this one has the alphabet painted on stepping stones.

walking under a covered arbor.

goats of all sizes are at the farmstead. this is one of the large goats.

this goat was taking a rest. and cooper decided to stand back a few steps.

a space for petting goats. these goats are medium in size and maguire recognized that they had really grown since our visit to the farmstead last year.
i've always loved this little white house with it's manicured gardens.

this path is one of our favorites on a hot day. it's mostly shaded and it's also home to the butterfly garden. large wind chimes also hang in the trees and on a windy day, this is a beautiful place to walk, sit, enjoy.

these are the wash stands for hand washing. after feeding the goats and other animals it's nice to cool off and send the germs down the drain.

every year there is a new feature at the farmstead. last year a 5,000 square foot dairy barn was added. it is so beautiful and is home to several cows and a milking station. they also have a theatre in the barn and a place to buy snacks and drinks. maguire was checking out this map to see where we still needed to go.

a dock at grandpa bob's fishing pond. we filled our cups up with fish food and feed the fish and ducks. cooper loved watching the fish jump up to eat the food he had thrown in for them.

horse drawn wagon rides, pulled by draft horses, through the woods is a fun event.

the tractor attraction was added a couple of years ago. it's always a favorite and this year cooper was big enough to climb up on a tractor. i pushed him around the path while maguire tried to race us.

after getting hot riding the tractors, we stopped for a cool snack....huge popcycles!!

maguire loves to feed the baby goats. 1 buck for a bottle of milk. as soon as you walk into the pen they come running. chewing on your clothes and shoe laces is part of the experience.

there are so many other things to do and see at the farmstead. you'll have to visit it to see the rest. you can easily spend all day here. there is also a playground and a small water feature that we cool off in afterward. then we head home and can't wait for our next visit. the farmstead is also a great place for birthday parties and family gatherings. check out the farmstead website for all the details. oh and did i mention that admission to the farmstead is ....FREE! we always put $10 into the donation barn. there are lots of other donation and volunteer opportunities from buying bricks to line paths, benches and swings, or buying butterfly houses in the butterfly garden. such a great place and so amazing that it's put together by volunteers and donations. check out the farmstead for yourself, you won't be disappointed!