Posted April 29, 2023

Understanding the world is major for kids. Everything is new – something to study, internalize, fit in with all the other bits they are absorbing. Most kids don’t really know where food comes from. So part of our goal at Discovery Park is providing an environment where orchards, berries and animals are all around. We watch as a child sees and touches a chicken for the first time. Some are terrified of the hens, but usually that fear melts away when they feel the soft feathers.

We have over a dozen breeds of chickens at Discovery Park so kids can see how fascinating the feather combinations can be. As for green eggs, I can show you several breeds running around the playground that lay the green ones.

We have also included Nigerian dwarf goats in the playground. They love being petted by the kids and fed “Plantain” a broadleaf plant which grows profusely all over the park. We don’t intend to be a petting zoo, but allowing kids to interact with some real farm animals is important to us.

In July, the kids are also welcome to pick blueberries from the 100 blueberry bushes. Since this is an organic farm, no harmful chemicals are ever sprayed.

Our commitment to bringing farm life to kids also goes beyond Discovery Park. We have joined a network of about 35 farm families across North America that bring farm life to you. In the spring, I deliver portable chicken coops to families that want to try “backyard chickens.” Two or 4 laying hens are included with all supplies, food and support. Six months later, we pick them up and return them to the farm for the winter.

AND, each Wednesday I interact with about 100 kids at preschools, libraries and families. I deliver hatchthechicken.com incubators, cages and supplies all over NE Ohio. “Henrietta”, my chicken puppet and I, talk about what life on the farm is like from a chicken’s perspective. The kids are grossed out at the thought of sucking up a worm like a piece of spaghetti.

We talk about a hen deciding to be “broody”. That means she is giving up running around the farm all day to sitting on a nest of eggs for 21 days straight to incubate them into baby chicks. The incubator I deliver holds 7 eggs and is totally automated. The kids get to watch the chicks develop, break out of their shells and then they care for and hold them for 2 weeks. They will remember this for the rest of their life. If your family would like to experience coop rentals or the hatching program, let me know.

Discovery Park has lots of depth to the “discovery” aspect. This is not just a place to climb and slide. This is about figuring it out, testing your skills and exploring the “what if”. As for the green eggs, we have plenty – as for ham, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Although I do “ham it up” pretty regularly.

That’s what good play is all about.

No directions, nobody telling you that
“you can’t do it that way”.

It’s pure discovery!