I realize that most, no all, of my education entries have been based upon articles – at least I think…maybe one of them wasn’t. But today, I want to talk about something that I was able to do. Something that was very fun. Let me preface this by saying that when I was little, all I wanted was a horse. And it wasn’t something that phased out after only a year or two. To this day, I still think that one of the things I never got when I was little was a horse. But, alas, I didn’t get a horse. Ever. And I never really ended up developing a huge interest in horses besides the fact that I really wanted one. I’ve ridden a few times in a controlled environment on a horse that is meant to carry a person that is not trained to ride. However, to this day, I love to see horses, I think they are beautiful and if someone allows me to pet or give their horse a treat, I am totally game.
So, when my mom told me that the woman down the road needed some help because there were some kids coming from the city to see her farm, I was game. My younger brother and his girlfriend – who has her own horses and takes lessons – came as well. It was a lot of fun and it was extremely educational.
When I say that the kids came from the city, I really mean that the kids came from the city. They were in a program that basically gets kids out of the city for the summer. And by “the city” I mean New York City. And these kids were funny. It was amazing to me that a place that is only a few hours away could breed kids that are so different than the kids here. I mean, one of the kids was astounded every time a bug (a bee, a fly, etc.) landed on someone. Another said that we have “country accents.” One said that his grandmother had warned him about chickens – that they peck. It just really made me laugh.
It really got me to thinking. How important is it to expose children to “different worlds”? How important is to take them “out to the country” if they live in the city or into the city if they live “out in the country”? (side note: I put out in the country in quotes because I don’t consider where I live to be out in the country, but I’m sure these kids did).
I think it’s extremely important. It’s important to give kids the opportunity to explore different areas and decide what they really like best. Do they like big cities or do they like suburban areas or rural areas? I think it’s important that they have all kinds of experiences because it makes them more rounded and gives them a better idea of what’s in this world besides just the vast world that they live in within their big city or small town. I think it’s great and I think it’s good.
It also helped that it gave me a chance to interact with children again. I loved being able to talk to them and help them and try to get them to approach the horses, even if they were a little scared.
It was an interesting day. A good day. A great day.
Did you ever take trips “into the city” or “out to the country” when you were a kid? Do you want to do it with your kids? Do you think it’s important to expose children to different worlds that they may one day find themselves in? Can you imagine a bunch of NYC kids at a farm brushing the horses and then putting their handprints on them with paint?
Expertly Elise 