deanna rose farmstead
Recently, we found a gold nugget in the middle of this blues-and-barbecue-infested wilderness. It’s called the Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, and I think it’s KC’s best kept secret. Zia definitely thinks so.
“The Place”, as Zia calls it, is made for kids to experience the Kansas farmstead days of yesteryear, as well as the more modern aspects of midwest farming. Tactfully, they leave out certain aspects, such as the brutal reality of genetically engineered corn, and the beef cows that are fattened with it to within an inch of their lives. Nevertheless, it’s a place where you can learn about dirt, cows, milk, tractors and other basics of farm life – and not just talk or read about them, but actually get in there and squish around in the mud, ride the tractors, and feed the animals. It’s really a cool place.
The whole thing is pretty much a petting zoo, with cows, chickens, rabbits, turkeys, horses, ducks, etc. all within reach of little hands. You can buy feed pellets for 25 cents, and take a hay ride or a pony ride for $3. Besides that, it’s entirely free.
Zia’s favorite part was the baby goat pen. It’s a crazy and chaotic stompin’ ground of kids…and more kids. Smooth-skinned kids clutching milk bottles, and the furry kind clamoring to drink them.
Notice the little guy in the background…is he hoarding milk bottles??
One of the goats thought Mamma’s hair would be a tasty treat!
The Farmstead has several playgrounds for kids of all different sizes. There’s also an Indian village, a one-room schoolhouse, and a barn with calves and baby chicks. You can watch a cow being milked, and there’s also a life-size cow that squirts “milk” when you squeeze the real-feeling udders. Zia is always stunned that animals such as cows have “num-nums” way down there, instead of up on their chest. It is kind of a mystery, if you think about it.
My favorite part was this cute little lambie standing at the fence. I just had to take her home with me!
