S is for Stinky and T is for Tour

First grader (while stepping off the school bus, with his nostrils squeezed tightly closed)- "What smells?"
Another student- "It's the cows."
Me- "and poop."

Future farmers?

Now let me explain. We have many visitors to our farm. I write about a lot of them on this blog, but the ones I enjoy the most are the little kids. Kids are honest and open to new things, perhaps more so than adults. If they see something they don't understand, they say so. If they smell something they are not familiar with, they also say so! So this week we welcomed groups from our local YMCA which hosts four week-long Farm Camps each summer. First, let me say, I love  that the Y includes farming in their summer programs. Anyway, as this group of kiddos got off the bus, the "smell" comment happened.

So why did I bring up the topic of poop to some kids that already chalked the smell off to, "It's the cows." I'm honest with our farm visitors. I talk about anything and everything they want to know. I don't hold back. When these kids got off the bus, Farmer John was in the middle of a daily chore, cleaning the cow yard which means he was loading the day's manure (poop) into the manure spreader to haul to the fields. I asked the  kids if cows could leave the room and go to the bathroom when "nature calls." I got a load chorus of NO!  This gave me the opportunity to talk about the fact that cows poop where they live. We talked about the importance of keeping the cows home clean to keep them healthy. This then led to a conversation about healthy cows making milk that helps keep us healthy. It also led to a discussion about the manure helping the crops grow, which makes food for our animals, which becomes milk. Huh, and all this just because I said, "and poop" and all within the first 5 minutes of being on our farm!

First grader (while boarding the bus, nostrils no longer clenched)- "I love your cows."
Me- "Me too kiddo, me too!"

Making new friends