This year, however, I feel like I am getting the full fall experience. Last week, Violet and I took a second trip to the pumpkin patch, this time as part of a field trip with her new school. (I still need to get the photos up from her first day of school, and I will, but let me just summarize that post by saying this: Violet started school. Yay!)
It was my first time going on a field trip with special-needs kids, so I have to admit, I was a little anxious. For a lot of reasons, I guess. How do you maneuver a bunch of kids, many of whom don't walk (or don't walk well), through bumpy farmland and corn mazes and patches of pumpkins? Will people stare? Will I give them the evil eye right back? Will folks be nicer or meaner or just shocked by us in general?
In reality, these are all things I am learning to deal with on a daily basis anyway. At least this time, I had a sort of posse there to back me up.
I didn't have too much time to worry anyway. As soon as we got there, I was distracted by the fact that the place was a zoo. And I don't just mean the petting-zoo part. Seriously, this is the quaint, country road into Sharp's Farm in Brookeville:
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The great thing is that once we were in and I was reminded of how difficult it is to shepherd any group of preschoolers, whether they have special needs or not, I felt a little more relaxed. Like when I saw teachers trying to guide their students around piles of cow poop, or instructing them not to eat the corn off the ground. Or the dad trying to convince his young daughter not to throw her pumpkin at one very friendly goat. Field trips aren't easy for anyone, at least not the adults.
And then, my posse showed up:
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The other part of our group was delayed in the traffic, so we started right in, admiring the animals:
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The pigs had their own sort of alternative communication device that I hadn't seen before:
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Later, there was something I like to call the Hayride from Hell. Twenty minutes spent sitting on a hay bale with a few dozen kids, holding Violet, while we bumped along muddy roads and through a few feet of water. Actually, it was kinda fun, in a scary sort of way. If I hadn't been worried that we might lose a bag or a camera or (much worse) a kid over the side, I would have really enjoyed it. And most of the kids really did.
Like this little cutie, who also goes to Violet's school, and spent the ride laughing and smiling on her mom's lap:
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I was telling a friend that I should just start going everywhere with an entourage of special ed teachers and therapists, because they are endlessly patient and helpful and really know how to speak up when you need a little help lifting a kid or two onto a hayride, or a special place to park your stroller, or to just generally make way for some kids that need a little extra room or space. They know how to make things happen for some complicated little people.
So they were always offering to help hold Violet or push the stroller or carry my purse or take a picture. And they are so sweet with my V.
Here's Violet with her new teacher:
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And with one of her aides:
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Feeling corn in the corn maze:
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Violet picks her pumpkin:
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And this is what constitutes handicapped parking at a farm. Actually, this was a sweet spot, because most of the buses were sent to the back of field used as a parking lot. It's hard to tell from this picture, but we were right up front by the little shop that sold apples and jams and flavored honey. And check out the pastoral view behind! A little bit of peace, a little bit of proximity. What more can you ask for?
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