Yesterday's rainy weather made today a beautiful sunny summer day with a high in the low 80s. We have an idea for how to keep kids entertained on your next road trip. Play eye spy with apple farm themed items. Kids will be engaged looking out the window while checking off their written list, photo list, or interactive word search. This game ends up being a great way for the family to work together to hunt for people, animals, and things as you drive down the road.
There are 24 items that have to do with our family farm. Here is a link to the PDF with pictures that will help little kids know what to look for. All of the photos are right here on this web page with a description of how they connect with our kid friendly pick your own apple farm.
You can play an interactive word search on a smartphone or tablet with this link. It is probably easiest to keep your smartohone or tablet setting in the game to "tap" rather than "drag". If you are running low on data or battery grab a highlighter or pen and print the word search puzzle. You can download it from the site link above or from our picture below.
American Flag - We used to have a flag on our the side of our barn, but now you can find a flag on top of sand mountain. Home to the giant slide and this season's NEW Wild Apple Obstacle Course. A great addition to the variety of outdoor activities you can come play on this Fall.
Apple Trees - You may see farms with young trees planted in rows, big old trees, or even abandoned orchards. The apples are still quite small in July, so keep your eyes peeled. If you are playing in the Fall you should see big juicy apples on the trees as you drive to the our farm.
Barn - Our historic barn is not the only one in the Hudson Valley, but we are one of the few pick your own farms that have one for customers to shop in.
Bus - Our students on their fall apple picking field trips come by yelow school bus or coach buses. The bus below is from a summer camp who rented the farm and activities for the day. What type of bus will you see on the road?
Chicken - Our farm animals love to be fed. Kids will have the most fun feeding the sheep and goats, but the chickens are neat to watch too. Cluck Cluck Cock-A-Doodle-Do! Maybe you will choose us to host your farm themed Birthday Party.
Corn Silo - The corn maze is filled with corn for feeding animals not people. It is actually called Cattle Corn. When you see corn silos as you drive they are filled with corn maze type corn. The one pictured below is at Quattro's Farm where their poultry and game, consisting of chickens, pheasant, ducks, geese, turkeys and venison are raised humanely and fed high-quality, locally grown feeds. You can find them at Union Square market in the NYC.
Cow - We don't have real cows on the farm, but you may see some as you drive along. Remember to say MOO and visit us to ride one of our family cows on our very own cow train included with VIP wristband. FUN for all ages.
Dog - Friendly dogs on leashes are always welcome at Hurds Family Farm. Please pick up after your pooch and make sure to share your photos with us. They will love our activities just as much as the kids.
Donut - Fresh made apple cider donuts from Hurds may be the best in the Hudson Valley if not the world. It's OK to eat a 6 pack, it only happens once a year ;)
Farm Market - Thanks to feedback from our loyal customers you will find our Dutch barn market filled with LOCAL products like honey, syrup, jams. We also have a variety of farm to table goodies made with our apples and other fruits.
Flatbed Truck - Our apples are handpicked and carefully placed in apple bins. The bins are loaded on a flatbed truck and taken to one of our cold storage facilities so they will be fresh and crisp for you at the grocery store or when you fill your bag from the barn this fall.
Flowers - Without bees we would not have apples. We support our little yellow friends with large pollinator gardens. A great place to see butterflies and bees and take some pictures. You can pick your own sunflowers (Susan's favorite) or zinnias this fall. Take home one stem or a whole bouquet.
Fruit Truck - There are so many places that receive fresh picked Hudson Valley produce the highways are filled with trucks that are transporting these goodies. Keep your eyes peeled for any kind of food delivery truck and most likely there will be some kind of fruit on it.
Hay - Farm animals always enoy a fresh handful of hay. Pull up a bail to use for a seat in our hay maze hoop house. You can take some home to decorate for Halloween with some Indian corn or corn stalks. When you drive down the road you may see the big cylinders of hay rolled up in the field or maybe a horse in a trailer munching on some.
Horse - Kids love going for a pony ride on the farm. Thanks to Aly's Ponies you can choose your favorite to ride this fall. Make sure to swing by the Kids Corral to test your hooping skills on our wooden horses made by Susan's husband Phil.
I Love NY - New York is filled with unique places to visits. Pick your own apples and pumpkins is just a small part of what makes people fall in love with our state. You will see blue I LOVE NY signs along the road encouraging you to visit and explore.
Kid Fun Billboard - Amusement parks, secret caves, and other adventures kids will love are advertised along the highway. You might see something that will get you to exit. Pictured below is the newest water ride at SplashDown Beach.
Kids - Most kids you see driving down the road will have their eyes glued to an electronic device, unless they are playing Hurds Farm Eye Spy. Another place to find kids with heads up engaged in the world around them is at our pick our own apple farm.
Pond - We need ponds to irrigate our trees when mother nature does not provide enough rain. Ponds are real pretty and full of creatures in their natural habitats. Make sure to feed our fish when you visit the farm this fall.
Pumpkin - Every pumpkin is unique everyone want to pick their special pumpkin. They come in all shapes and sizes at our farm. Come pick your own pumpkin anytime in September and October, possibly on our pumpkin fiesta weekend.
Sprinkler - Kids love to run through them. Just one of the many fun activities during our summer season. We use them to keep our trees and corn nice and juicy in dry summer weather.
Tractor - The main job for our tractors during the Fall is to move apple bins, in the summer we use them to get the fields planted. You see tractors at our pick your own farm pulling the hayride and cow train. On your drive you may see tractors assisting crews with roadwork.
Welcome to - WELCOME to Hurds Family Farm, as noted with our person size letters on the fence outside the barn. As you go on your road trip you are bound to be welcomed to a city or possible even a state or two.
Windmill - When the apples are real small in the spring they are in danger of frost. Our wind machines are located in the lowest elevations. Along the road you may see windmills that are generating electricity.
Drivers: Please Stay Focused on the Road. Let us know how your eye spy went. This is a great way to get the kids excited for their pick your own visit in the fall. If you are driving up to our farm from New York City you can play on your way up. We would love to hear how your hunting went. Let us know right here on our blog or using your favorite type of social media.