My daughter and I went to our local pumpkin farm, Layman Family Farms. Here are my five favorite tips for visiting pumpkin patches with kids.
We all know that Halloween is October 31. We usually get our pumpkin at the beginning of October so we can carve it early in the month and it will last until Halloween.
Most people visit pumpkin patches in September or October. Since it’s officially Fall in late-September, the weather is likely to be very mild. If you’re visiting a true pumpkin patch, it’s on a farm.
I visited the pumpkin patch with my daughter in mid-October. Here’s a recap of what we did.
5 Tips for Visiting Pumpkin Patches With Kids
1. Bring a jacket and your camera
Farms have big open fields and not a lot of trees or buildings to shelter you from the elements. So, you should dress accordingly. My daughter wore a long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and a jacket. The farm is in a rural area, which is a little cooler than the city.
I wished I had brought my camera for higher quality photos, but all I had was my phone. I love to capture the new adventures, fun, and experiences we have together. My phone did just fine at that.
2. Let your child pick the pumpkin.
Yes, they are going to pick a small, imperfect, and impractical pumpkin. But, you can always buy another, i.e. a larger one, for carving/Halloween later. This small act of decision-making will go a long way.
3. Enjoy the farm experience
During our trip, we made sure to visit the animals, ride the tractor-led wagon, explore the maze, etc. There’s lots more to do on a pumpkin farm than just picking a pumpkin! It was nice to see the pigs eating so healthily! 🙂
4. Have lunch there
Since I accompanied my daughter on a school field trip, we packed lunches. It was nice to meet her at the pumpkin patch. I drove while she rode the school activity bus. I had already asked for the whole morning off. Then, I was able to enjoy the field trip without being rushed, had the opportunity to meet and talk to some of her friends, and had the time to meet and talk to some of the other parents. This was my first time meeting many of them. It was great as she’s since been in the same class as some of these kids (Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade).
5. Allow at least four hours
What did we do while there?
- Jumped on inflatables called jumping pillows
- Learned about how pumpkins grow
- Took lots of pictures (including group pictures)
- Picked a pumpkin
- Saw and learned about chickens, roosters, goats, pigs, and cows
- Picked out a pumpkin
- Rode on a wagon pulled by a tractor
- Saw a cornfield, up close and personal
- Rode a cow… ride, pulled by a tractor
- Climbed through and over repurposed tires
- Slid downhill, inside a tube, on a sackcloth
- Climbed on a spider web net
- Watched a chicken puppet show
- Measured our height
- Ate lunch
- Visited the gift shop
About Layman Family Farms
Farm Admission includes: 8-acre Corn Maze, Hayride to the pumpkin patch (purchased pumpkins are extra), Duck Races, Corn Crib, Tunnel Slide, Spider Web and Giant Tire play area, Corn Snake, Pumpkin Maze, Pumpkin Tether Ball, Chicken Show, Barnyard Ball Zone, Corn Hole, Pumpkin Checkers and Animal Alley.
About Layman Family Farms’ Pumpkin Patch
In our 40 acres of pumpkin patches, you’re sure to find the perfect pumpkin for everyone in your family! We grow a great assortment of sizes and shapes of pumpkins-large and tiny, tall and thin, short and chubby. This experience is a great tradition in many families and will always have your kids smiling just like a happy jack-o-lantern!
Learn more about Layman Family Farms here.
I like how you mention that you should let your kid pick out their own pumpkin at the patch, even if it may not be the perfect one. My husband and I are taking our kid to their first pumpkin patch this Halloween and we’re wondering how we should act with them. When we take them this Halloween, we will definitely be letting them pick out their own vegetable to be carved since we will easily be able to get another one for us to carve.