Homeschool Field Trip: Amish Visit

We were able to take a once in a lifetime field trip in October. All summer we would go to our local farmer's market. There was a booth with Amish homemade goods. We would go there every week and buy some fresh bread and rolls. We got to know the ladies really well and they loved the girls. I finally got up the courage to ask if I would be able to take the girls to Indiana and see their bake shop. The lady at the market wasn't actually the one making all the baked goods, it was her sister. She gave me a phone number and I called. I was able to schedule a visit to their home and bake shop. It was such an amazing experience. We got to see how they worked, with the limits of no electricity. They were some of the nicest people I've ever met. Her daughter took the girls to the barn where they got to see all the animals, even some new kittens. They had fresh cookies for the girls and sent us home with bread. She also took us next door to her husband's wood working shop. It was amazing to see the Amish furniture and the skilled hands that make it. After we left their farm, we went to meet up with our "tour" guide. He took us to his son's farm where we learned about how the Amish build their barns, got to see their milking facilities, bottle feed calves, rode in a real family buggy, and then we got to visit an Amish one room school. It as a long day, but a very fun day. On the way home, we also stopped at an Amish cheese making facility.

The family barn and buggy.

Road to their house. It was more suitable for a horse and buggy then a car.

Some buggies in the "parking lot".

The family buggy we got to ride in.

We went on laundry day. All the Amish homes had laundry drying outside.

G7 bottle feeding a calf.

A8, G7, N6, S4 learning about how the Amish build their barns.

All of us having fun learning about Amish life.

N6 bottle feeding a calf.

A8 bottle feeding her calf.

S4 bottle feeding her calf.

We got to visit an Amish school. I had to be careful taking pictures so I wouldn't offend our hosts.

The Amish home we visited first. The room on the left side of the house is the bakery.

 Learning all about how cows are milked. It was interesting to see how they used equipment without electricity. This Amish community allowed them to use a propane generator to milk their cows and process the milk.