Meadowlark Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 I'm thinking there has to be other kids out there who are obsessed with farms. My son, almost 8, wants to be a farmer and it's the one thing that puts a sparkle in his eye. We do live in the Midwest but don't live on a farm so it's not on his backyard or anything. Are there informational/non-fiction books, or maybe even a fiction series devoted to farming? We have enjoyed the Pathway readers and the Latsch Valley series. He reads at a 4th grade level so things higher level are acceptable too. I've googled, checked the library and our local Farm and Fleet and just can't find anything. And, does anyone know what kind of barn I could get him? Playmobil or Schleick? He has half of our basement devoted to "his farm" with tons of animals and pens he has made out of anything he can find, but we need a high quality barn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyhock Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 So far I haven't found any, but I haven't looked really hard lately. Every farming book I've ever looked at is either incorrect or antiquated and, being a farming family, this has become pretty annoying. I ended up writing my own picture book for my kids, using my own photos, and had it made into a hardback photo book. If anyone else has any ideas, I'd love to hear them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Dick King-Smith wrote a series of books about a little girl who wants to be a farmer. They are very sweet, with lots of raising of mini-beasts. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aufan Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 What about little britches? Might want to read the reviews on it. It is a series that is on our someday list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Some of these are going to be too old for him but I'll list them anyway in case you're looking for readalouds or future books. Farmer Boy - Wilder The Little Britches series - Moody The James Herriot books, even if they do not directly take place on a farm, involve a significant amount of farming culture The Good Master - Kate Seredy Ox Cart Man (picture book, lovely) Caddie Woodlawn - Brink Charlotte's Web - White Thimble Summer - Enright Sarah, Plain and Tall - MacLachlan Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm - MacDonald (you might read the rest of the series as well, these were perennial favorites) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Call Cooperative Extension! Junior master gardening would introduce him to horticulture. There might be an animal club for kids who do not own cows or chickens but want to learn about raising livestock. Our beekeeper association is sponsoring hives for young people who are interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Call Cooperative Extension! Junior master gardening would introduce him to horticulture. There might be an animal club for kids who do not own cows or chickens but want to learn about raising livestock. Our beekeeper association is sponsoring hives for young people who are interested. When he gets a little older he might well be able to get a cooperating local farmer to allow him to show their animal at the fair in return for some work. (work scaled to age -- they'd find something for him to do which is within his capabilities, such as feed calves) Someone I know has a 4-Her who comes out every Saturday and works on his farm and then she takes his cows to the fair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 I *highly* recommend everything published by Storey Publishing. Non-fiction books on "how to raise goats" / ducks / sheep / pigs / grow a garden / build tree houses / etc. that are written to total rookies; our middle-elementary kids have really enjoyed them, and we have all learned a lot together. Storey (Leslie Claire Walker) also publishes The Nature Connection, a really hands-on & practical guide for kids who want to / need to connect to nature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Dick King-Smith wrote a series of books about a little girl who wants to be a farmer. They are very sweet, with lots of raising of mini-beasts. The Sophie books were popular with my daughter when she was younger. She ended up working on an organic farm for several summers as part of teen crew when she was in high school. So, I guess my daughter was a farmer for at least a time! Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 I'm not farmer "material," but I do have backyard chickens which I adore. In my opinion owning a few backyard chickens is a great way to get your feet wet. My granddaughter is six years old and with some supervision she has taken care of rabbits and chickens. The rabbits have not been as resilient as the chickens which is why I think chickens are better to start with. Just an FYI. If his passion continues to be farming, Rod & Staff publishers tend toward stories about farming families. Their math books have word/reading problems in each lesson that often deal with farming and/or building (cooking and sewing too). One of my daughters used to complain bitterly when she had to solve problems about the amount of feed a hog needed in order to gain a certain amount of weight. She would argue that she had no plan to be a farmer so why did she need to know that stuff. I would tease her that she was going to grow up to marry a hog farmer. ;) Rod & Staff's 3rd grade science book also has lessons that focus on farming. If you look at the table of contents you'll see a few (seedtime and harvest, Farming Provides for Many of Our Needs) There are also a few lessons related to farming in their 3rd grade social studies book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 DK publishing has quite a few non-fiction sustainability books written in their classic magazine style. Lots of pictures, diagrams, and small blurbs of quality non-fiction. The books range in price, but are definitely quality resources for him to jump off of later as a way o expand his knowledge or see a wholistic farm picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 double post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Not books but ... FFA lessons/resources for elementary age students. https://www.ffa.org/FFAResources/ffalearn/pals/Pages/default.aspx https://www.ffa.org/FFAResources/ffalearn/foodforamerica/Pages/default.aspx Edited to add: Looked through a few and these are definitely geared towards the classroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 I just remembered this resource. The "free library loan" won't help since you aren't in Oregon, but the lists of books will give you a possible starting point. Agriculture in the Classroom Free Loan Library Animals Careers Foods and Nutrition and more .... I bet other University Ag departments will have similar lists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyontheFarm Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 I live in Ontario. Our Dairy farmers of Ontario has a teacher's resource page where teachers can get some wonderful items to use in their classrooms. Homeschool parents can also access that info. However, they won't mail outside of Ontario. I'm betting that your state agriculture groups do something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meadowlark Posted October 30, 2014 Author Share Posted October 30, 2014 I *highly* recommend everything published by Storey Publishing. Non-fiction books on "how to raise goats" / ducks / sheep / pigs / grow a garden / build tree houses / etc. that are written to total rookies; our middle-elementary kids have really enjoyed them, and we have all learned a lot together. Storey (Leslie Claire Walker) also publishes The Nature Connection, a really hands-on & practical guide for kids who want to / need to connect to nature. Wow, what a great resource! I checked some of them out and although I'm not sure he could read them quite yet, these books would make him so happy! I bookmarked it for the future, thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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