School Field Trips

Think outside the classroom!

Bonnybrook’s Spring and Fall Field Trips are popular with preschool through third grade educators because they provide an excellent learning experience as well as a day of fun on the farm.

Our curriculum supports Ohio’s Science Standards for Life Sciences through multi-sensory, hands-on interaction and encounters with living things. Our experienced field trip guides are trained in adapting tours to the appropriate age or grade level and encourage the children to ask questions, make observations and comparisons.

The Bonnybrook field trips build on science skills developed in-class and encourages the children to:

Ask questions and make observations about plants, farms and farm animals.
Understand the basic needs of living plants and (farm) animals.
Make comparisons between plants and (farm) animals.
Identify ways farm animals and plants react to changing environments.
Understand the seasonal life cycle of a sunflower or pumpkin.
Understand the daily cycle of an animal’s life.
Understand safe activity around animals.

Class learns in the barn

Who knew learning could be so much fun?

Bonnybrook’s Field Trips offer children the opportunity to see, hear and touch our child friendly horses, ponies, donkeys and other farm animals. Your school group will enjoy a ride on a covered wagon to see what’s growing on our beautiful 350 acre working farm. (We plant crops of ornamental corn, gourds, sunflowers, over 25 varieties of pumpkins and hay to feed our horses.)

Spring Tours: students learn how sunflowers germinate, grow, are pollinated, and their uses, and actually plant a sunflower to take home. Our spring tour emphasizes farm animals, their differences, care and behavior.
Fall Tours: students learn how pumpkins grow, about many unusual kinds of pumpkins (not all pumpkins are orange!) and choose a pumpkin to take home with them. Our fall tour focuses on horse care, feeding and behavior.

Here’s what you need to know.

Dates: Bonnybrook’s School Field Trips are offered April–May and September–October.
Times: Field trips start at 9:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:45 a.m., and 1:00 p.m.
Admission: Tours are reasonably priced at $6.00 per student and parents.There is no cost for teachers.There is a minimum cost of $95.00.
Picnic: Bring a lunch to eat under our spacious picnic shelter and let the children romp in our Farmyard Play Area.
Reservations: Call us at (937) 289-2500 or e-mail Diane@BonnybrookFarms.com.

Planting a Sunflower

: Field Trip takes a Hayride

Flat Stanley Visits Bonnybrook Farms

Spring, 2009

I left Primary Village South in Centerville, Ohio and arrived at Bonnybrook Farms in Clarksville, Ohio to spend a few days with Emily Mercuri’s grandparents, Bonnie and Joe and their helper Diane.

I played in the Farmyard Play Area and had a great time going down the slide. Later Diane asked me if I wanted to help her paint signs to make them look new again. I didn’t get any paint on me!

That night I went to bed early because Joe said I could help him in the barn the next day.

Joe let me sit on the tractor when the stalls were being cleaned and bedded with fresh straw. Then it was time to feed the horses, ponies, sheep and goats. Diane let me give them hay. After that I helped exercise a miniature horse named Stuart Little. That was fun!

When we were done we went home to change our clothes and eat breakfast. Working in the barn made me really hungry.

Later I took a ride in the golf car with Violet, Elmer and Bonnie. We rode down to a great big creek called Todd’s Fork and heard wild turkeys gobbling in the woods. I even found a turkey feather. We also saw many pretty wildflowers. Bonnie called them bluebells. When we got to the creek we walked along the shore and collected shells.

Bonnie and Joe have a horse named Anna Banana who was expecting a baby. Joe said it might come that night, but we’d have to watch Anna all night long in case she needed help with the baby. We waited and watched all night long and finally at 6:30 in the morning Anna had a filly, which is a baby girl horse. She is so pretty. I just love her!

Bonnie and Joe drove me to the post office so that I could come home. I had so much fun at Bonnybrook Farms that I wished I didn’t have to leave. Maybe I can go back for Fall Farm Days!

Flat Stanley Visits the New Foal