A Visit from Valley View Farm's Goats

Our annual visit from Valley View Farm's baby Nubian goats isn't all about the cuteness. Although, that certainly is part of it! It is also a genuinely fun way for the children to practice their skills, including curiosity, patience, and openness to trying something new.

This year, over 50 children gathered in the Fellowship Hall of the Congregational Church to see the goats. The children showed exceptional patience waiting for their turn to pet the goats. It was wonderful to see them try so hard and not just run over to the goats to squeeze them! Even our youngest class, the toddlers, were amazing!

When the goats needed a break, Ms. Emily bottle-fed the babies while the children watched. Such a small act, yet it inspires our children to wonder what else they don't know about these little creatures. Many children don't know that baby goats need to drink their mom's milk when they are first born. While the babies drank, Ms. Em shared fun facts that sparked more curiosity, like the fact that goats have FOUR stomachs. You read that right, FOUR!

We were also blessed this year to have the goats visit on what would normally be a Chapel day. We started the visit by quietly singing our starting Chapel song, "This is Holy Ground," to the goats and saying a prayer to bless them. We've been celebrating the season of New Life, and seeing the baby goats was a great way for the children to understand this concept. `

After the goats went back to the farm for a VERY long nap, Ms. Em visited the classrooms with fresh goat cheese to taste test. Many children were hesitant to try but most of them did take a little bite, and the majority liked it! We celebrated their perseverance to try new things and thanked the goats and their mamas for making such delicious food for us to enjoy.

Thank you to Ms. Emily and her family at Valley View Farm for bringing extra joy to our day! We love when our kids meet your kids.