Straw Maze and Lazy Daze
What could be more perfect on a hot, fall day than running through a Straw Maze {grin; or maybe that should be groan!}? Bates Nut Farm, in Valley Center, California, has an elaborate Straw Maze with just the right amount of interactive play to keep children of all ages excited to join in the adventure. On a cloudless, blue sky day with a blazing sun and gentle breeze, we (me and Charlie, Tiffany and the Princesses P and their friend, Princess Sweet Child) arrived at the pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkins.
The excitement of sharing a very special place with people you love on a beautiful, glorious day in Southern California was the perfect stress relief remedy at the end of a busy, work-filled week. Plus, with fields bursting with pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and colors, we knew we would not go home empty-handed!
But, before we picked pumpkins, we just had to visit the Straw Maze! Here’s what happened:
The entrance to the Straw Maze
Off through the Straw Maze
Looking for station #1 in the Straw Maze
Little head above the Straw Maze
Checking in at a station in the Straw Maze
Mommy helps stamp Princess Sweetie Pie’s card
Off to find the next station in the Straw Maze
Stamping their cards in the Straw Maze
Mom, I got a stamp!
Where’s the next station in the Straw Maze?
This way, Princess P leads the way through the Straw Maze
At a station in the Straw Maze
Taking turns at the mailbox in the Straw Maze
Stamping cards in the Straw Maze
Bates Nut Farm set up 6 or 8 “stations” with mailboxes and gave each child an orange card with boxes for stamping. Wandering through the maze, the children searched for the mailboxes to get their stamp. Each stamp was a different Halloween-themed item (such as a pumpkin, a bat, a skeleton, etc.), so the kids could track their progress easily. The Straw Maze was challenging enough that we didn’t find one station before pooping out! After all, every one knows that you can’t walk through a Straw Maze! You have to RUN through a Straw Maze, because who knows, maybe you’ll miss something?!?
Hot and tired after about 40 minutes of hunting, we plopped down on the grass outside the Straw Maze to catch our breath, drink icy cold water and plan our pumpkin-picking strategy!
Pooped from the Straw Maze
Resting on mom at the Straw Maze
Mom makes the best pillow
Hot and worn out from the Straw Maze
Sufficiently rested, off to the pumpkins field to find perfect pumpkins…
Tootles,
Related Posts:
(other posts about our day at the pumpkin patch)
Leave a Reply