Question for those who farm (or grew up on a farm)

[rzberrymom]

For those of you who farm, what age can I expect my kiddo to really start helping out? We're trying to grow and can the majority of our food this year, but I've never done this with kids.

My DD is 5, so she mostly tries to copy what we're doing and then wanders off to play with sticks and leaves. We did get a 3 hour stretch out of her on Sunday, but we were planting raspberries and she was highly motivated. She will sit with her baby sister and keep her happy for a bit so I can get things planted, but that doesn't last more than an hour.

She does want to help VERY badly. She trots after her daddy and wants to be just like him. She loves being outside and rushes to help however she can, but then ends up looking for bugs for hours.

I know this is TOTALLY normal at 5. But, at what age do I push for more? Can anyone give me an idea of what they're capable of at each age?

The hardest thing is that we grow food on land that we own with some other families, and NONE of the other children help out (even the older ones). So, she doesn't have any kid role models to look up to and mimic.

I'm also worried about the long term effect of her seeing all the other kids so idle. At this age, she still has the desire to participate, but I can't see how we're going to hold onto that as she gets older when all she sees is the other children goofing around while the adults do all the work.

Anyone do this with kids?

[DirtRoadMama]

I think that your daughter is going to be more concerned with what she is expected to do as a member of your family, rather than what the other kids are expected to do (aside from maybe a bit of jealousy if they get to be lazy all the time). I remember looking at my friends and thinking that so many of them weren't as strong or as responsible as I was. A lot of that is going to come from praise heaped upon your daughter for all the help she gives. Anything she does that isn't play should be rewarded with praise. Helps to plant? Praise. Feeds the chickens? Praise. Helps call the chickens to feed them? Praise. Plays with the baby so mama can work? Praise. Go ahead and sound like a broken record.

I think she is doing plenty for a 5 year old. I don't think I really started having full-on chores until I was around 10 or older. By that, I mean chores that I did without supervision, without having to be reminded daily. I would just keep it fun, and let her participate in what she wants to.

Her playing with bugs and leaves is a good thing. It is getting her used to being outside, being in the dirt, and learning about nature. That is how she'll know what is a weed and what is a purposefully grown plant.

[Alyantavid]

Well we were doing lots of things by that age growing up, but I also have some issues with my childhood.

My kids help out in the garden. They love picking, they love digging and picking rocks. Weeding doesn't really interest them (don't blame them there), they do like to help with watering and planting, which is supervised, but how else will they learn? My kids love our garden, my 3.5 year old has asked a million times over the past few weeks when we'll have a garden again.

I think that letting her learn when she's showing an interest and then letting her play as well will make her more inclined to help out. Looking at bugs is as educational as gardening.

[anstar]

We were all expected to participate in family chores (i.e. - big projects like butchering, rock picking, picking potatoes, the really big all day kind of stuff), but according to our ability. It wasn't until I was 12 or so that I was expected to do any independant chores. Unfortunately, it was only shortly after that that we left the farm.
My cousin, who is 18 now and still lives on the farm, was made wholly responsible for specific things from about 10 on. He had his own steer, his own horse, his own chickens, that kind of thing. Because he was expected to reap all of the benefits and rewards, he was expected to be responsible for all of the work involved. Obviously his parents helped him determine what work needed to be done and reminded him of his responsibilities, but they never did his work for him. He also participated in the family chores, and more and more as he continued to grow. I envied him growing up - though we had similar responsibilities, he was better paid for his labors. Now he does a lot of work, but has a new pickup, etc. at 18 as a result of his hard work.

I plan to encourage my children (currently 4,3, and 1) to assist with family chores as they are able. I do hope to someday give them full responsibility for something (a small raised vegetable garden), from which they can expect to receive the full reward of their work (eat it, sell it to mom, sell it at market, whatever). When will I do that? I'm not sure. I do know that they aren't there yet.

[JamieCatheryn]

Oh anstar I love that idea of giving full responsibility of a garden bed over to them and buying their veggies from them or letting them sell at a market. Safer than an animal in case of failure, but still a big and rewarding thing. Last year and starting out this one too DS1 (3 almost 4) has grown a small patch of carrots and I've led him in planting and watering and harvesting them, and have thanked and praised him lots for the food. He does best with quickly finished chores, without much to remember for long: fetch that for me, take this there, water this, stir that.

[iowaorganic]

I was doing hog chores by myself daily at the age of 7. DH was doing chores of various nature at the age of 5. My DD is 4 and this year she will get her own patch for whatever she would like to plant. Last year I planted a couple of rows of peas that went just for DD and DS1 for snacking. Little ones are great for picking- not so much anything else. But you can have you DC pick up sticks, rake, pick flowers, etc that is still helping out.

[sapientia]

I have great memories of helping my papa(grandfather) with the gardening and farming...we just did age appropriate stuff till we got older and helped out with the cows and chickens and all that as we got old enough to be safe about it...although we always 'rode along' to mend or build fence or to count or feed the cows or what have you. It was all learning.
My parents also had a garden and assorted farm critters-we helped everyday but again, age appropriate. I suppose at ten or eleven was when we sorta handles stuff on our own. Byy twelve I had definitely weeded and picked many a row of peas. (large gardens). We got praise but it was never overdone-it was all about being part of what needed to be done.
My kids have always just followed me as I work. I give them the odd chore but as tehy get older they get more involved. They might help me dig and ring a a new bed with stones or like just recently my 15 yo daughter helped me build a good sized chicken pen. They love itr and it's great to see them encourage the toddler (2) to help. He loves it!

[Rainbow2911]

I think it very much an individual thing. We had regular jobs looking after creatures when I was growing up from about 10 or so. And we had a patch of land to learn to grow on from fairly young and did age appropriate jobs as they came up.
My dd is 5 and is a fabulous gardener. You can just give her a job with minimal instruction and off she goes. She has her own patch of land to plant this year as well as helping with various weeding and mulching jobs. On the other hand her older brother, 7, isn't interested. He will help for very short bursts with a lot of coaching and help but won't see a job through. The little guy (3) has a lot of enthusiasm but isn't yet able to be much help. I can get a lot of help from dd now, but I am not expecting to be able to get much from the boys until they are a little older.

[Chicky2]

We have a small farm (only 5 acres, but plenty big enough for lots of opportunity for responsibility), and my kids do lots to help out. The 9 and 11 yo have their own dairy goats that they bought themselves. The 11 yo won an art contest, and won a meat goat, which we were not set up for. So the contest people sold the goat and gave her the cash. The 9 yo also won a chunk in that same contest. They bought their goats, and also the fencing and supplies to keep them. They do almost everything w/their goats. They clean the goat house, they water and feed, brush and clean hooves. They trim hooves, and worm and all that stuff. They also help scoop and haul poop from the rabbitry to the garden. They feed and water the rabbits, chickens, and guineas each day. They completely take care of the 50 chicks we got, and yesterday they put up construction mesh to make a safe place for the chicks to go outside and play in the sun 'til they get older. They help water and plant and weed. The 11 yo is responsible this year for weaning bunnies. The 11 yo is starting to mow this year, and both of them can drive the little tractor just fine. Last year the 11 yo would go behind me when I mowed and use the push mower for touch up. The 9 yo will take over that responsibility this year. They both help to prepare veggies for putting by (canning, freezing, and dehydrating). They both help occupy their 3 yo sis while I do chores that I need to do (like putting in raised garden beds this year). We moved out here when they were 4 and 2, and their responsibilities have grown with them. I'd say once they hit 6 or 7 they had quite a few responsibilities. My 3 yo helps water and dig and find worms for the raised beds. She helps feed chickens and rabbits. She mostly tags along and we find little things for her to do.

Oh, and they ALL help out on butchering days. There's always LOTS and lots to do for everyone 'cause we have BIG butcher days (3-5 goats, several pigs, or 30 or so rabbits).

As they grow and eat more, they really understand why they need to help so much. My 11 yo already did tons of chores this morning and she's already eaten 6 times since 7 am.

I'm going to let them do a milk fed pumpkin this year, just like Almanzo did in Farmer Boy.

And they help chop, haul, and stack firewood, too. And they are responsible for keeping the wood box full in the house.

ETA: this doesn't even include their duties in the house!!!

[Rainbow2911]

Originally Posted by Chicky2

Oh, and they ALL help out on butchering days. There's always LOTS and lots to do for everyone 'cause we have BIG butcher days (3-5 goats, several pigs, or 30 or so rabbits).

I'd forgotten about this! That was a big job that we were involved in from a fairly early age - bagging and labelling meat when we were small and helping with cutting as we got bigger. This thread is bringing back some memories for me!
Your kids sound wonderfully helpful and competent!

[Chicky2]

Originally Posted by Rainbow2911

I'd forgotten about this! That was a big job that we were involved in from a fairly early age - bagging and labelling meat when we were small and helping with cutting as we got bigger. This thread is bringing back some memories for me!
Your kids sound wonderfully helpful and competent!

Yeah, my kids fill water buckets for washing hands and meat and knives, haul off offal to the fire, carry bowls of cut up meat to the grinding station, help stuff casings, fetch stuff, and carry trays of packaged meat to the freezer.

And yes, my kids are wonderful!!! Thank you!

[kriket]

I grew up on a horse farm, so ever so slightly different.

We were responsible for chores from about 8 on. We were LDS so 8 was a big birthday for us, a lot of things happen when you are 8 if you are Mormon.

Anyways, I wanted to suggests 'loading' her chores. Like everything on our farm was color coded and practically idiot proof. Feeding horses is a good kid chore (like I said, we didn't have any 'real' animals) when you went in to the barn to feed, you gave them each their stack of hay (the bales are too big for a kid to get down, so mom would, and lay out how many she wanted to feed each horse the next day, 'loading' this chore, getting it ready for us) Each horse has a different colored cup for grain, our App was purple, morgan was blue and the curlys were green and red.

It also come in handy if for some reason you have to have someone else watch your farm. Everyone knows how to count, and their colors (except our cups had their colors written on them because our neighbor is color blind) so moral of the story, make things easy and they can do quite a bit!