Getting the kids off the screens and into real life for the summer won’t be difficult after just one trip to The Children’s Farm at The Center in Palos Park.
Packed with unique family-friendly tours and special event weekends, The Children’s Farm could become your go-to destination all summer long.
The Children’s Farm is open from 1-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through November at a cost of $6 per person for those 2 years and older.
A typical visit allows the whole family access to a variety of barnyard buddies.
Program Director Amy DiDominicis said the family tour is an “animal experience” that opens the barns and animal pens for what might be a first look at a working farm.
For the kids, it’s just plain fun.
There’s a variety of animals to hold, to pet or to groom, including chickens, ducks, turkeys, cows, pigs, rabbits, goats, donkeys, horses and one pony named Cricket.
“Everything is hands-on,” DiDominicis said.
“We let the kids and parents get in with everything,” she said. “Nothing’s behind glass or behind a wall. They get to touch every (animal).”
To add to the old-fashioned fun, complementary tractor-drawn hay rack rides will get the family from place to place, and the kids can enjoy “pony” rides that are given by the farm’s horses, so all ages can be accommodated.
DiDominicis said that on several summer weekends, a special event adds to the fun, beginning with the 29th annual Summer Farm Fest on June 3.
The farm will kick off a summer of fun with live music, food and family activities.
Admission for a full day — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — is $6 for adults and $3 for children.
More Top Picks Used Snow Blower Price Guide
Extra activities require tickets that can be purchased for $2 each, and most activities require one ticket.
Some activities are specifically for kids, but parents are welcome to tag along.
For a single ticket, kids can play six games such as bean bag toss and ring toss.
“They’re games where everybody is a winner. Every kid takes home a prize for each game,” DiDominicis said.
Kids of all ages can enjoy crafts such as a planting project that includes painting a pot and planting a flower inside with a choice of supplies.
“Guests can leave their pots there to dry while they experience the rest of the festival,” DiDominicis said.
Adult interests are not neglected. A large garage sale and flea market with items for the whole family will indulge bargain shoppers, collectors and those looking for handmade items.
The event draws about 30 garage sale, flea market and craft vendors, DiDominicis said.
“It’s anything from kids’ sticker books to somebody who makes stained glass crafts to someone who sells Tupperware,” she said. “It’s just kind of an eclectic group of items for people to browse through.”
When the family gets hungry, options include a family picnic on the farm or purchasing burgers, hot dogs and veggie burgers hot off the farm’s Weenie Wagon grill. Fresh lemonade and watermelon are part of the summer menu of snacks and goodies for purchase.
A second special event during regular farm hours June 24 and 25 features a Sustainable Agricultural and Green Education open house. The SAGE program is typically not open to the public, but the special event opens the barns and pastures to visitors and offers SAGE produced products for purchase.
DiDominicis said exposing families to the SAGE program will give them an idea of what the slower pace of farm life is like while showcasing how the program is “challenging what modern agriculture looks like now with the concept of factory farms and showing alternative ways to care for animals even in a food production way.”
DiDominicis said for visitors concerned about the treatment of farm animals, the “dedicated staff” at The Children’s Farm makes sure each day that all of the animals “are well cared for and very much respected.”
July’s special Horse Shoe Craft weekend will be July 8-9 during regular hours. Every family will be able to make a complementary photo frame from a horse shoe once used by the farm’s horses as a keepsake of their visit.
More than just a summer weekend destination, The Children’s Farm offers day camps, 12-night and five-night camp programs for all age levels from 3 years old through 12th grade.
DiDominicis said the camps are not only a cure for the modern nature deficit disorder, but they offer “an incredibly fun summer camp experience.”
Ginger Brashinger is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
The Children’s Farm
12700 Southwest Highway, Palos Park
Hours: 1-4 p.m. weekends except during special events. Summer Farm Fest is 10 a.m.-4 p.m. June 3; rummage sale is 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Aug. 25-26.
Admission: $6 per person for weekend family tour. Check website for event costs.
Information: 708-361-3650 or www.thecenterpalos.org