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Rain clouds moved in over the farm on Saturday morning, but a little drizzle couldn’t dampen the limits of a child’s imagination.

The Alliance for Early Childhood partnered with Historic Wagner Farm for Let’s Play at the Farm, a special event offering a morning of springtime exploration at the farm.

The Alliance for Early Childhood partnered with Historic Wagner Farm for Let's Play at the Farm, a special event on Saturday, offering a morning of springtime exploration at the farm. Farm sites for play included explorations of the 1920's historic Wagner farmhouse, bartering for vegetables at the farm stand, playing in the new adventure area playground, interacting with agricultural exhibits, craft-making, or visiting the Heritage Center, for shopping in a 1930's recreated grocery store.
The Alliance for Early Childhood partnered with Historic Wagner Farm for Let’s Play at the Farm, a special event on Saturday, offering a morning of springtime exploration at the farm. Farm sites for play included explorations of the 1920’s historic Wagner farmhouse, bartering for vegetables at the farm stand, playing in the new adventure area playground, interacting with agricultural exhibits, craft-making, or visiting the Heritage Center, for shopping in a 1930’s recreated grocery store.

“It’s our second year partnering with the Alliance for Early Childhood,” said Wagner Farm program manager, Kendra Strubhart, “and it’s wonderful to see how far kids will take their imagination to turn everyday objects into something extraordinary.”

Farm sites for play included explorations of the 1920’s historic Wagner farmhouse, bartering for vegetables at the farm stand, playing in the new adventure area playground, interacting with agricultural exhibits, craft-making, and visiting the Heritage Center, for shopping in a 1930’s recreated grocery store.

The morning also included an animal meet and greet, where families had the chance to meet a new calf, just two weeks old and yet to be named, a heifer named Jane, newly arrived pigs and lambs, and chickens in the chicken coop, organizers say.

The Alliance for Early Childhood partnered with Historic Wagner Farm for Let's Play at the Farm, a special event on Saturday, offering a morning of springtime exploration at the farm. Farm sites for play included explorations of the 1920's historic Wagner farmhouse, bartering for vegetables at the farm stand, playing in the new adventure area playground, interacting with agricultural exhibits, craft-making, or visiting the Heritage Center, for shopping in a 1930's recreated grocery store. Kids pictured at the craft table here were encouraged to let their imaginations run wild.
The Alliance for Early Childhood partnered with Historic Wagner Farm for Let’s Play at the Farm, a special event on Saturday, offering a morning of springtime exploration at the farm. Farm sites for play included explorations of the 1920’s historic Wagner farmhouse, bartering for vegetables at the farm stand, playing in the new adventure area playground, interacting with agricultural exhibits, craft-making, or visiting the Heritage Center, for shopping in a 1930’s recreated grocery store. Kids pictured at the craft table here were encouraged to let their imaginations run wild.

“Part of Saturday’s purpose, as with all of Wagner Farm programming, is to provide hands-on educational activities to families – to teach all ages about farming and about where food comes from and the process of food production,” Strubhart said.

Carly Andrews, executive director of the Alliance for Early Childhood says an important part of their mission is to bring families together for child-directed free play events during the school year.

“Children actually learn through play, and playing together as a family strengthens bonds and relationships,” Andrews said.

“It is essential to a child’s development,” Andrews added.

According to Andrews, children are rarely in control, using their imagination to make decisions, and experiencing what it is like to have other family members follow their ideas and curiosities.

The Alliance for Early Childhood website envisions a community, where parents and caregivers can put the child back in childhood, learning to build a strong developmental foundation though creative child-directed play, promoting children’s lifelong learning, accomplishment, and joy.

Lindsay McNaught of Winnetka attended with family.

Here Rowan McNaught (17 months old) and Riley McNaught (3 years old), both from Winnetka, share the fruit of the harvest, during Saturday's Let's Play at the Farm, a special event offering a morning of springtime exploration at the farm. Farm sites for play included explorations of the 1920's historic Wagner farmhouse, bartering for vegetables at the farm stand, playing in the new adventure area playground, interacting with agricultural exhibits, craft-making, or visiting the Heritage Center, for shopping in a 1930's recreated grocery store.
Here Rowan McNaught (17 months old) and Riley McNaught (3 years old), both from Winnetka, share the fruit of the harvest, during Saturday’s
Let’s Play at the Farm, a special event offering a morning of springtime exploration at the farm. Farm sites for play included explorations of the 1920’s historic Wagner farmhouse, bartering for vegetables at the farm stand, playing in the new adventure area playground, interacting with agricultural exhibits, craft-making, or visiting the Heritage Center, for shopping in a 1930’s recreated grocery store.

“We are here to play,” McNaught said.

“We just stumbled on this event unexpectedly, and it was just our luck to find some fun on the farm, and to get a chance to meet the animals,” McNaught said.

Lauren Parets of Buffalo Grove said she is always in search of new experiences that she can share with her son.

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“We have never been here before and having the resource of a farm like this is so important for our kids, it educates our children for the future, and it’s a beautiful place to play,” Parets said.

Gina Grillo is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.

Here are more photos:

Milo Parets (2 years old), from Buffalo Grove counts eggs at the farm stand during Saturday's Let's Play at the Farm, a special event offering a morning of springtime exploration at the farm. Farm sites for play included explorations of the 1920's historic Wagner farmhouse, bartering for vegetables at the farm stand, playing in the new adventure area playground, interacting with agricultural exhibits, craft-making, or visiting the Heritage Center, for shopping in a 1930's recreated grocery store.
Milo Parets (2 years old), from Buffalo Grove counts eggs at the farm stand during Saturday’s Let’s Play at the Farm, a special event offering a morning of springtime exploration at the farm. Farm sites for play included explorations of the 1920’s historic Wagner farmhouse, bartering for vegetables at the farm stand, playing in the new adventure area playground, interacting with agricultural exhibits, craft-making, or visiting the Heritage Center, for shopping in a 1930’s recreated grocery store.
The Alliance for Early Childhood partnered with Historic Wagner Farm for Let's Play at the Farm, a special event on Saturday, offering a morning of springtime exploration at the farm. Farm sites for play included explorations of the 1920's historic Wagner farmhouse, bartering for vegetables at the farm stand, playing in the new adventure area playground, interacting with agricultural exhibits, craft-making, or visiting the Heritage Center, for shopping in a 1930's recreated grocery store.
The Alliance for Early Childhood partnered with Historic Wagner Farm for Let’s Play at the Farm, a special event on Saturday, offering a morning of springtime exploration at the farm. Farm sites for play included explorations of the 1920’s historic Wagner farmhouse, bartering for vegetables at the farm stand, playing in the new adventure area playground, interacting with agricultural exhibits, craft-making, or visiting the Heritage Center, for shopping in a 1930’s recreated grocery store.
Rain clouds moved in over the farm on Saturday morning, but a little drizzle couldn't dampen the limits of a child's imagination. The Alliance for Early Childhood partnered with Historic Wagner Farm for Let's Play at the Farm, a special event offering a morning of springtime exploration at the farm.
Rain clouds moved in over the farm on Saturday morning, but a little drizzle couldn’t dampen the limits of a child’s imagination. The Alliance for Early Childhood partnered with Historic Wagner Farm for Let’s Play at the Farm, a special event offering a morning of springtime exploration at the farm.