Barnyard Buddies

Barnyard Buddies is a great program for having fun with your kids on a farm this summer.

What is Barnyard Buddies?

Barnyard Buddies is a cute monthly program geared towards younger kids on a farm.

Where is the Barnyard Buddies program?

It is at Johnson’s Locust Hall Farm.

Where is Johnson’s Locust Hall Farm?

Johnson’s Locust Hall Farm is located at 2691 Monmouth Rd, Jobstown, NJ 08041.

 

When is the program offered?

Their next programs being offered are on July 15th, August 12th and September 16th. The August 12th the story will be Little Sunflower and on September 16th the story will be Johnny Appleseed.

What are the hours for the program?

The Barnyard Buddies program at Johnson’s Locust Hall Farm is from 9 am to noon.

Is there a fee? If so, what does this include?

It is $7.25 per person and kids under 2 are free. Reserve your ticket here now: Johnson’s Locust Hall Farm Ticket Reservation for Barnyard Buddies

Tickets include a picking container for each ticket holder.

Are there bathrooms?

These bathrooms outside were open during the event.

What will I pick?

This is a surprise since it depends what is ready for picking. The story theme may give you a clue as to what you are picking. When we went in June we were able to pick lots of peaches and blackberries at Johnson’s Locust Hall Farm.

Is there a video I can watch of the event?

Here is a video of the first half of the event that I took: Barnyard Buddies at Johnson’s Locust Hall Farm Video

What are other things I can do at the farm?

I made this photo scavenger hunt that is easy to complete when you are visiting the farm: Johnson’s Locust Hall Farm Photo Scavenger Hunt.

What happens when we attend the program?

Our family attended their program on June 17th. We have been to the farm already a few times before so the kids were excited to return. Check-in is at the farm market at 9 am so we made sure to drive towards there when we drove in. There is a large parking lot in the dirt right in front of the market.

After we checked in we received brown paper bags for peach picking. The kids were very excited we were picking peaches as we had recently watched the Super Mario Brothers Movie and they had the Peaches song in their head. After this we were told we had a little time before the hayrides left. This gave the kids a chance to go see the goats and chickens outside as well as for us to put on our hats and sunblock. Some people were perusing the farm market this time itself which is a gorgeous store with all of its wood.

Next everyone headed outside to get onto the hayrides that were departing promptly at 9:30 for the picking fields. There were enough of us that we needed to go onto multiple wagons. The kids loved the ride through part of the farm until we reached the field for peach picking. The ride was also a good opportunity to talk to other parents.

Then everyone got off and headed over to the peach fields. Workers told us about tips and the areas we should be picking that were the ripest. Kids of all ages were having fun picking. Some of the younger ones who got tired quickly headed towards the hayride and had a snack while waiting for everyone else. We got lucky since when we went for our program some of the blackberries were also starting to get ripe. They told us we could also get picking containers to pick blackberries and purchase them at the farm market when we returned.

After that we soon heard the mass exodus towards the wagons so we headed back to get on board. After the hayride back to the farm market the kids all went to the back to a beautiful area that is usually reserved only for private events. There a story was read to them and there were also coloring sheets. By the time this had all ended it was around 11 pm.

The farm was still open till noon for this event which was great. We were some of the last people to stay since we had a fun time eating snacks outside, playing on play equipment and seeing the animals again. Some people had also brought their lunch and were eating their lunches at the picnic tables before heading home.

How can I incorporate some educational activities into our visit?

My kids enjoyed these free worksheets from the Teachers Pay Teachers website here: Free Farm Animal Worksheet Printables for PreK, K and 1st Grade

The Barnyard Buddies Program was a great event that I would definitely recommend. If you are looking to meet other parents it gave people many chances to do so. It was also at a great time since it started at 9 am so it was not too hot. Stay tuned for an article on Johnson’s Locust Hall Farm and other things that you can do there as well.