Sheep & Wool Festival

Today we went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. This is the 3rd year we've gone. It is free (parking & admission) and along with the plethora of wool products (from roving to yarn to gorgeous sweaters & such) and other handcrafted items for sale (some year I'm going to ditch the kids & just spend an entire day wandering the shopping area with saved up Christmas money or early Birthday money (or both) in hand LOL), and the farmer (shepherd?) targeted stuff (sheep judging, farm equipment auctions, etc), they have some great educational stuff like sheep dog herding, sheep shearing, spinning, weaving . . .

Some highlights:

• While we were waiting for the sheep dog herding, L some some other kids running around the outside of the arena, and wanted to do it as well, A was busy picking buttercups, so L did it by herself, it was a BIG arena and she ran all the way around it (there were few enough people that I could watch her the whole time around.
• As we were leaving, L declared the funnel cake her favorite part LOL
• We saw a mandolin player (I think that's what the instrument was anyway) and the girls really enjoyed watching him for quite awhile
• A woman at a booth selling weaving looms was kind enough to give us (& another family w/ 2 little kids) a wonderful demonstration of how weaving is done, I have to admit, I was pretty fascinated too :)
  
• The sheep shearing was the same guy as last year, and just as fascinating! The girls were more interested in it this year (was still abit over their heads last year). Though they were rather concerned about whether it was hurting the sheep (a valid concern, the way they hold the sheep, though they assured us that it was comfortable for her LOL)
• Walking through the sheep barns was just as big a hit as last year, A found a sheep who said "baaa" back at her every time she said it (probably coincidence, but she thought it was pretty cool LOL)
• We also got to see/pet alpacas and angora goats

The weather was gorgeous, sunny, breezy, not too hot, not too cold! Couldn't have asked for better.

You can see other people's homeschool highlights here.