Farm kid view: How I spent my quarantine

<p>FIELD KID: While the world was shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, the gift of time during shelter-in-place was a blessing in disguise for our family. Being a farm kid during the pandemic was the best place to be in the world for my kids, Addison, 5, and Rhett, 4. In a matter of weeks, day care shut down, I started working remotely from home, and my husband, Seth, started planting season. Being on the farm during this time created learning opportunities and memories that we otherwise wouldn’t have had the time to fully experience. Thanks to the help of grandparents and a very patient father, Addison and Rhett’s classrooms moved outside. During the pandemic, they were able to explore and learn through hands-on activities while also learning life lessons and practical skills. You couldn’t ask for a better classroom than the farm. Despite the craziness and extreme amount of mom guilt during this pandemic while trying to work with kids at home, I think it has created moments that we won’t ever be able to duplicate.<br />
<em>— Jessica Lambert, Macomb, Ill.</em></p>

<p>GROWING IMAGINATION: Garren, 7, talked me into a YouTube channel, <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCks07ThtZ_H4I1dtRDy8V_w" target="_blank">Grow with Garren</a></strong>. I could write a blog for all the wild imagination he graced us with: built a plutonium factory, worn the tires out on his bike with his brother, Rhett, 4. They actually started to play together! The best line from Garren was, “I love quarantine, let’s do it all the time.” If that doesn’t hit all the feels, I don’t know what does! This quarantine changed our lives in a magical way.<br />
<em>— Carrie Boelens, Atkinson, Ill.</em></p>

<p>COLLEGE GIRL: When COVID-19 hit the United States, the University of Illinois sent all students home for the semester. Leaving campus early meant I lost out on many experiences of my sophomore year and time living with my best friends at 4-H House Cooperative Sorority. But this time has also brought me many new experiences, like helping more on my family’s farm, and I was fortunate enough to keep my summer internship as a marketing intern for Wyffels Hybrids. As I settled into my new normal at home, I quickly jumped in to help my dad and grandpa. In between completing Zoom classes and assignments, I helped with things like loading the planter to put in a variety plot and checking varieties with our planting maps. I appreciated this, since I rarely get to be around the farm during planting season. And, I got hands-on experience with the material I was learning in my ag education classes. As the school year came to a close, I transitioned into my summer internship at Wyffels. Since all employees were already working from home, I have also worked from home. While I don’t get the full experience in the office, I have completed several independent projects that allowed me to be creative and learn to be self-motivated.<br />
<em>— Kelly Gill, Princeville, Ill.</em></p>

<p>GOOD READING: A lot of outdoor farming and carpet farming happening here for Ryker, 6! And after that, taking a moment to sit and read their favorite farm magazines with his dad, Andrew — Prairie Farmer included. Prairie Farmer was the first selection they read that night.<br />
<em>— Karlie Bowman, Oneida, Ill.</em></p>

<p>BUILDERS: What did our boys do during quarantine? Build! JD, 15, put an engine on a tandem bike, which he got for our veterinarian, Shawn McKim, to ride at the risk of his own peril. He also started his first “real” job working at Hess Farms. Olin, 11, however, took advantage of his dad’s extra time home and his uncle’s pile of leftover raw materials and decided to build a “man cave,” complete with insulation, vapor barrier, electricity, a fan, light switch and air conditioning. It was even built on skids so he could relocate as needed. And he did it all while doing remote schooling, working lambs and all his normal farm chores.<br />
<em>— Kea Runyan, Bushnell, Ill.</em></p>

<p>READING TIME: Our three sons were pretty bummed during COVID this spring, so we bought them two bucket calves to fill their time. We were told one was a boy and one a girl, so we named them Bruce and Karen, but then found that they were both bulls. Levi, 7, insisted on calling him Karen, with a giggle, knowing Karen was really a boy — so the name just stuck.&nbsp;He chuckles every time he calls him Karen. He loves his calves so much! Levi really needs to continue working on his reading and sight cards, but it’s summer and he hates being inside, so we find fun ways to work on reading and sight cards outside. His slogan: “Reading isn’t fun, but I love cows so, OK, fine, I will read.” He is that child who really just wants to stay home and farm!<br />
<em>— Christine Wexell, Cambridge, Ill.</em></p>

<p>BLESSING: When the stay-at-home order was placed, it was just a few weeks before we started planting. Waylon, 10, and Lila, 9, were actually very excited. Usually during planting season, kids are in school and miss most of it, except for after school or weekends. We kept them busy, and it was good to have extra hands at the field or helping me prepare lunches for the fields. We also have nine pigs, including a liter of six Chester Whites born in February. To prepare for summer shows, we added four more. With so much unknown, that’s one thing we wanted to keep normal for the kids. We are thankful for the hard work everyone is doing to provide these shows for kids.&nbsp;We definitely haven’t had too many slow days, and we’re grateful that farming didn’t stop when the rest of the world did. Being a farm kid is a true blessing. We may have struggled with e-learning from school, but I say they have learned so much more outside of the books.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
<em>— Katie Armstrong, Pleasant Plains, Ill.</em></p>

<p>CHILD LABOR: Our kids loved helping with all the tiling projects this spring, around the house and pasture. My husband, Todd, and I have three kids: Nathan, 7; Hailey, 5; and Lindsey, 2. I think this particular picture is hilarious because they are all working while Todd is on the phone. The quarantine also made for plenty of tractor time for spring fieldwork, and for driving Mom and Dad crazy!<br />
<em>— Megan Dwyer, Geneseo, Ill.</em></p>

<p>BEST DAY EVER: Quarantine was definitely a new (and crazy) experience. My sisters and I kept busy in so many ways, and we all tried to be as productive as possible. Our family raises corn, soybeans and cattle, and my sisters and I do a lot of work with the cattle. The day captured in this photo was definitely one of the most productive of them all. This goofy picture doesn’t even tell the whole story! That day in the pasture, we picked up sticks for most of the afternoon. While we were at it, we saw a snake, a family of deer and even a whole hip bone from who-knows-what. The picture shows our muddy boots, and trust me, it was muddy. At one point, even our dog got stuck. Of course, while we were in the pasture, we had to visit our show heifers. I gravitated to one of my favorites, Free Fall/Unicorn, and my sister Mabrey, 12, found Classy Girl. Paisley, 11, ended up just hanging out with our dog because by then, the rest of the herd had gone elsewhere. In all, quarantine has been a blast, and we are blessed to live on a farm where we can keep plenty busy.<br />
<em>— Conley Schick, 13, Clinton, Ill.</em></p>