Of course, I use my own children as reference, but I think it’s safe to say FARM KIDS ARE SMART!  Growing up on a farm provides unique opportunities that other children don’t experience.  I would even be so bold as to say that historically farm kids learn and understand topics that must be formally taught to others.

Kids growing up on the farm truly understand life science. If they have livestock, they have experienced the miracle of a new calf being born and watching it grow quickly.  They are even amazed at how fast that calf can run when a gate is left open!  Inevitably, they will see the end of the cycle either by illness, age, or filling the freezer. For crop kids, they see the entire plant cycle on grand scale usually up close from the tractor and combine cab.  The beginning and end of the plant life cycle is signaled by the amount of time Dad is away from home or the amount of meals consumed in a field or on a tailgate.

Problem solving happens everyday.  Our oldest son had to figure out how to get the 5 gallon bucket of feed to the calves, over a fence, when he couldn’t lift it.  He figured out what he could lift, how many trips to make and how to position himself over the feed trough to actually get it in there and not all over the ground.  Or, what about giving the kids a scoop for feed and telling them it holds 1 1/4 pounds and the cows need 5 pounds.  They will figure it out.

Farm kids make their own fun and use their creativity.  They can have more fun in a gravel pile that any toy that could be purchased.  They will climb, dig, and make forts until they have to quit. And, when their friends come over, they want to play too.  They can’t believe their is such a marvelous place to play.  They are getting fresh air and using their imagination the way kids everywhere used to.

I am sure I could go on and on with more examples of how smart farm kids are.  How lucky our kids our to grow up this way!  Did we ever think when we had kids how smart we were making them by being on the farm?  We must be great parents.