June is National Dairy Month... Kansas City kids can learn about dairy cows, farming, milk, cheese making, eggs and delicious dairy products at these local attractions and events!
Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead
- When, Where, What: Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead (13800 Switzer, Overland Park, KS) 913.897.2360. Admission: Mon., - Thur., FREE; Fri. - Sun., $2/person; 1 & under free. The Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 1 to Oct. 31. During the summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day), the Farmstead is open until 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.
- Discover Dairy: Every time we ask KC Parent readers about their favorite family attractions in Kansas City, the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead always gets a top mention. The Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead features many wonderful attractions to help children learn and appreciate animals, nature, and the outdoors, but one of the highlights is the Dairy Barn. The 5,000 square foot Dairy Barn is home to calves of the major dairy breeds, a Holstein and a Jersey/Holstein cow, in and around the barn. The Dairy Barn is also home to Rosie, the life-size milking cow model children can milk by hand. Interactive exhibits help children learn more about dairy.
- BONUS EVENT: Farmstead Dairy Days June 11. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., there will be programs, games and other activities that will educate visitors about nutrition and healthy lifestyles, including:a mix-it-with-milk station; a dunk tank; "Cowculus," the interactive cow trivia game; live cow milking in the Dairy Barn; Ice cream for $1; and much more! This event is free ($2 admission fee required for the Farmstead). All daily Farmstead attractions will be open. 913.897.2360 www.opkansas.org/Events/Dairy-Day
Shatto Milk Company
- When, Where, What: www.ShattoMilk.com (9406 N. Hwy 33, Osborn, MO) 816.930.3862. Shatto Milk Company is a working dairy farm and milk bottling company offering tours to groups of any size. Call 816.930.3862 to schedule a tour or attend a special event. Tours are $5/ea. (for those 2 and up).
- Discover Dairy: The Shatto family has farmed their land for more than 120 years, 70 of those as a dairy farm, with the milk bottling company opening in 2003. One thing that sets Shatto apart is that their cows are not treated with growth hormones. And of course, kids love another Shatto trademark… the unique flavors of delicious milk. From start to finish, you’ll witness where milk comes from on a Shatto tour. Children delight in petting calves, milking cows and meeting the famously happy herd. Watch through a window as milk is processed and bottled, and end your tour sampling delightful flavors! Root beer, strawberry, orange crème, banana and traditional whole or chocolate milk are a few delicious flavors of cold, creamy milk. New in 2011, they opened a brand new Cheese Making Facility and visitors watch the cheese making process firsthand!
- BONUS EVENT: Shatto Family Day at the Farm June 18, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Shatto Dairy Farm (816.930.3862). This FREE event celebrates June as dairy month and thanks the entire Metropolitan region for their support of Shatto Milk Company, the area's true local family dairy farm. Enjoy entertainment, hay rides and free lunch. http://www.shattomilk.com/tours.html
Green Dirt Farm
- When, Where, What: www.GreenDirtFarm.com 816.386.2156, In Weston, MO. The farm is open for tours Wednesday-Sunday. Tours are $8/ea. (for those 2 and up). Sturdy closed-toe shoes are important for the pasture walk. Call 816.386.2156 or email tours@GreenDirtFarm.com to make a reservation.
- Discover Dairy: Green Dirt Farm is a working sheep farm on the bluffs of the Missouri River Valley and they offer an educational tour unlike any other. Guests learn why grass is the best food for the 150 ewes on the farm, how important healthy soil is to the environment and what makes the cheese so good. Visitors also learn about pasture rotation while watching the dairy sheep graze on the hills. The highlights of the tour though, are the final steps: watching as the sheep are milked, the cheese is made in the kitchen and tasting samples! “During the tour, we talk about what grasses the sheep eat and how those grasses can be detected in the flavor of our cheeses,” Jacqueline Smith says. “It’s great to see kids tasting our cheese with such attentiveness to the flavor.”
Bryant Family Farm
- When, Where, What: www.BryantFamilyFarm.com. 913.682.6811, In Leavenworth, KS.Call 913.682.6811 to schedule a tour.
- Discover Dairy and more: The Bryants have been farming since 2000, producing all natural grass-fed beef, pasture-raised turkeys and chickens and raw milk. Visitors enjoy touring the operating farm beginning at the hen house where children see healthy laying hens. Throughout the tour, learn how an alpine buck, milking goats, grass-fed turkeys, grass-fed cattle, chickens and pigs are raised in a natural and healthy environment.
Homestead Creamery:
- When, Where, What: 2059 Liv 506, Jamesport, MO. 660.684.6970. BONUS TIP: Jamesport is a great Family Day Trip! Read our Jamesport Day Trip Tips here.
- Discover Dairy: The Flory’s, a Brethren family, operate this Jamesport Missouri dairy and creamery. They raise Jersey cows and make natural rinded farmstead cheese on site. On Tuesdays, you can watch cheese making. On Saturday, watch cheese packaging. They provide free samples of the cheeses in their shop. When our family toured the Creamery, the Flory girls gave my children a tour of the farm and helped teach them to bottle feed Jersey calves.
I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream
- Ice Cream Dreamery June 25, 11am-4pm, Crown Center Square. This fundraiser for The Children's Place features ice cream tastings, contests, inflatables and entertainment. Tip: Discover more FREE Fun at Crown Center here. 816.274.8444 www.crowncenter.com
- Make Your Own Ice Cream Treats Enjoy some delicious family fun with these delicious Ice Cream Recipes from KC Parent staff members! Or, stop by U.S. Toy where you can buy a Make Your Own Ice Cream Science Kit and enjoy delicious Ice Cream with educational experiments!
- Enjoy the Most Delicious Ice Cream in Kansas City Looking for the best Ice Cream Shoppe in town? Discover the Best Ice Cream in KC and the Best Frozen Yogurt in KC!
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