Blueberry Picking Activities



As a stay at home mom of three kids, I am always looking for fun and inexpensive activities to keep them busy.  My friend, Lindy also has three kids about the same age as mine so she suggested we take the kiddos blueberry picking.

Blueberry picking all by itself is not enough to fill a morning of fun for all six of the littles so we needed to add a few more things to the day.  First, we stopped to feed the animals on the farm.  The little kids had fun trying to name the animals.  The babies enjoyed "talking" to the animals.


My friend then read "Blueberries For Sal" by Robert McCloskey to all six kids.   She and I both loved this book as kids and she thought it would be the perfect book to introduce blueberry picking to the kids.  


As you can see from the picture below, the kids really got into the story.  The bigger kids especially liked the part about the bear and wondered if we would see a bear on our adventure that day.  

 
The littler guys liked the "keplunk" sound that the blueberries made when Sal dropped the blueberries into the pail.  We even brought our own tin pails for the kids so they could make their own "kerplunk" sounds. 

  
 After reading the book, I wanted some things to do with the kids based on the book.  I searched Pinterest and I found a website that offered FREE printables based on "Blueberries for Sal,"


Blueberries for Sal free printables from Homeschool Creations
 
I laminated the printable matching cards and gave one set to each of the two little boys.   I used them as "word hunt" cards instead of a matching game.  I would ask the boys to, "find the picture of bear, etc."  The cards all contained words from the story.  
 

 
The older kids needed more of a challenge so I printed out and laminated the free puzzle page.  They worked on their puzzle while the little boys did their word activity. 
  



After our story and activities we spent some time checking out the tractor.   Both the little and big kids enjoyed that! 



The actual blueberry picking was so much fun!  The two babies (both of them are 16 months old) did not blueberry pick.  The four older kids really enjoyed picking the blueberries.   The two oldest kids were very particular about which blueberries they picked.



The two little boys (both almost 3 years old) had so much fun!  They both made "kerplunk" noises when they dropped their berries in their tin pails.  It was so cute to see that they had paid attention to the story! 


 I wish that the entire day was a positive one!  It is a shame when an almost perfect day has to be ruined.  I wish I didn't have to write about this part of the day but it would be a disservice to others to ignore it.  


We chose to go blueberry picking at Emery's Farm in New Egypt, NJ.  It was about a 45 minute ride from our homes.    We will NEVER go back there again.  They are not happy when customers come in with children.   

 
They have a 2 children per adult policy.  I have 3 children and my friend has 3 children.  We realized they weren't going to let us into the blueberry fields!  We strapped the two babies into a double jogging stroller and informed the workers that we would only have the two oldest kids picking the blueberries.  They still would not let us in!   

I had to wait by the tractor with the babies and two of the kids while my friend entered the fields with two of the kids.   After they finished, we switched places and let the other two kids into the field.  It was really sad that the siblings could not blueberry pick together.    

So if you have a "larger" family, please check the reviews online before heading out to Emery's in New Egypt, NJ.  You can see from the reviews that they will send your business away if you have more than two children!



48 comments:

  1. At least the start of your day started off nicely! I love that you tied it all together with a great book!

    I am sorry to hear that your children could not pick berries with their siblings. You are right to include that part in your post -- I hope many near you read it.

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  2. I was totally thinking about the book Blueberries for Sal when I took my kids blueberry picking last week! I love your pails! We went in Michigan, and fortunately our farm was not as "picky" as the farm you went to. That's such a shame. Found your post through OneMommy. :)

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  3. How fun! I really like the idea of doing a book with the theme and incorporating it into your activity for the day! Thanks for linking up with us this week! :)

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  4. First of all I am VERY impressed with your pre-planning activities. And how fun that you both have kids similar ages. Second of all- yikes! Who know a farm could be so unwelcoming of children! What a mess! Thanks for linking up! We're going blackberry picking tomorrow :)

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  5. Ah, how sad that they have that policy! I've never heard of such a thing :( I will definitely be asking about that as I look at different u-pick farms in the future. But it looks like your kiddos had fun anyway. And I love the idea of extending the activities with some sneaky learning! We just took our kids fishing last weekend and this makes me think that the next time we go I should make a whole day of it, too!

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  6. How sad that you all did not get to pick together! I'm surprised that it wasn't family friendly. I love the preplanning that you guys did:) It looks like the kids had fun anyway.

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  7. Awww! That stinks that they wouldn't allow them to pick together.... doesn't really make sense? What would it have hurt? It looks like a fabulous day, otherwise. Love all of the activities that you planned! SO CREATIVE! :)
    -Heather
    www.stringtownhome.net

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  8. I just saw your blog on Commona-my house blog. I'm sorry they wouldn't let the little ones pick the berries what they did get a great learning experience for the future.
    I would love it if you would link up with us at my weekly Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!

    http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/07/clever-chicks-blog-hop-45-with-three.html

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  9. Such a lovely day great ideas to keep the kids entertained.
    Shame about the miserable people at the fields what a silly rule! Glad u still managed to have fun though.

    Beautiesunlocked.blogspot.co.uk

    Lx

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  10. So sorry about the problems you encountered, but what a fabulously planned activity day for your kids!! Great job, mom. ;) Thanks for linking up to Give Me the Goods!

    Rachel @ Maison de Pax

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  11. So sad to hear how the day ended... but at least the kids had fun :) I love the way you planned the day. This a great activity for kids. Thanks for linking up to the Less Laundry, More Linking party. Hope to see you there again with us next week!

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  12. Wow! Such a good job you had those activities planned. Who'd have imagined that they'd rather turn you away than have repeat business fro two families. Bad business sense, but awesome fore planning on your part!

    Thanks for linking to Friendly Friday xx

    http://charliebeth.blogspot.co.uk/

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  13. Visiting from raising imperfections blog hop. Looks like you guys had a great time. I didn't know you could pick blueberry's. Thanks for the ideas :)

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  14. Looks like it was so fun for the kiddos!

    Thank you for linking to Raising Imperfection.
    Please come back Friday to see if you were featured. :)

    ¤´¨)
    ¸.•*´
    (¸¤ Lanaya | xoxo
    Raising-Reagan.com

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  15. Fun activities! Thanks for linking to my Pin Me Linky Party.

    That is ridiculous that they turn away larger families!!

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  16. Hi Amy - it sounds like a happy day with the exception of not being able to all enjoy it together. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing at Best of the Weekend! Pinning to our party board and hope you will join us again this Friday. Have a happy week!

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  17. What a neat experience you ladies created for those children!! I am sorry the rules at that place, however, were so rigid and unforgiving! Thanks a bunch for linking up with me last week!

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  18. Pity about the farm but sounds like you made it a special blueberry day for the kids with the help of the book.

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  19. Blueberry and strawberry picking as a kid is one memory that has stuck with me all of these years. A great experience, and it looks like you guys made it even better :)

    We've run into that 'child-free zone' in fields before. I understand that the farmers don't want the kids to ruin their crops, but I still find it a shame for the children.

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  20. I love your activity and book choice. Blueberries for Sal is one of my favorite books. We go apple and strawberry picking but we've never done blueberries. Got to try that!

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  21. Too bad that the well-planned activity had to be ruined. I am sure that this business has lost many customers with their rude and unreasonable policies. Great idea to pair with Blueberries for Sal...I love that book. Again sorry about your experience. Fortunately, we have a annual blueberry festival for children nearby that is very family friendly!

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  22. Looks like you had so much fun! We loved the book and have read it many times over! But have yet to go blueberry picking (we have tried cherries and strawberries, but not blueberries yet!) Thanks for sharing your fun activity and pictures on Kid Lit Blog Hop!
    -Reshama @StackingBooks.com

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  23. I love Blueberries for Sal! It's such a lovely book, and I love the idea of pairing it with a morning of berry picking. I am so sorry to hear that the farm had such unreasonable policies! I would think that having the babies in a stroller would be a fair solution. Thank you for sharing your experience, so that others know to call ahead and make arrangements.

    Thanks for linking up to the Kid Lit Blog Hop!
    -Katie (Hostess)

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  24. Oh, what a shame that the blue berry picking was ruined by the farm shenanigans. Thanks so much for a great insight into your lovely little family and their reading adventures.

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  25. I love blueberries and LOVE that book :) We are featuring your post tomorrow on Share It Saturday. Thanks for linking up with us!
    Colleen at Sugar Aunts

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  26. I can't believe that this farm would do that - it is absolutely ludicrous. I'm very impressed by the fact that you stayed, because I'm sure I would have left if I didn't meet the requirement. Ok, that aside, blueberry picking is one of my most favorite things to do with my kids. I look forward to it every year and we just happen to be about a 15 minute car ride away from the blueberry patch. Yum-yum! Great book as well. Thanks for sharing in the Kid Lit Blog Hop. New follower! :)

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  27. Holy cow! I'm in PA and with the farms in our states, I have never heard of that requirement anywhere. How very sad and I'm sorry you had that experience. I am also impressed you stayed. Your post caught my eye b/c Blueberries for Sal is one of my favorite books. Thanks for sharing. I am hopping along the blog hop.

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  28. Awwww, good thing you still had other activities in line. It would really have been too frustrating if there was nothing else to do in that farm. Blueberry picking is so neat, I enjoyed every bit of it when we did. Whew, off to the store to get ingredients for blueberry cheesecake! I know, it sounds too rich but I am happy with just a small slice....

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  29. Very clever coming up with all the great activities. It is a shame the farm was not more kid friendly. Stopping by from Monday's reflections. Have a wonderful week.
    Blessings,
    Shari

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  30. I don't understand that silly policy of only two children per an adult...crazy. At least your other activities turned out well and kept the kids busy. Thanks for sharing the printables that go along with the story on Merry Monday.

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  31. Im sure glad you had some other activities panned, they must have a thing against kids, the sign says it all. But the kis looked like they enjoyed themselves. Thanks for stopping by this week, hope you enjoy your day!!

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  32. I'm glad you had a good fun day apart from the 2 children rule and the service the place provided. #manicmondays

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  33. Great post Amy, I love the blueberry picking and the card game. I'm trying to create something for my educatin pages very like this right now. A wonderful day out.

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  34. What a wonderful activity for the kids! Blueberry picking after reading a book about blueberries - then the fun activities! Too bad it didn't go the way you wanted it to. Unfortunately, there are several U-Pick farms doing the same thing in my area. One of the strawberry farms that used to be U-Pick is no longer. Their reasoning was that the kids were stepping all over the strawberries and ruining their profits. I can understand that. But blueberries? You would have to be a gymnast to step on a blueberry while it's still attached to the plant! :) Oh well. The good thing is that the kids won't remember the bad part - just the good!

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  35. Saw your post on the link-up. What a great field trip! I'm going to share this idea with our local group.

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  36. Thanks for linking up at the Homeschool Linky Party! I love all of the creative ideas that you and your friend came up with so the kids could make a day out of picking blueberries. I too think it is a shame all of the siblings could not enjoy the picking together however I love your honesty and think the farms policy is ridiculous and not family friendly at all.

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  37. What a great day out. Shame about the silly policy but at least you came prepared. It look's like you all had a great day anyway.

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  38. So many fun, creative things to do; what a great day, and the memories you created.... awesome. So sad that they don't let kids pick together. That's a major bummer. Thanks so much for sharing at Inspire Me Wednesday. Featuring you in next week's issue.

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  39. Blueberry picking looks so fun; I've never done it! And the kiddos are very cute, looks like they really enjoyed themselves. Too bad about that business not letting all the kids in...You think they would've since 2 of the babes were in a stroller. Great post!

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  40. I love your post. What fun. Sorry about the way it ended. Thanks for sharing at The Gathering Spot. :)

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  41. Thanks for sharing this at the #WWDParty!

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  42. What a shame that they wouldn't let you all in considering the babies weren't picking. It did look like lots of fun :) Great activities too!

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  43. What a lovely fun day! Thanks for linking up to the parenting pin it party!

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  44. I'm so impressed by all the wonderful coordinated activities you put together. What a thoughtless place, to "punish" larger families!!

    Thanks for linking up at HDYDI.

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  45. Thanks for linking up to the Natural Living Monday and Healthy Meal Planning linkup! I love the printables you added to this post - I will share with my kids for sure! I also can't believe you couldn't go into the fields with the babies strapped to you - I understand they might not want so many kids running around their plants but babies are babies and you were not letting them roam free.

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  46. The two child policy is really sad. Sorry that you had to deal with that! I would have never thought to have all the fun activities that you got together for your littles. Maybe in the future I will think of something cool like that. :-)
    Thanks for linking up in the Bloggers Brags Pinterest party, I hope you come back again today and link up more awesome posts and ideas!

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  47. I have never been blueberry picking, but that policy is crazy! They must have had some terrible kids go there in the past. I have 5 kids, so even if my husband and I both went, we wouldn't be able to pick the blueberries with the whole family. I have pinned this post. Thanks for linking up to Creative K Kid's Tasty Tuesdays!

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  48. Oh, what a horrible policy!! When I took my daughter blueberry picking the first time, it was at a home where you made an appointment to pick. The woman was a bit concerned about having a three-year-old pick, but was very impressed when my daughter already knew how to pick (she had tried to show her and my daughter showed the woman instead). Glad you at least had a good time. Thanks for sharing at Sharing Saturday!

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