Spring on the Farm: Farm Kid Edition

*This post has been sponsored by Theisen's.  

All views and opinions shared are my own.*

Spring has finally arrived this year, a little delayed, but nonetheless it is here and our whole family is excited and ready.  I'm not sure who is more excited, My Farmer so he can start planting corn and soybeans, or the kids so they can do all of their favorite spring time things:

Get Bottle Lambs

For the last few years we have gotten our kids some bottle lambs or bottle goats to take care of as their own spring and summer projects on the farm.  While we do raise pigs on our farm, the pig barns are a mile away, so the kids aren't able to help with the pigs always.  Having the bottle lambs or goats here on our acreage allows the kids to take care of them daily, be active caregivers, and gives them responsibility.  If you follow me on Instagram you saw that we got this year's bottle lambs, Connor and Chance last week!  

Miss A with Connor and Mr. K with Chance

A Little Dirt Never Hurt

Have you ever heard the saying "A Little Dirt Never Hurt"?  When I hear this I can't help but think of my kids and memories of my sisters and I growing up on the farm.

During fall harvest my kids spend many hours in the field with their Dad and I, which let's be honest, is a kind of dirty job.  After all, we are literally working in the dirt.  (My agronomy professor would be very disappointed in me for just calling soil dirt...)  But you know what, My Farmer and I, and are kids, wouldn't want it any other way!

Our kids love being outside and being apart of the farm.  They play in the sand and mud, they climb fences, they pick wildflowers, they help in the field and garden and they love exploring our acreage.  There have been many times I have had to tell my kids to not leave the mudroom and to take off all their clothes by the wash before they go anywhere in the house.  I love that they enjoy getting a little dirty and the truth is, it is good for them!

Being exposed to a little dirt truly makes people healthier by toughening up their immune systems.  There have actually been several studies that state that farm kids are healthier than those that live in urban areas.  The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology has found that non-farm families are diagnosed with asthma nearly twice as much as farm-dwelling families.  And as for hay fever, nearly four times as many non-farm family members are diagnosed than farm family members.  Animals can be beneficial too.  A study published last year in the Journal of Pediatrics suggests that babies raised around dogs are 31% more likely to be healthy.  And for you cat fans, 6% healthier.  Their research poses that animals help children's immune systems mature faster, because animals help them grow antibodies to better combat infections.

Does a dirty farm dog like ours
make our kids even healthier???

So what do you think?  Do you believe that "A Little Dirt Never Hurt"?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

(This post is a part of a 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series.  The best way to keep up with this series is to follow via email on the right sidebar of this post or by following on Bloglovin.  Also be sure to like the Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids Facebook page for daily updates from the field.)

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