On Wednesday, March 2, Natural Therapies at Big Maple Farm launched their Books in the Barn program which allows local youth to sit and read to farm animals. A wide variety of Dr. Seuss books and other books for ages 5-13 were available for reading, or registered youth could bring their own books to read.
There were chairs in the various stalls, along with a volunteer, so the youngsters could read to a miniature donkey, several miniature ponies, or the lambs, in a safe, yet still personal setting close enough to be petted. Dr. Seuss’ cupcakes and games helped launch this inaugural Books in the Barn program.
“The best part of this program is the opportunity to read in a non-judgmental setting because the Miniature Ponies and Miniature Donkey love to hear voices, and they don’t care if words are missed or pronunciations are wrong. not accurate,” Amanda said. Balon, Executive Director of Natural Therapies at Big Maple Farm. “We intend to offer this reading program on a weekly basis. We ask parents to register on the link provided in order to have an estimate of the number of young people who plan to attend each week.
Books in the Barn is every Wednesday from 6:45-7:15 p.m. Young people can attend the full half hour or just 15 minutes of the program, as 15 minutes is enough to read one of the small books available.
Books in the barn will also be offered on the first and third Sundays of each month from 3-4:30 p.m. Again, youth can attend the full hour and a half or just part of that time.
Parents can register their child for Books in the Barn at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/books-in-the-barn-tickets-266216499717. It is important to register in advance so that the appropriate number of volunteers can be available for each week.
Big Maple Farm Natural Therapies is located at 877 Long Level Road, Ridgway, seven miles north of Ridgway. Questions can be directed to ambalon46@gmail.com.
