By Andrea Pelosi, Kids Outdoors Boston Parent Ambassador

The prospect of taking the “Rooms in Time Quest” drew my family to visiting Moose Hill Farm in Sharon, MA. Who could resist the idea of using rhyming clues and maps to find a hidden treasure box? If we had time afterwards, I thought it would be fun to go blueberry picking, a treasure hunt of a different sort. Another family joined us for this outing.  We arrived just ahead of them, enabling me to read through the rhyming clues. It would be fun to see how adept we were at reading the natural landscape using the clues provided by Moose Hill Farm, a property maintained by the Trustees of Reservations. 

As we embarked on our quest we were able to easily figure out the initial poetic clues. Continuing on, we found ourselves ahead of them or missing some entirely! Regardless, the children were more interested in looking for grasshoppers and butterflies than figuring out what the rhymes were describing. The poem quest added an extra informative dimension to our nature walk – it gave an interesting glimpse into the past use of the land, which was only that much more dramatic by standing at the exact location. This was especially true as we walked through woods now filled with ferns and trees that was once farmland. 

We were unsuccessful at finding the “spiky nuts or shaggy bark” of the American Chestnut. Much to our dismay, the large Oak Tree and the treasure box also proved elusive. We spent a considerable amount of effort looking but to no avail. However, we did find other treasures, including a large fly that camouflaged itself amazingly on a twig branch. Finding the treasure box would need to be postponed for another day (the thought of blueberry picking proved too irresistible for us all!).

We were at Ward’s Berry Farm within 5 minutes. The farm has a variety of pick-your-own options, depending on the season. At this time of year, blueberries are available to pick – they have an amazing amount of bushes! After paying for the containers at the farm stand, we headed to the fields of blueberry bushes, located just beyond the parking lot. There were rows and rows of them. The children immediately began picking at breakneck speed, and, unbeknownst to us, a competition had been begun between the children as to who could fill their container the fastest. 

About half way through the boys forgot, or gave up on, their first competition but started another one – how many blueberries could they catch in their mouths at once – successfully proving Olivia correct in saying that blueberries were just like popcorn.

Once we had our fill of picking, we headed to the on-site playground reminiscent of the 70s – a metal slide, swings in the shape of horses, and tires buried in the ground. We finished the afternoon with lunch at the farm stand’s sandwich bar. Of course our visit would not have been complete without looking at the 4-H Club’s animals – rabbits, bunnies, and month-old lambs. We enjoyed both farms, old and new, each for their own unique qualities.

AMC’s Outdoors with Kids Boston guidebook recommends Moose Hill Farm for all ages with its stroller-friendly options and walking trails. You will find more helpful information at Kids Outdoors Boston, where you can also comment on this trip pick and give it your own rating!

Moose Hill Farm is open every day from dawn to dusk. Before going, you can print a map by visiting: http://www.thetrustees.org/assets/documents/places-to-visit/trailmaps/Moose-Hill-Farm-Trail-Map.pdf. For more information on Ward’s Berry Farm, including pick-your-own options, visit: http://www.wardsberryfarm.com.

About the blogger: Andrea Pelosi is a featured guest blogger as part of AMC’s Kids Outdoors Boston Parent Ambassador program, which partners with local parents to share their outdoor experiences with this online community and beyond. Andrea lives south of Boston inside I-95 and enjoys exploring outdoors with her 10-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter.