Willow-Mor Farms a great place for kids

Kids aren’t shy at the Willow-Mor Farms–and neither are the animals.
“Last week I had 40 kids in with the pigs,” chuckled Tom Morrish as he and his wife, Shirley, sat in their farmhouse kitchen drinking coffee and recalling some of the hundreds of children who have visited their home.
Willow-Mor Farms is a popular stop for children from any school and group with almost all types of farm animals on display.
“We’ve had 270 kids so far this year,” noted Shirley Morrish, who first began showing students around the farm when her daughter was in kindergarten.
“Our daughter, Kathy, who works with me got it started,” she added.
At the time, Kathy had described their small duck pond as being the size of a large lake. So when the very first busload of kids arrived, the teacher had them all holding onto a rope to avoid losing them in the pond.
Their daughter is now married and lives at the neighbouring farm but she still spends quite a bit of time helping out at her parents’ farm. And now most teachers don’t expect a lake when they come out.
A visit starts off with an extensive tour of the animals. The farm is a retirement home of sorts for some aged animals including an old, patient show horse and a small pony.
From there, the tour passes by a herd of young bulls to the goat pen, where students have a chance to pet the animals. A major highlight for many is the friendly chickens that run up to the fence in search of a handful of grain.
The students later are led into the coop to search for eggs, and are shown an assortment of ones from different birds, including a large goose egg.
“Every time, one of them [guesses] it’s from a rooster, without fail,” Shirley Morrish laughed.
The tours then stop at a duck pen and turkey pen, both of which will soon be bustling with ducklings and poults.
The last caged animals are the two very friendly pigs that, while a little dirty, aren’t intimidated by 40 school children wandering into their small stall.
For more than 30 years, the Morrishes have been hosting school groups, library groups, clubs, and families at their 1,000-acre spread. They are able to experience many aspects of farm life, from feeding chickens and petting pigs to running through the forest and climbing into a tree fort.
Usually children are free to run through the “enchanted forest.” Geese and sheep roam the pastures along with the cows, and every so often the farm’s border collie will chase a half-tame rabbit across a visitor’s path.
The farm’s revenue comes from the beef cattle across the road but the other animals always require lots of attention–and the Morrishes are very hesitant to bring one to the butcher.
“I spend more time looking after her tour animals than my 150 head of beef,” said Tom Morrish, who evidently enjoys it.
Also across the road what sounds like a metal rubbing metal stands Charlie, the farm’s donkey, braying for attention over a barb-wire fence.
When there are no tours passing through, a number of the Morrishes 10 grandchildren are often visiting. And the couple also is host to many foster children and other children seeking emergency care.
With antiques dotting the house and property, and freshly-baked goods always out on the picnic table, it’s never hard for the children–and grown-ups–to forget about school for the day.