One of the joys of Autumn and childhood has got to be corn and hay mazes and this year, in honor of the King Tut Exhibit at the Pacific Science Center, the Schilter Family farm near Olympia, Washington has created a King Tut Corn Maze. The temptation of this maze was just too much... we had to go. I contacted friends who also homeschool and together, the boys and I and James(13), Grace(7) and Deena (Mom) traveled up. The drive took about an hour but the kids, all of whom are good friends, were so busy chatting that I don't think they noticed. They tumbled out of the car when we arrived still in full voice.
The Hay Ride
After paying for our tickets -- a small 5$ fee per person which included not only the Maze but a hay jump, petting zoo, hay maze, hay pyramid, and play ground, we loaded up onto the tractor and enjoyed a ride around the farm to the corn maze entrance. The children got that extra frission when the Tractor driver told them handed them maps to the maze, pointed out the entrance and the exit and told them that he was sorry but he wasn't quite sure where the Mummy was... Keep in mind, all four kids are Minecraft crazy...
Entering the Maze
Like a Minecraft Zombie
As a part of the Adventure, the Schilter Family Farm provides each maze explorer with a puzzle map. Within the Maze are nine clues. The Map has nine Hieroglypic puzzles that the clues are designed to help the explorer solve. Upon completion of the Maze and the puzzle, the explorer turns in his/her sheet for a chance to win tickets to the P.C.C. King Tut exhibit. The Grand Prize includes overnight accommodations at a Downtown Seattle Hotel and transportation to the event...
Solving Hieroglyphs
Saturday, September 22nd, 2012, 11:30am
Initially the older two read the map carefully and tried valiantly to decipher to what part of the large image (see above), the map referred. The younger two, though initially they followed, quickly became disenchanted with this methodical approach. Rebellion was brewing. Mothers stepped in. Peace was restored by allowing the youngers their chance at leadership... which devolved rapidly into a mad charge through the maze.
The Maze was HUGE. After an hour and a half wandering around, the children were hungry and thirsty. Granola bars solved the one but we had no water. Told that we could leave to go get water but that this meant we'd have to end the search for clues, the kids responded by charging off at a dead run. Remarkably, they found the exit almost immediately:
The Exit
But the exit was NOT where they wanted to be and they re-entered the maze: "More CLUES!!!"
Back and forth and around they ran, switching leadership randomly. The first set this time were the youngers and, much to the bemusement of the moms, this time THEY had the map and were busily reading it and orienting it. And, after another hour or so, they found....
The Mummy
And... A MOUSE!
There were nine clues total and after two and a half hours, the children had solved six of them:
Clue number six
They were finding the clues out of order and often finding the same clue more than once, a fact that, strangely enough, did not seem to discourage them. And when they finally solved all the clues, they could not find the exit! This was especially odd as they had found the exit repeatedly during their clues search... but although they tried NOT finding the exit, in an attempt to 'trick' it, they finally gave up and simply walked through the corn to the side of the maze.
We hiked back to the main portion of the farm through the Pumpkin fields to the place where we were going to eat lunch.
The Pumpkin Fields
The kids, of course, checked the pumpkins out and all of them, without exception, were determined to pick pumpkins larger than they were...
They discovered the Hay Pyramid:
And, despite claims of starvation, spent a good half hour playing king (and Queen) of the hill.
Finally, however, we made it to the long picnic tables where we ate lunch -- rapidly (smile) -- before the children headed off again in search of more adventure.
Kittens
Seven weeks old
Piglets
Goats
Hay Jump
They learned, amongst other things, that Hay, though it can be soft, can also cut, that chickens -- though they look big -- can squeeze through the smallest spaces, that piglets can move very fast. Watching them, I thought how wonderful it would be to have a large enough covered space to be able to provide a Hay Jump/Play area throughout the winter months. Strange to think, in these electronically driven times, how much joy hay can provide.
A wonderful day was had by all and Pumpkins too -- though smaller than initially desired...
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