It’s “Baby Animal Week’ at Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont, a chance for small children to get acquainted with even smaller animals.

During Baby Animals Week, tiny versions of the farm animals we all know and love will bring the natural world to life for toddlers and small children who haven’t yet met the animals they’ve seen in picture books.

You can meet, pet, and learn about chicks, ducklings, goslings, bunnies, lambs, goats, and newborn calves.

“Kids are really interested in animals and it’s a great way for them to connect,” says Laurie Ten Eyck. “We want them to understand where their food comes from, as well as milk, and eggs and all of the products that we get from farm animals. Just be able to see them and touch them and smell them at the same time is really impactful.”

As part of the program, 13-year-old Sadie has been fostering a 2-week-old lamb named Piper, who will join the crew for Baby Animal Week. Sadie says raising piper can be exhausting.

“It’s draining, because she needs constant attention,” says Sadie. ”You have to bottle-feed her. It’s basically like getting a picky toddler to eat. You have to give her constant attention; you have to watch her always to make sure she’s not chewing on wires, or licking sockets.”

Sadie says the biggest takeaway for her so far has been that animals are all unique, but are all capable of loving humans the same as any dog or cat.

Laurie says the experience of meeting a farm animal face to face can be a magical one for many kids.

“Some react differently. Some of the kids are super excited and noisy and we have to remind them to be a little quieter around animals” Laurie says. “And others are just fascinated and they just stare and want to pet them. They just want to come back in the barn again and again. They circulate through again; some people spend the whole day.”

For more information visit: http://www.indianladderfarms.com/