Entry 4: Outdoors in October

A goat from a petting zoo.

When October comes around, most of us think of Halloween, a special holiday where costumed children roam the town in search of delectable treats. However, you can have a blast doing other things as well as you wait for that one of a kind day. Many people visit local farms or plant nurseries to find pumpkins they can transform into intimidating Jack-o'-Lanterns. There might also be petting zoos at these places where you can pet animals such as pigs, sheep, and goats. I adore goats and never miss up an opportunity to pet or feed them during this season.

If you go to a farm with your family, you may also find a corn maze. When I lived in Rochester, my family would visit me in October and we would go to Long Acre Farms to venture into their massive maze. We could collect pieces of a map at stations hidden throughout the maze, and by collecting them all you could easily find the way out. They change the theme and layout each year so each trip is never the same.

A bird's-eye view of the maze from Long Acre Farms.

Vocabulary
delectable (adjective): yummy
blast (noun, singular): fun time (it can also mean explosion!)
nuseries (noun, plural [singular: nursery]): place(s) where plants are grown
transform (verb, present tense): change
intimidating (adjective): scary
adore (verb, present tense): like very much
opportunity (noun, singular): chance
massive (adjective): very big
layout (noun, singular): position of things

Vocabulary Exercise
1. I visited the ___________ to find flowers that I could plant in the spring.
2. I had a ___________ at the amusement park with my family.
3. The cupcakes my mom baked were ___________!
4. Before you make a Halloween costume, you should ___________ it on paper.
5. The circus tent was __________.
6. I __________ my puppy.
7. Caterpillars ___________ into butterflies while inside their cocoons.
8. Many college students won't pass up the ___________ to get free food.
9. A cluttered ___________ can make a newspaper or magazine confusing to read.

Grammar Point & Activity
A proper noun is the name used for a person, place, or thing. Find all proper nouns in the above passage. Then, write two sentences that contain at least one proper noun each and underline the proper nouns.