Chapter 3 Word Scramble

When Mr. Tom told us he couldn’t return us to our parents, my spirit sank. “I’d love to return you, but I’ve got a big load to retrieve from a packing plant!” he said. “It’s in the opposite direction from your parents’ house. We’re already several hours away from Grover’s. If I take you back to Grover’s, I’ll miss my deadline and lose that plant’s business.”

Chloe and I understood but were disappointed. We called Mom and Dad, who had been waiting frantically by the phone. They knew what truck we were in, but since Mr. G didn’t have a cellphone number for Mr. Tom, they had to wait for us to call. After Chloe assured Mom and Dad and we were fine, Dad asked to speak to Mr. Tom. We listened as Mr. Tom informed Dad of the dilemma. We couldn’t hear what Dad said, but we heard Mr. Tom respond with, “Well, the problem with that is even if I wait for you to get here I’ll still miss my deadline.” Mr. Tom was quiet before answering again. “I understand you don’t want them to wait for you alone, but unfortunately I can’t stay with them.”

Mr. Tom and Dad brainstormed while Chloe and I tried to be calm and patient – two traits our parents had taught us when we found ourselves in a pickle. Finally, Mr. Tom made a suggestion. “Not too far from where I’m headed is a dairy farm run by an older fella, Hollis Wade, and his wife, Anna. They’re the sweetest old couple you’ll ever meet and would love to take care of these two precious pups until you arrive. Woody and Chloe would be well-fed, well-loved and happier than a woodpecker in a lumberyard.”

Mr. Tom passed the phone back to us because Mom and Dad wanted to speak to us. We promised our parents we would mind our manners, and Mom promised they would see us as soon as possible.

Before we left the rest area, Mr. Tom bought Chloe and me a box of animal crackers and a bottle of grape juice. While we continued driving, Mr. Tom told us more about his job and about farming.

“How do you know so much about farming?” Chloe asked.

“I grew up on a farm, little lady. I’ve always loved farm life,” Mr. Tom said as he drove down the highway.

“Are there lots of farms in Kentucky?” I asked as I fished through my animal crackers looking for another elephant.

“There are more than 85,000 farms here in the Bluegrass,” Mr. Tom said. “They cover more than half the total acreage of the state.”

“What’s acreage?” I asked before Chloe looked at me funny and turned her head. I wondered if I had asked a silly question, but then I realized my sweet sister was trying to remind me it wasn’t polite to talk while chewing on an elephant. After I swallowed, I asked the question again.

“Acreage is the collection of acres,” Mr. Tom explained. “An acre is used to measure land and farms. It’s a unit of area equal to 43,560 square feet.” I saw Mr. Tom look at me quickly and smile. He must have seen me checking out the shape of my feet.

“Now this is some heavy information, but I know you two can handle it,” Mr. Tom said before continuing. “Here in the Bluegrass State, the average farm size is 164 acres, and all the farms across Kentucky equal 13.9 million acres.”

I was trying to imagine how large 13.9 million acres were when I looked out the window and saw the most beautiful farms.

“Are these dairy farms?” I asked Mr. Tom as he drove.

“No little fella. These are horse farms. In fact, Kentucky ranks number one in Thoroughbred horse breeding and in Thoroughbred sales.”

As if she were reading my mind, Chloe asked, “There are different kinds of farms?”

“Sure!” Mr. Tom replied. “There are horse farms, dairy farms, cattle farms, tree farms, vegetable farms; the list goes on and on.”

“That’s a lot of farms!” I said as we saw a sign that read, “Wade Dairy Farm.” Driving down the gravel driveway, we saw huge round piles of brown grass and a gray kitty cat tiptoeing across the yard.

“Wow! Is this where we will be living?” I asked Mr. Tom as I pointed to several enormous round towers. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear his answer. I began trembling and shaking, petrified of what I saw ahead.

“Chloe, there is no way we can stay here,” I whispered.

Chapter 3 Activities

Unscramble each of the clue words from Chapter 3. Copy the letters in the numbered cells to other cells with the same number to answer the following question:

What did Chloe tell Woody during their game of Checkers?

1. In Chapter 3, Woody and Chloe arrive at a dairy farm. In addition to milk, what products originate from a dairy farm? Of all the products you listed, which one is your favorite? Which is your least favorite?

2. The pups learned that one acre of land equals 43,560 square feet. They also learned the average farm size in Kentucky is 164 acres. How many square feet would 164 acres be?

3. Let’s pretend you want to purchase a farm that is 42 acres. The price of the farm is $2,300.00 per acre. How much would the farm cost?

4. As a class, choose a familiar song such as Old MacDonald, Camptown Races, The Farmer in the Dell, etc. Once you have agreed on the song, rewrite the lyrics using the subject of a dairy farm. Email Woody at woody@thewoodybooks.com and share your song – or record a video and send it to Woody. Songs will posted on Woody’s website in the diary section.

5. Browse through a cookbook and choose your favorite dessert. How many ingredients in the recipe are dairy products?

6. Open your local newspaper and find the Cartoon section. Are there any cartoons that feature cows or other farm animals? Now turn to the Classified section. How many farms are for sale? What is the average acre of the farms for sale?

7. Woody was petrified when Mr. Tom pulled in Wade Dairy Farm. Why do you think he was scared? Email Woody and give him your predictions. woody@thewoodybooks.com

8. Make sure you cut out Chapter 3 and paste it in your scrapbook. Don’t have a scrapbook? Missing a chapter? Email or call your local newspaper. Invite Woody to your school or event during the course of Outstanding in the Field and have him put his paw print in the scrapbook!

9. Hear Woody read every chapter! Visit Woody’s online doghouse at www.thewoodybooks.com or www.kypress.com .

10. Click here to view different types of farms: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-farms.htm

RIDDLE: What do you get when you cross a chicken with a cow?

Roost Beef

WORK AND DREAM LIKE A BIG DOG!

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