Tom Miller, owner of Sunshine Farms in Noxubee County, said allowing children the opportunity to interact with various animals is beneficial academically and socially. We want children to learn how to love and respect animals. Sunshine Farms is among a small number of recreational farms that are becoming popular among school and day-care groups. Visitors have the opportunity to see traditional farm animals as well as exotic and nontraditional species.
Children learn so much by seeing, hearing, smelling and touching animals.
Dr. Louise Davis, extension family and child development specialist at Mississippi State University, agreed. Children can learn many of life's lessons from animals. Some of those lessons of life can be painful, like dealing with disappointment and death. Davis said adults should carefully expose their children to animals, especially on first encounters. Both the young child and the animal can be at risk of being hurt.