'Sensory Farm' Starts To Take Shape

Weeshire Mains, a sensory farm and a federally nonprofit organization, is a testament to the dedication of Sarah and Ken Shropshire.

They purchased five acres when they moved from Thornton, Colorado, to Kimball in December 2021, with a clear vision of creating a unique space for their own autistic boys, but now the farm has a new mission of providing a place for kids with sensory challenges to explore.

Their sensory farm is a work in progress, with 247 blueberry plants now thriving, fainting goats, miniature donkeys, chickens and geese, as well as room to run and explore.

Additional plans include mound gardening, a sensory barn, miniature highland steers, a pond, and other sensory activities.

Here's the mission statement: "The mission is to create a warm and therapeutic environment for neurodiverse individuals and brain injury survivors. We at Weeshire Mains, believe in the healing power of miniature animals, nature, and sensory exploration. We are dedicated to creating a supportive community where individuals can thrive and find peace in the beauty of nature."

A few years ago, during COVID-19, Sarah and her husband fostered and then adopted two autistic boys. She said, "I jokingly say that was our COVID assignment."

With their own three children raised and out of the house, she explained, "We were not planning on, 'Hey, let's start over.' "

But these children came into their lives. One child was 24 days old, and the other boy was 7 years old. Life was difficult dealing with foster care. "The emotional highs and lows are beyond comprehension, and they've lost count of how many times their stomachs have dropped." They have struggled with finding solutions.

Sarah spent 2022 traveling to appointments and therapy, speech and counseling sessions, logging 35,000 miles for just one of the boys. When one therapist suggested that some of the physical and occupational therapy could be done at home on their property, the idea for the sensory farm began to develop and become a reality.

Then while visiting a relative on a blueberry farm in Arkansas, the 3-year old began picking blueberries. "Getting the boys to focus on a task for more than 3 minutes is hard," Sarah said, "but he (the younger boy) picked blueberries for 30 minutes. I watched in absolute awe; there was something to this. It is sensory, pulling and they are tugging. Oh, my mind started racing, occupational therapy in a blueberry field."

The Weeshire Mains blueberry fields will be U-pick blueberries. Eventually, they would like to have 900 plants producing blueberries, where families can connect with nature and with each other.

A repurposed grain bin as a therapy location and a natural playground to interact with the animals are in the immediate planning stages.

The work continues on the Weeshire Mains farm, where they plan to feature self-guided animal tours this fall.