farm school?

[bibliophile birds]

if you didn't have access to land or a green thumb or farming equipment, would you sign your kids up for Farm School? and if so, what would you want them to learn?

i'm trying to find a good way to join my two major interests (sustainable farming/living and working with kids) so that i can a) make a living at this farming thing b) help some kids out and c) get the message out that sustainable, local economies are very viable. what i'm thinking is some kind of FFA-meets-4H-meets-afterschool/summer program.

it seems like everyday someone asks if they can bring their kids out to see the farm. and the kids always have a really great time doing farm chores that most of the farmhands find completely boring. who would think that an 8 year old would LOVE shucking corn? but they do. several of my friends work in afterschool programs and complain that the kids just sit around texting or chatting with their friends. wouldn't it be better, and way more fun, to be running around a farm helping care for critters?

do you guys think this would be something that would work? we already run an equestrian school here. obviously i would have a LOT of figuring to do, like finding appropriate people to work as farming teachers/child wranglers, the ins and outs of insurance, and all the other not-so-fun stuff that comes with a fun idea. it just sounds like a really good opportunity for myself and local kids! then again, i'm a hopeless optimist so some level-headed advice is much needed!

 

[lorihadams]

YES!

My husband and I wish that we could do that too!!! We have had 4 or 5 of the neighborhood kids helping us slaughter and process chickens this last week and they all were fascinated and not the least bit squeamish!

I have seen a program where they have a camp situation. The farm invites inner city kids to their farm for 2 weeks and they are expected to help out on every aspect of the farm--from raising animals to gardening to processing foods and making soaps and cheese. I have no idea what the legal aspects would be but the kids stayed in a cabin with an adult to supervise, sort of like a camp counselor type thing.

I would soooooooo love to do that! The lady I am getting my goats from in the spring also runs a bed and breakfast and she laughed and said that sometimes she had "too many farm hands" and couldn't keep all the children out of the barns!

I think that if you lived within a reasonable distance to a major city you could figure out a way to do it, for sure!

 

[big brown horse]

I am a Montessori teacher and some of the best Montessori schools incorporate some farm type lessons. (Raising chicks, gardening, building barns etc.) One Montessori school I worked for had bees and sold their honey for fund raising and learned valuable business skills.

I'm all for it! There are many ways to incorporate learning when working on a farm. From the simple: counting animals and such, to the more difficult: horticulture, botany, zoology, business skills, carpentry etc.

 

[Dace]

I love it and think it is a great idea. I would be thinking along the lines of a week long day camp....kids pack their lunch, you provide the fun, the dirt and the snacks. 9-3pm

 

[me&thegals]

It sounds awesome!! Our family has many little kids in it, and the moms always tell me how thrilled they are for their kids to visit our farm, feed the chickens, gather eggs, pick sweetcorn, pick berries and do whatever else is going on.

Sure, there would be logistics, but with this trend towards awareness about where our food comes from, the growing appreciation towards fresh, local and organic, I think it could be a really exceptional thing!

I would think the more you have going on at the farm, the better. That way, even in the winter months (do you have winter?) you could be making soap, processing honey, making cheese and butter, spinning yarn, weaving baskets or any other farming/SS skills.

If I lived in the city, had young kids and had to work outside the home, I would be very interested in a camp like yours (at least a daycamp).

 

[hwillm1977]

I think it sounds fantastic...

My niece lived in a city apartment, no yard just a parking lot... and the first time she came to visit my house (at that time I lived in a trailer park) she was two and asked where I kept my cow... I asked why she thought I would have a cow... she figured since I had so much grass to run on that I must live on a farm (my yard was 10 feet x 65 feet)

She would love to come to a camp like that, and I would love to send her to something like that.

You could also do women's weekend retreats... I'd go for things like soap making, spinning, etc... I have enough manure to move at home, but I'm sure city people (young or young-at-heart) would love a chance to visit a farm.

We have 'open farm day' once a year, all the local farms open their doors to anyone who wants to visit and learn about how their food gets to them... it's a great day, should happen more often.

 

[Maggies Pop]

Absolutely yes. What a lovely idea!

 

[Wildsky]

I love it and think it is a great idea. I would be thinking along the lines of a week long day camp....kids pack their lunch, you provide the fun, the dirt and the snacks. 9-3pm

I'd say yes too - but make them make their lunch! That'll keep them busy and give them something else to learn!

We just got our wood stove installed, and decided to let our 10 year old split wood, he has such a blast doing it!

 

[WanderWoman]

My oldest son went to preschool at The Children's Farm in Lake Elmo, MN for two years, and my three year-old currently attends. Check out the website www.childrensfarm.org. Although we have several acres and the kids are pretty in touch with nature, we still found this school to be incomparable (I mention this because I'm willing to bet even parents with kids who have some opportunity/exposure to nature would be interested in your idea). The socialization and community aspect is really brought to the fore when the kids are planting gardens, helping one another haul water, feeding the animals (there are tons, and they do it every day they are there!), shoveling snow, spinning wool, making and serving soup to a guest on visitor day...I could go on and on. The responsibility and trust given to these little people does wonders for thier self worth. In my opinion, the paired experience of nature and educational structure that the children get at this school can't be matched in a traditional classroom. They understand and experience the change of seasons and cycles of life in a very meaningful and hands-on sort of way.

So yes! I say go for it. I'm certain you could succeed with the right program.

 

[bibliophile birds]

YAY! just the encouraging words i needed! i think i'm in one of the best situations to do something like this because i know so many people with unique skills/businesses. and i've got a bunch of lawyers in the family! luckily i know a guy who owns a bus company, so i might even be able to work out a nice deal to bus the kids from a central drop zone in the city!

we're 30 mins from Knoxville, i think it's the 3rd largest city in Tennessee, and there is a good sized population there that visits the Farmer's Markets and is interested in eco-things. we have a really nice Earth Fest every year too. i think the market is there for it. and talk about a built in market for our farm products! how many parents wouldn't want a chance to buy things their kids have helped raise?!?

i'm torn on the lunch issue. part of me would love to make lunch with them everyday from things we collected, but i think it might be cost/time prohibitive. that's something i'll have to think about some more. maybe do lunch on one specific day each week but have them bring their own the other days?

for now, i'd have to be day camp only because we don't have the facilities to house a bunch of kids. there is an old YMCA camp not even a mile away from me that's been closed a few years... i wonder what the going rate for a camp is these days?!