What to expect at Little Farmers

No two days are ever quite the same here at Little Farmers but we aim to settle children into a happy routine. Here is what to expect:

8am We open for the day. Children can be dropped off between 8am and 9am at our cabin in the farmyard. There’s toast and butter, cereal, fresh fruit and milk for anyone who fancies breakfast.

9am Off into the outdoors. In the wintertime, we will tog up in waterproofs and wellies. We support the children to learn how to dress themselves and learn to use zips etc. It’s all about being independent, so by the time we go to school, we are super-ready for managing our own clothes and possessions. Then we are off outside into the farm. We might have a go at:

  • Feeding the chickens

  • Egg collecting

  • Helping in our vegetable garden and greenhouse

  • Going for a walk around the farm

  • Splashing in the stream

  • Sandpit fun

  • Mud kitchen mayhem

  • Den building

  • Hide and seek in the woods

  • Ride on toys

  • Leaf collecting

  • A Forest School fire to toast some apples or make popcorn

  • At this point, some of our smaller folk may be having a fresh air nap in our comfy double buggies…

10.30am Snack time. We wash our hands and drink water or milk, alongside a cracker and fruit. We may stay outside for this or (if the weather is wet and windy) we will head back to our indoor base. It may also be nappy change time for our younger children. We support our older children with potty training and, ultimately, using the toilet independently. Don’t forget to wash your hands!

11am We could play ball games in a field or create our very own mud slide. Let’s try some craft activities or sing songs outdoors. We are very keen on child-led activities - let’s see where imagination takes us…

12 noon Lunch. We have a hot lunch back at our base (either indoors or in the garden, depending on the weather). It might be chicken casserole, spaghetti bolognaise or fishfingers, always with two types of vegetables (such as peas, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, sweetcorn - often from our own garden). We can cater for dietary requirements and allergies. Pudding will be fresh fruit and yoghurt. Our food is cooked in-house and we all have Food Safety and Hygiene training (Level 2).

For mealtimes, we promote independence and social skills. As soon as children can sit up independently, they will be eating together around a large table, with one adult eating with the children to model the skills involved. We aim for lots of “pleases” and “thank yous” and children wait politely at the table until everyone has finished. Our younger children have high chairs but as soon as they are able to do so, they join the communal lunch table. We do not spoon feed children, instead encouraging them to have a go and learn to use cutlery. It can get a little bit messy but that’s all part of the fun.

1pm Naptime for sleepy people (optional!). Some children will curl up on sleep mats or in cots indoors in our quiet area. If we don’t want to nap, we can play, try arts & crafts or look at books or go back outdoors again. Indoors, we practise all sorts of skills like colouring, how to hold a crayon or pencil and even how to sit quietly at a table with our friends.

2.30pm More outdoor fun on the farm. We love craft activities, such as making hedgehogs with sticks and playdough or building a tiny house in the roots of a tree.

4pm High tea. We head back to our base and garden area for tea, quiet play and a rest, while we are waiting for pick-up time and the chance to tell you all about our day. For tea we will have something simple like egg sandwiches, vegetable sticks, dips or baked potatoes, followed by fruit and yoghurt.

4-5.30pm Pick up time for parents and guardians. Sorry our clothes are so muddy - but we’ve had a wonderful time.