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 Drinks break. We drink water or milk here at Little Farmers and each child has their own water bottle so they can be independent. We will head back to our base (a wooden cabin at Cuckoo Down Farm, a converted barn at Burrow Farm) for nappy change time for the 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 vegetarians and dietary requirements. 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. We eat 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. Others prefer to be rocked to sleep in a buggy, depending on parental preference. If we don’t want to nap, we can play, try arts & crafts or look at books. 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.