Benefits of a Farm Visit
Children who learn outdoors know more, understand more, feel better, behave better, work more cooperatively and are physically healthier. The benefits of a visit extend long beyond the children’s time at the farms – they take their new skills and experiences back home and to school, with parents, carers and teachers seeing positive and lasting impact on their behaviour, learning and self-esteem. Find out more about some of these benefits below.
Spending time in the countryside can reduce stress and allows children to break free from behavioural challenges. Through the purposeful farming tasks they develop new skills, learn to cope with risks, overcome fears, become increasingly independent, and build a deep sense of confidence in their abilities. From this, their self-belief and self-esteem flourishes and their happiness soars.
Children enjoy a completely different life experience at the farms and addresses the poverty of experience that so many children face. Being immersed in vibrant rural life gives urban and disadvantaged children the opportunity to enjoy many new sensory experiences. The sights, sounds and smells of the farm are all new, as is the freedom to explore, the dark skies full of stars, and the silent nights.
From caring for the livestock to planting crops and tending the land, children take on meaningful responsibilities for running the farm. Working together to overcome challenges, children practice and improve their communication skills, enjoy the benefits of collaboration, and see their peers in a different light as the usual pyramid of achievement is inverted in this practical, physical world.
Spending time on the farm provides children of all abilities with the space and time to succeed. Children experience growth in their personal development, their relationships with others, and their connection with the curriculum.
A visit to the farm provides the opportunity to embed learning and behavioural development in real life situations, whether learning to treat large livestock with sensitivity and respect, calculating the correct spacing for planting seedlings, or identifying solutions to overcome practical problems
Children exposed to nature do better in school, are better at working in teams, feel better, and are physically healthier. Immersing children in the outdoor world provides schools with the opportunity to extend their broad, rich and deep curriculum through the wide variety of technical tasks, collaborative activities, and immersive experiences.
Children learn how to grow, harvest, prepare and cook nutritious meals, and have the opportunity to taste a wide variety of fresh seasonal produce. Sharing conversations at mealtimes in a warm and nurturing environment allows all children to forge stronger relationships with those around them and to develop healthier food choices.
A visit to the farms immerses children in the rich culture of our heritage sites, working alongside local people whose lives and narratives are connected to the land, and where the innovations of previous generations provide living laboratories in which to inspire young minds. Victorian walled gardens, ancient burial sites, and legends of Queen Elizabeth I’s visit several centuries ago ensure a vibrant and enriching visit for all.
Immersing children in the natural world provides an analogue experience for children of the digital generation. At the farms, children have the space and opportunity to play and explore outdoors. They forge new friendships and invent games that unlock their imaginations, helping to reduce stress and aggressive behaviour and providing skills to better cope with challenges in later life.