Day Visits
 
Things to Do --Hike on several miles of woods and field trails --Picnic by the pond --Visit goats, chickens and pigs --Tour (or help out in) the gardens --Watch birds --Build a birdhouse --Make simple wooden toys --Swing or just sit --Look for frogs or dragonflies or wildflowers or . . . Opportunities to Learn --organic gardening --composting, indoors and out --seed saving --cheese making --canning and drying foods --bicycle repair and maintenance --wood-working/toy-making --attracting butterflies --identifying trees, birds, flowers, beneficial insects Resources--books and other things visitors can use --field guides for identifying birds, nests, mammals, insects, trees, wildflowers, dragonflies, butterflies --One Small Square books for exploring with children--Pond, Woods, and Backyard --Take a Walk with Butterflies & Dragonflies --The Family Butterfly Book --The Butterfly Book --The Young Naturalist --Exploring Nature with Children --organic gardening books --magnifiers of various types and strengths --nets and containers --DEC posters on turtles, frogs, salamanders, snakes etc. --recordings of owl calls, frog calls Why we offer alternatives Children need contact with the natural world. It’s an antidote to advertising and gives a different perspective on the universe. In most of us there is a deep hunger for contact with the natural world. Everywhere people love to garden, to work with the soil, to touch plants and make things grow. The natural world teaches many lessons but fewer children have access to them. from The Shelter of Each Other by Mary Pipher The most radical thing we can do both for and with our kids is to simply stop and do nothing from time to time. Advertising contributes to a consumer identity . . .People lose core values, family time, connection to community and nature, and creative down time. from What Kids Really Want that Money Can’t Buy by Betsy Taylor Basic information Visitors are welcome Monday through Saturday. Call ahead if you want to help with our work,to have someone show you around, or to arrange a group visit. Groups from children to elders and with special needs are welcome. Please don’t bring pets. Restrooms are on the first floor of the big barn and the parking area is between that barn and the house. Picnic tables are by the brook across from the parking area. Please take away your trash. The more real wealth we have--such as friends, skills, libraries, wilderness and afternoon naps--the less money we need in order to be happy. I needed to learn how to fix things, and I became fascinated with living life directly and developing my skills and capacities and ingenuity rather than just earning more money. from Affluenza by de Graaf, Wann and Naylor Scheduled events During Screen-Free Week in April, we offer sunset nature walks to listen for frogs and owls, to look for spring wildflowers and to watch for woodcocks. Throughout the year Family Days offer inter-generational activities from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Families bring lunch and the farm shares seasonal farm food. Activities will depend on season and weather, but each will involve work and walks to different parts of the farm when possible. In October we planted garlic and visitors took home seed garlic and divisions from herb and flower gardens. In November we made wooden toys. See the Home page for dates of upcoming events. Call if you have questions or to sign up for a Family Day.
Click on names to read stories from other day visitors Barbara, an older friend, wrote about her day visits in our September 2006 newsletter Patty, Rosa and Rosie came to Family Days in 2011 Barbara%20Steinkraus.htmlPatty.htmlRosa%20Longo.htmlRosie%20Longo.htmlshapeimage_11_link_0shapeimage_11_link_1shapeimage_11_link_2shapeimage_11_link_3