At a time when childhood obesity and health issues are constantly hitting the headlines it's a good time for children to learn more about where their food comes from and visit a farm
A trip to one of the UK's many working farms during the summer holidays will not only be a fun day out, but can educate and inspire children to learn more about the world around them. They can also learn more about what's in their food and about healthy eating. Lovely as they are, it's not all about fluffy lambs and playful pigs - farms that open up their doors to visitors often hold educational classes and events for children through the school holidays .
Farming plays such a vital part in all of our lives, why not visit a farm close to you and help your children learn about subjects that form part of the national curriculum such as;
- Where Food Comes From
- What Different Foods Are
- Healthy Diets
- Growing Food at Home
- Wildlife Habitats
- Maintaining the Countryside
- Looking After Animals
- Learning about Biofuels
- Agriculture
- Farming as a Business
Lots of UK farms also offer camping areas, so you can take the kids along for an educational day out, walk to the local country pub for some dinner and retire to your campsite for a truly rural retreat!'Top 20' Farms to VisitBocketts Farm Park, Leatherhead
Set in beautiful countryside, have a great day out whatever the weather! There are a large variety of friendly farm animals to feed and stroke and lots of attractions for all the family, both inside and out. Daily activities include pony rides, goat milking, tractor rides and pig racing. The covered area houses six trampolines and two Playbarns, including a 70ft, 4-lane astro slide. Outside are play trails, an amazing jumping pillow and giant slide tower. You can also pan for 'gold' at our Last Chance Mine! The Old Barn tearooms serve food all day and the Gift Shop also sells a range of garden play equipment and trampolines.
01372 363764 - www.bockettsfarm.co.uk
Bucks Goat Centre, Buckinghamshire
This is a great Childrens Farm. Visitors are invited to feed the animals. They have a trampoline, swings, slides, and new for 2009 an indoor play area. Tractor rides are available, weather permitting. Daily events held during school holidays.
01296 612983 - www.bucksgoatcentre.co.uk
Christmas Tree Farm, Kent
Buy a pot of food and have great fun feeding the farm animals such as the sheep, ducks and pigs. Some of the animals are unusual and some are just a little bit famous. In the summer school holidays you can enjoy the Punch and Judy Shows, the Magic Shows, have fun on the bouncy castle or go on a trailer ride, all weather permitting. Picnics are not permitted.
01689 861603 - www.xmastreefarm.co.uk
Court Farm Country Park
Just off the M5 at Weston-super-Mare, Court Farm celebrates its 21st anniversary in 2009. This award-winning farm is a wonderful mix of animals, fun and adventure play. Help bottle-feed baby animals and then take a tractor ride. Explore huge indoor play barns and the outdoor Adventure Land with its very popular Adventure Castle. Get lost in the maize maze in summer, or relax in the café. With so many undercover attractions, there's plenty to do whatever the weather.
01934 822383 - www.courtfarmcountrypark.co.uk
East Farm Park, Suffolk
Enjoy a family day out whatever the weather down on the farm. There are daily pony and cart rides, train rides and indoor and outdoor play. Check out the healthy Riverside Café and children will love meeting and feeding the many farm animals. New attractions for 2009 include the Go Barmy indoor playbarn and the lovely nursery barn with all the baby animals as they are born. Piglets, lambs, kid goats, baby rabbits & guinea pigs, chicks, foals and calves are all due during the course of the year. Runner up in the National Farm Attractions 2009.
01728 746475 www.eastonfarmpark.co.uk
Farmer Palmers Farm Park, Dorset
Designed specifically for children 8 years and under, this multi award-winning farm park holds the key to a great day out for your family. Come and meet traditional farm animals as well as ponies, goats, guinea pigs and chickens and don't miss the 'hands-on' animal events all day. Let off steam indoors on Straw Mountain and in the indoor soft playbarn or try out the bouncy castles, pedal tractors, sand playground and indoor play areas - perfect whatever the weather. A child-friendly restaurant with traditionally served and cooked farmhouse fayre and excellent facilities for babies and toddlers.
01202 622022 - www.farmerpalmers.co.uk
Eden Ostrich World, Cumbria
A fantastic fun day for all. A working farm with a difference, including many rare breed animals and a flock of African Black Ostrich. Feed the animals and join in with the organised events. Also adventure and pre-school play areas, as well as a children's maze, Waterwalkerz and Ted's tractor area, a riverside walk (SSSI), a well-stocked gift shop and delightful tearoom. An attraction in itself is the Zebroid, who is half Zebra, half Shetland Pony.
01768 881771 - www.ostrich-world.com
Finkley Down Farm Park, Hampshire
A splendid place to take children, especially under 10s, for a friendly taste of natural farm life and to introduce them at close hand to the farm pig or calf. In a very relaxed environment there is a lot to see and do and much to learn. There is a great variety of tame animals for children to stroke and feed, including rabbits and lambs and you may be lucky enough to see newly hatched chicks or ducklings. There are activities going on throughout the day, such as rabbit handling and pony grooming. Children will also enjoy the marvellous adventure playground.
01264 352195 - www.finkleydownfarm.co.uk
Lee Valley Regional Park, Essex
If you enjoy wildlife, farms, sport, events, countryside, heritage, fantastic open spaces with great places to stay, then the Lee Valley Regional Park is the place for you. The Regional Park is a destination for sport and leisure and stretches for 42kms (26 miles) between Ware in Hertfordshire, through Essex to the River Thames at East India Dock Basin and provides leisure activities which suit all ages, tastes and abilities. The Regional Park's unique natural features have been shaped by a mosaic of countryside areas, urban green spaces, heritage sites, country parks, nature reserves and lake and riverside trails, plus some excellent sports and recreation centres.
0845 6770600 - www.leevalleypark.org.uk
Longdown Activity Farm, Ashurst, Hampshire
At the popular Longdown Activity Farm there is fun for all the family, whatever the weather, with a variety of hands-on activities every day including bottle-feeding goat kids and calves. Even more animals to meet in 2009 and don't forget the bumpy tractor and trailer ride (weather permitting). Extensive indoor and outdoor play areas. A large picnic area, tearooms, gift shop and farm shop selling delicious locally produced food.
023 8029 2837 - www.longdownfarm.co.uk
Millets Farm Centre, Oxfordshire
For a great day out a trip to Millets Farm Centre is sure to be a winner. Onsite there is a farm shop, restaurants, garden centre, children's farm zoo, play area and woodland walk, definitely something for all the family to enjoy. A taste of the countryside at its natural best. Maize Maze open during Summer, small fee charged.
01865 392200 - www.milletsfarmcentre.com
Sacrewell Farm, Peterborough
Hidden deep in the heart of the countryside nestles an award winning farm and 18th century watermill. Friendly farm animals, Shire Horse Centre, indoor and outdoor play areas, tractor rides, range of listed buildings, working watermill, gardens, farm bygones and farm trails. Stables restaurant serves delicious home-cooked food with views over the beautiful countryside. Browse through the Three Little Ducks quality farm and gift shop for local produce and interesting gifts. Special events held throughout the year. Birthday parties, conferences, meetings and many other events catered for. Camping and caravan facilities, with electric hook-ups, toilets and showers. Dogs allowed.
01780 782254 - www.sacrewell.org.uk
The Whitehouse Farm Centre, Northumberland
Northumberland's largest farm attraction offers family fun whatever the weather. Get close to furry friends like bunnies, guinea pigs, mice and chicks and feed a wide range of animals including llamas, fallow deer, wallabies, goats, ponies and more. Exotic species include snakes, lizards, micro pigs and skunks. There's more too - a large indoor soft play area, adventure playground, willow maze, trampolines, go-karts, bouncy castles, toboggan slide and tractor-trailer rides. Seasonal activities include bottle feeding lambs in spring and calves in summer plus a full programme of activities during school holidays. Special events throughout the year include Easter, Halloween and Christmas.
01670 789998 - www.whitehousefarmcentre.co.uk
Thurleigh Farm Centre, Bedfordshire
Enjoy an action-packed day out. See and help feed the farm animals or let off steam in the play areas. Attractions include Bungee Trampolines, mini quad bikes, a real fire engine, a miniature train ride, pedal carts, crazy golf and pony and tractor and trailer rides. Find the fairytale houses in the Wacky Woods. The Centre also welcomes school and nursery group visits. Special events take place throughout the year - ice skating February half term, bottle feed the lambs in spring, egg hunts at Easter, Teddy Bears picnic in May and spooks at Halloween with Santa and his reindeer visiting from early December.
01234 771597 - www.thurleighfarmcentre.co.uk
The Waterfowl Sanctuary and Childrens Farm, Banbury
Cuddle and pet baby animals and birds all year round at this Natural Childrens Farm. Friendly chickens for sale at reasonable prices, grow your own eggs. There is a children's play area and plenty of room to picnic in a rural and informal setting. Special events include Easter Egg Hunts. Groups are welcome by prior arrangement with discounts for 10 or more.
01608 730252 - www.waterfowlsanctuary.co.uk
Stratford on Avon Butterfly Farm
Discover the world's most beautiful butterflies at the U.K's largest tropical paradise. Watch hundreds of spectacular, vibrantly coloured butterflies fly and feed on the exotic blossom around you. In the Caterpillar Room learn about the lifecycle of some of the worlds most beautiful and important creatures.
01789 299288 - www.butterflyfarm.co.uk
West Lodge Rural Centre, Desborough
In this extensive farm park set in 70 acres of open countryside, you can see, feed and learn about rare breeds of farm animals, play in the indoor and outdoor play areas, visit Cuddle Corner with its daily schedule of animal activities or take a barrel ride past the dragon's lair. Explore three enchanting woods and discover the troll bridge, witch's house or butterfly trail. Enjoy home cooked food in our family restaurant and look out for our special events which take place throughout the year.
01536 760552 - www.westlodgeruralcentre.co.uk
Smithhills Open Farm, Manchester
Set in the vast open countryside of Smithills Country Park next to the historic Smithills Hall and Restaurant. Enjoy a donkey ride or touch the chicks, guinea pigs and baby rabbits in the pets corner. Help to bottle feed the young lambs and calves or watch the cows being milked. See the llamas, reptiles and snakes, owls and exotic birds. Pretend to be a farmer on the toy tractor and trailer or just have endless fun on the bouncy castles in the play areas, until the cows come home!
01204 595765 - www.smithillsopenfarm.co.uk
Washbrooks Farm, Sussex
Come and meet your favourite farm animals and play in the large outdoor play areas or in the indoor barn play area. There are fantastic views of the Downs to enjoy too. Why not take a tractor ride or in the summer explore the maize maze? There is also a family-friendly tearoom and a shop.
01273 832201 - www.washbrooksfamilyfarm.co.uk
Woodside Animal Farm, Luton
Enjoy an exciting day out for all the family. See, feed and handle many of the animals including farm and exotic breeds. Attractions include tractor rides, animal encounters, rabbit cuddling, sweet and lollipop scrambles, egg collecting, 18-hole crazy golf, huge sandpit and electric tractors. Children will enjoy the country funfair area with the helter-skelter, teacup ride, hook-a-duck stall, coconut shy, trampolines and bouncy castle as well as the huge indoor play barn and the outdoor play areas. Special events throughout the year include Easter egg hunts, reptile celebrities, "frite nite" at Halloween with Santa visiting in December.
01582 841044 - www.woodsidefarm.co.uk
July 2009
More information on www.letsgowiththechildren.co.uk |
Top Tips for Travelling With Children
