We offer a wholesome, seasonal, farm life experience for your young child that allows them to experience and interact with the natural world in a tangible way. Such sensory discoveries help them to understand their place and purpose which not only increases their self-confidence, but provokes their curiosity about the world. The outdoor environment helps them develop balance and coordination and enhances their awareness of themselves and others.
Off To The Farmhouse was born out of my own and my husband’s journey with our now four grown children, and our exposure and experience with several early childhood education philosophies, such as: Rudolf Steiner (Waldorf Education), which focuses on an early years education that provides practical, hands-on activities and environments that encourage creative nature-based play; Louis Malaguzzi (Reggio Emilia Approach), which contends that children learn the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment with lots of ‘loose parts’; Charlotte Mason, who emphasized among other virtues the value of living books, i.e., those written by one person with a passion for the topic and a broad command of the language; the Classical Christian Model, which outlines the three phases of learning in the Trivium (Grammar, Logic, & Rhetoric), each with a different purpose and each roughly coordinated with human development; and Maria Montessori (Montessori Education), which respects and appreciates a child’s natural psychological, physical, and social development.
Our earliest years of home educating were the most delightful because our home was rich with language, quality BOOKS, music, games, farm life, hospitality, and travel. One simple way I could enrich the lives of our children was to allow them to create, explore, and learn by putting raw, natural materials in their hands to see what their own imaginations could produce. As an example, I opted for carefully supervised baking and cooking experiences in our kitchen using raw, whole foods and all our real kitchen tools. Our children learned about the cycles of life naturally by being hands-on outside with plants and animals. We listened to great quality music. We messed around with art! We were investigating life together!
We have now created this hybrid model of what worked in our own home with our four children (all now out of college or grad school)—and what we dreamt about doing but somehow never quite found the margin for, because frankly, we couldn’t do it all ourselves!!! Ever feel like that? We are today, making that time for your children! Our Tuesday's OR Friday's Farmhouse Passport event OR our Wednesday morning farm adventure seek to delight and capture your child’s attention in this outdoor setting.
Working again with young children, we are reminded to create freedom and choice within safe boundaries and the seasonal rhythms that naturally help to create structure. Children thrive with consistency and dependability, and this context breeds the freedom for creative expression and even better formal academic learning later on. The expression of who they are and who they are becoming flourishes within an unhurried atmosphere and within a spirit of mutual respect, cooperation, patience, and trust. We take this seriously and have a blast doing it! This is not just fancy theory or marketing hype for us.
Our heartbeat is to serve the parent(s) by creating a safe yet challenging outdoor playscape for children. We desire that our workshops be in addition to what your family has created at home and, perhaps, with respect to our farm life and their time on their own here, what you’d like your child to experience outside of your home. We commit to giving your child personalized attention, farm life experiences, and engaging activities.
We will become a student of your child, in partnership with you! Grab a spot for them!