wildflower
COMMUNITY FARM
Wanderers
Join us weekly for three hours of play time on the farm! Children will participate in either an animal-assisted learning activity or a physical literacy activity, have a snack break, and then engage in outdoor play. Our programs run regardless of the weather (unless it is colder than -20º). Scroll down to learn more about the benefits of outdoor learning at Wildflower Community Farm.
Saturdays 9:30am-12:30pm
Not sure if your child will enjoy our Wanderers classes? Give one a try for $25.
OUTDOOR PLAY
A mixture of structured and unstructured play and child-led learning around the farm. Playing in nature develops independence, creativity, mindfulness, and a connection to the land in children. They get to practice time management skills, learn social emotional skills, and engage in healthy risk taking.
Your child will make seasonal crafts from sticks, leaves, and flowers. They will pretend to walk to like a sloth, tiger, or gorilla on their way to the next grove of trees. They will build obstacles courses, make mud pies, and catch frogs and snails. They will learn to identify local flora and fauna by looking, touching, smelling, listening, tasting. They can eat the wild raspberries, smell the wild sage, gather a rainbow of wild flowers, and study animals in their habitats.
ANIMAL-ASSISTED LEARNING
Children will participate in animal-assisted learning sessions designed to develop empathy, emotional awareness and emotional regulation. They will work on their problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills while guiding goats through obstacles courses, observing and caring for baby chickens as they grow, or working with horses and ponies.
We have combined the principles of equine-assisted learning and psychotherapy, healthy risk-taking, and other modalities to create a really unique experience for children as they connect with the animals on our farm.
PHYSICAL LITERACY
Physical literacy skills are essential to a child's development. Children often miss out on learning these skills with their limited active time both indoors and outdoors. Preliminary research even shows that skills learned in the gym do not necessarily translate to outside environments. At Wanderers, children will receive lessons on specific skills such as running, jumping, throwing, or falling. After learning the skills properly, they will play games like leap frog, soccer, catch, or obstacle courses to practice their new skills.
We use a variety of Sport for Life's physical literacy activities to guide children through movement for everyday life.