In large cities, the contact of children with nature is very poor. In fact, recent studies in which children aged 3 to 6 were asked to draw farm animals there were cases of kids drawing a "roast chicken" instead of a farm chicken. Anecdotes apart there is no doubt that many youngsters have simply not been given the opportunity to see farm animals such as chickens, sheep, goats, rabbits, pigs or even milking cows up close.

What is a farm school?
Given this lack of knowledge, in recent years a series of farm schools have sprung up. These are education centres that have small vegetable gardens and farm animals on site, and are equipped with everything children require to spend some time in a rural environment.

There are two types of farm schools: public and private. The public ones are those that depend on or have some type of agreement with the education authority of the autonomous community in question or else directly with the Ministry of Education. As part of these education programmes, school farms carry out pupil training projects on behalf of the education centres. Private farms do not depend on the Public Administration, but their characteristics are similar to the public variety. The difference between the two is the price.

Multiple activities
In a farm school children come together to understand rural life, the work involved and where much of the food eaten in the city comes from. Depending on the time of year, in the vegetable gardens they can plant and collect potatoes, tomatoes, vegetables and any other produce grown in the area where the farm in question is located. In the stable they come into contact with the farm animals collecting eggs in the morning, learning how to milk a cow, feeding other animals, such as pigs or sheep.

In addition to all these new experiences there are the different training workshops provided by each farm. These include culinary workshops in which kids are taught how to make butter or cheese from milk, or bread using the corn flour they have massed themselves. There are also craft workshops where the youngsters work with wood and make small utensils for daily use.

Affordable to all
If you want to find out about the farm schools in your area, consult your local education authority, local council, or the school attended by your children.

These farms allow whole families to stay, or else the children alone. It is best to find out the prices of all the alternatives, from half days to the whole weekend.

As you can see, this is an excellent way of spending time in the country and an ideal alternative to summer camps for youngsters.