Pre-School on the Farm

Since 2018, I have been running childcare programs on our hobby farm. Over the years, I have come to find a joy in watching how kids lead the way for play. Watching them create "jobs" for themselves like lining up trucks, working to collect and assemble the right ingredients for their mud pies, using rocks and sticks to create paths and roads, collecting and organizing items in nature by shape and color, finding bugs and making them homes. All of these things encompass a child-led philosophy of play. This approach sees play with the understanding that children are inherently experts at understanding what they need in that moment for their own growth, development and learning. The play of children may not have meaning for the observer, but for that child it is meaningful and purposeful and they are working hard to achieve a goal.

Along with this philosophy in mind, our program deeply values and emphasizes the importance of nature and outdoor learning. As long as it is safe to play outside, we do. We find the beauty in all seasons. We listen to nature and we learn. We use go for walks in the woods, play down by the stream, strengthen our gross motor skills by climbing over trees, paying attention to the sounds outside, use materials from outside to create and play with.

We also have the unique opportunity to interact and learn with animals on our farm. We spend time doing story time and mindful moments with the bunnies, yoga and stretching with the goats, brushing and petting the mini horses. We learn about the needs and diverse personalities of the animals, we create connection and develop empathy, we learn to respect the boundaries of animals and individuals, we learn how to listen to nonverbal communication to understand, and we learn to regulate our impulses, among many other lessons that the animals teach us.

In 2025, we will be running some POP UP PRE-SCHOOL PROGRAMS for ages 3-5, pending enough interest.

Dates are TBD but we aim to run on Fridays, 9:00-3:00, twice a month. Cost is $46.25/child. Children must be potty trained in order to attend. If interested, please let us know so we can plan accordingly!

Please email trilbylanedaycamps@gmail.com if you are interested.