Be a small farmer

The "Be a Little Farmer" program of nature play has been launched since 2017, and many different game experiences are tested on the farm every month. On the farm, children become little farmers and experience and understand important farming processes such as turning the soil, weeding, cultivating seedlings, fertilizing, watering, natural pest control, and harvesting crops from the big farmers. We hope that parents and children will gain unique insights into topics such as nature, science, art, life, people, people and nature, and parent-child interaction through interactions with farmers, farmland, crops, and game ambassadors, and that parents and children can grow together.
There are different things on the farm in different seasons. In spring, which is the butterfly breeding season, the children found it easy to find caterpillars on the farm. During one morning of activities, the little farmers were able to find butterflies, butterfly eggs, caterpillars and butterfly pupae on the farm, and witness the entire growth process of butterflies with their own eyes. In the summer, our little farmer encountered many small animals: grasshoppers, stinking crickets, tadpoles with legs and tails, small snails... and earthworms turning around under the soil. The little farmers learned how to look for earthworm footprints on the mud surface. It was the first time for them to touch these small animals up close with their hands. Both adults and children felt excited, curious, nervous and thrilled.

The little farmer has to go to the fields to work. The game ambassador tells stories to the children, encouraging them to understand and think about what farmers do in their daily lives. In addition, the little farmers helped the farmers to grow seedlings, make menus and scarecrows, and picked fresh organic vegetables from the fields to make sandwiches, dumplings, salads and other snacks. Several little farmers of different ages and personalities will get to know each other, learn from each other, and help each other. This is actually an excellent social learning opportunity for modern children.
The children walked and jumped in the countryside, stretching their bodies; they touched the soil and leaves, immersed in the sounds of birds, and suddenly felt relaxed and comfortable. Parents also serve as farmers’ assistants, increase their knowledge of planting and crops, assist their children with work when necessary, and enjoy nature together. After a week of school classes, the best thing to do on Saturday is to put aside technical learning and give your brain enough space to digest and absorb the knowledge learned in class, apply what you have learned in daily life, experience life from the big farmer, and feel life through the process of taking care of crops.

We plan activities based on weather changes, the maturity of crops, the age, personality and interests of participating children, and other factors. We will pre-design/or even improvise a variety of interactions to ensure that the little farmers have some experience and the plan is constantly updated with creativity. In the 2018 "Be a Little Farmer Project", we integrated last year's experience. Little farmers can experience the important process of planting and learn about natural science within three hours. It is suitable for children aged 5-10 and their parents. It is a rare opportunity to have in-depth interaction with big farmers, so that small farmers can feel from them the endurance of hard work and how to remain calm and flexible in the face of changes in nature.
*Nature Play reserves the right to change the program content without prior notice. The growth conditions of crops in the self-picking activity may be affected by the weather. If the growth conditions of crops are not ideal, other crops will be arranged for self-picking.

Ming Pao Happy Pa Ma interviewed on September 19, 2017

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