Q: Why are your summer day camp and after school programs primarily outdoor programs?

Q: What sets Little Garden Patch apart from other farm or nature based programs?

A: Although connecting kids with nature is a big part of our mission at Little Garden Patch, parents and children soon discover that there is a lot more going on here.  Besides all the fun activities and the natural beauty there are a few things that might not be so obvious at first glance:

• "Whole child" approach.  Whereas many programs rely on a single focus (typically sports or academic), Little Garden Patch provides actvities and areas that appeal to many different interests and personalities.  We understand that children must learn and develop in many different ways, including creatively and socially.

• Child-led activities.   Most programs keep children busy in very structured activities, whether sports, arts, or academic.  The majority of the child's time is scripted out and controlled for them by an adult.  In contrast, Little Garden Patch  understands that children get quite enough of that during the school year and that Summer especially is an opportunity for children to explore their own feelings, interests, and imagination.  At LGPF we offer a menu of joyful options and areas that support children as they learn through doing, an approach supported by a host of scientific studies on "best practices" for education and child development.

• Emergent curriculum.  Although a great deal of time, thought, and preparation is put into the activities that we offer at Little Garden Patch, especially during our full-day summer programs, we know that the most profound learning happens when the motivation to learn or to master a skill is intrinsic to the child.  Therefore we strive to create "open ended" projects and activities that children can adapt to their own interests and purposes. 

• Social learning in a community of kindness.  While conventional education has typically placed its emphasis on memorizing facts and repeating them back (for the purpose of testing and assessment), current research strongly suggests that true success in life correlates not with an individual's ability to memorize random facts, but with an individual's ability to use and acquire information creatively AND to get along with and work productively with others.  Hence at Little Garden Patch our staff members scaffold children as they learn to:
  
  -> set healthy boundaries and communicate needs.
  
  -> develop compassion and respect the boundaries and needs of others.
  
  -> use language and experimentation to gather more information.
  
  -> understand that mistakes and failure are a natural part of life and nothing to be ashamed of.
  
  -> learn how to learn from our mistakes, make amends where needed, and move on in a healthy and productive direction. -> respect and explore their own interests and talents.
  
  

  About developmentally appropriate activities and limits.  Children today are often asked to do far more, far sooner, than any generation in human history.  In fact many feel that our nation's approach to public education has become a Race To Nowhere with our wonderful teachers and children caught in the middle, trying to teach/learn material that children's bodies and brains are simply not ready to process, utilize, or retain. 
  
  For passionate educators eager to help chidlren embark on the adventure of understanding our marvellous world...this is a dismal state of affairs.  And yet we feel the key to reversing this trend lies in the growing grass roots movement of teachers and parents who know that the best way to educate children is to begin with understanding the different stages and areas of development that school aged children pass through and working with those, rather than against them.

Part and parcel of this approach is the awareness that not all children pass through these stages in exactly the same way.  Each child is a unique individual, already embarked on their own adventure of learning and growing.  We welcome the opportunity to get to know your child and nurture them on this adventure.

QQ:: Do you accomodate children with allergies, special diets, or food prohibitions?

A: As long as your child is not allergic to the plants, animals, and materials already present on the farm then yes, we will be happy to work around your child's allergies. 

Note that you will be asked to provide appropriate snacks/meals for your child if they require special food -- due either to alleriges, special diet (low carb, gluten free, or etc.)  or "picky eater" issues.  When you enroll you will also need to provide a complete list of your child's allergies, medications, and emergency procedures and contacts  and/or dangerous foods.  

All children must bring their own lunch, snack, & water bottle and we discourage "food sharing"  of lunch box contents. 

However please understand that our primary focus must be on monitoring children engaged in active play, animal interactions, tree climbing, and art table and water table activities.  We cannot always focus on what your child is (or is not) eating.  If your child must be rigidly monitored at meals, then LGPF may not be a good fit for you.

In the event that we provide a special treat or will be eating the results of a cooking project, you may need to send something for morning/afternoon snack. 

For parents of children with life-threatening allergies triggered by air or skin contact with food particles or other substances please understand that although we deeply sympathize with your child's needs, LGPF is not a suitable environment to accomodate these very special needs.   This is primarily because, in addition to our regular attendees, we have many children who come on a part time basis (and in the summer for only a week or two at a time) and it is our experience that this makes controlling the substances arriving in luch boxes, lotions, and etc. impossible to monitor reliably. 

Q: Are you certified in CPR and First Aid?

A: Linnaea, our Director and primary teacher/caregiver, is fully certified in CPR and First Aid for infants, children, and adults and has taken the training several times.  She is deemed by friends, former students, and colleagues to be a cool head in a crisis.   Teachers Mike, Michelle, Jon, Gabbi, and Maria are also fully certified in Pediatric First Aid and CPR.   

If your child has specific health risks such as asthma, severe allergic reactions, seizures, or other issues please notify us before registering to see if we can adequately meet your child's needs.  

Be sure to also notify us of any food allergies.

Q: What should I do if my child is sick? 

A: We are not allowed to have children in our licensed care facility if they are experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, or a high fever (over 101).  If your child is experiencing these symptoms or has experienced any of them within the past 24 hours, please plan to keep your child home. 

Children must also stay home if they are suspected to have Covid-19, chicken pox, measles, mumps, step throat, influenza or other moderately or severly serious illnesses.  If you are not sure if you need to keep your child home, call us.  

If anyone in your household has tested positive for Covid-19 or has the symptoms associated with Covid-19, your child must stay home.  Please contact us for more information AND to notfiy us as we may need to send out a notification to families about exposure.

If your child develops any of the above symptoms or shows signs of a moderate to severe contagious illness we will contact you to come pick up your child immediately. 

If your child has a runny nose or persistant cough when they arrive or while they are here we will discuss your child's health with you to determine whether home or care (LGPF) is the most appropriate setting. 

Please note that children may not attend LIttle Garden Patch Farm if they have lice or nits or are suspected to have lice or nits.

Q: What are you growing on the farm?

A:  Little Garden Patch is not a commercial farm nor are we a conventional farm with acres of fields or pasture.  Rather we are a small family homestead or hobby farm in a semi-rural residential neighborhood.   We have a small "classroom" garden -- our little garden patches -- that the children help us plant, maintain, and harvest all year round.  What we are growing changes with the season but we typically have the usual kitchen garden staples such as beans, peas, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, summer and winter squash, pumpkins and so forth. 

We have a wide variety of herbs as well as some berries which, although very small in number, allow the children to experience the entire growth process from flower to fruit.    We also have a small green house for sprouting seeds with the children.

Little Garden Patch Farm  has a smattering of fruit trees including apples, pears, plums, nectarines, oranges, lemons, and some rather disappointing cherries.    We make our own applesauce, apple butter, and plum jam annually. 

And last, but certainly not least, there are the animals who provide affectionate companionship as well as lessons in responsiblity, compassion & respect for other creatures, animal care, animal behavior, life cycles, and egg & milk production -- and of course, tons of fun!

Q: What kind of animals do you have?

A: We have chickens, ducks, and goats who provide eggs and milk for the family.   And we have two adorable  pot bellied pigs who provides us with lots of love and occasions to giggle.   Our beautiful American Shetland pony, Mia, and our two miniature ponies-- Cookie and Pearl -- complete the barnyard menagerie.

We also have some well loved and spoiled cats who patrol the grounds for mice and gophers.  And we have three small but lively dogs who keep us all safe from browsing deer, the mailman, and the UPS truck.   They are a great favorite with the children and love hanging out with them.   If your child is afraid of animals, including dogs, LGPF may not be a good fit for them.

Check our photo gallery for a preview of our animals friends!

Q: Do you have a Facebook page?

A: Yes.  Please "Like" us on Facebook and recommend us to your friends.  If you have a favorite picture or story to share, please post it. 

Thanks for reading through our FAQ! 

If we still have not answered your questions, please drop us some email. 

We would love to hear from you!

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