Educational farms

Educational farms: everything you need to know about this family activity ?‍?

Educational farms are a classic for school outings and family activities! Farmers are keen to create a link between the rural and urban worlds.

The aim of the visits is to show everyone, and especially children, that agriculture is a key activity in regional development! Thanks to Funbooker, find out all about educational farms!

What is an educational farm?

An educational farm is a farm whose activities include welcoming the public. Some establishments are dedicated to animation, while others combine animal husbandry (sheep, cows, chickens, etc.) or plant cultivation with their educational dimension.

These areas offer fun and educational activities. They raise children's awareness of environmental and agricultural issues. By introducing children (and adults!) to the world of agriculture and farming, these structures pursue a number of objectives, including:

• acquiring knowledge of the living world,
• raising public awareness of the environment and ecological issues, and
inspiring
• vocations in the agricultural world.

The different types of farms

There are several different types of farm, each with its own objectives and mode of operation:

• animation farms are generally found in urban or peri-urban environments. They have been specially created to welcome the public, and offer little or no commercial agricultural produce.
• farms, whose primary function is agricultural production, are open to children and adults for educational purposes. This enables farmers to diversify their activities.
• mixed educational farms, where a farm's sales are divided equally between visits and production.

The different activities on offer

Educational farms offer a variety of activities, some tailored to children, others to adults:

• simply visiting the farm to meet the animals and spend some quality time with the kids.
• You can even feed and care for the sheep, geese and rabbits. Your child can also enjoy the joys of a pony ride or a horseback ride.
• milking cows and shearing sheep, for young and old alike.
• activities focusing on fruit and vegetables: you can grow your own orchard or vegetable garden, or make your own fruit juice from farm produce. Market gardening workshops
• honey and beekeeping workshops; introduction to the making of farm products, such as cheese and bread.
• Some farms offer nature-based activities to raise visitors' awareness of the surrounding environment: horseback riding, discovering the ecosystem of a lake or forest, etc.

8 exceptional educational farms to visit in France

Les Fermes de Gally

Located in the Paris region, the Fermes de Gally are spread over 3 sites. Each site features a different branch of agriculture:

• Sartrouville: for those wishing to enjoy a day outdoors in contact with animals: cows, goats, pigs, horses and chickens will delight your children!
• Saint-Denis: with a large market that will delight lovers of fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Market, grocery store and café in Feucherolles: this area will delight gourmets, who will discover authentic farm produce. It's also an opportunity to meet local producers and craftsmen.
• Saint-Cyr l'Ecole: home to a garden center, a market and a decoration boutique. A pick-your-own activity is also on offer.

La Ferme de Saint-Hilliers

Located in Seine-et-Marne (77), this farm offers a wide variety of activities: milking goats, brushing donkeys, learning about wool... a wide range of discovery activities for children and adults alike. Bonus: you can watch the birth of the chicks.

She also organizes children's birthday parties.

Viltain Farm

The Jouy-en-Josas farm welcomes you to learn more about agricultural life. Located just 17km from Paris, this farm offers a wide range of activities, from simple visits to milking cows, manufacturing workshops and picking sessions. All year round, you'll find a multitude of workshops and walks adapted to the season:

• Galette des rois workshop in January
• Country fair with funfair games and pony rides in May
• Strawberry planting in June
• Apple juice making or pony rides in September
• Pumpkin carving for Halloween
• Foie gras workshop for Christmas

The Princes' kitchen garden in Chantilly

Located in the Oise department, in the heart of the town of Chantilly, this animal park welcomes you all year round for a multitude of activities for young and old. The Potager des Princes is a historic park classified as a "Remarkable Garden", where you can wander freely among the garden's animals.

As a family, you can take a stroll, take part in activities or attend plays and shows, activities also offered by the Potager des Princes.

For children, there's a wide range of activities on offer, including birthday parties, rabbit races, hen orchestras and sheepdog demonstrations. Enough to delight your children and give them a great time.

Cabri au Lait educational farm

Claire and Sébastien welcome you to this Indre-et-Loire farm, famous for its goats, organic cheeses and aromatic plants, to share their life as farmers.

During your visit, you can tour the farm and meet the animals, learn how goat's milk is transformed into cheese or yoghurt, and taste dairy products. Animal care workshops are also available, as well as a walk around the plants and flowers that grow in the meadows.

For children's birthdays, a fun program awaits them (animal care, cheese-making, cooking...), with a birthday snack as a bonus.

The Rambouillet national sheepfold

A truly historic site, the national sheepfold in Rambouillet, in the Yvelines department of France, welcomes you to see numerous animals including horses, cows, rabbits, poultry, pigs, sheep...

A wide range of activities awaits you too. You can learn how to milk, care for and feed the animals, shear or shoe them, or simply go for a ride on foot or in a horse-drawn carriage.

There's something for everyone, young and old, in an unspoilt natural setting.

Manimopark

The Manimopark educational farm is located in Montbarta, Tarn-et-Garonne (82). Its main attraction is that you can discover rarer animals, such as llamas.

Children are allowed to stroke and feed the animals, and can also relax on wooden games. Manimopark also organizes special days for your child's birthday, as well as egg hunts.

Equin'ox's little farm

Located in Saint-Clément in the Allier region, this educational farm is an alternative farm. In fact, it's a responsible farm that takes particular care to respect nature and animal living conditions.

You and your family or friends can visit this extremely well-preserved natural site, where you can discover the life of the animals, feed them and stroke them freely. Educational and therapeutic activities are also on offer for young and old alike!