We love having your children at the farm, and we understand that many of you want your children to experience being here and helping out. There are specific ways to make their involvement inspiring for them and also supportive of the farm. We want to partner with you in order to enhance our community.
General Farm Safety
We have many safety concerns regarding equipment, potentially dangerous tools and safety for the crops. Children need to be supervised at all times when they are in the fields.
Helping With Work Hours
If your children are to join you during your required work hours, they must be old enough—and inclined enough—to participate in whatever tasks people are asked to do on a given day. Unless they are able to squat between rows without stepping on new seedlings, sustain repetitive tasks for two hours, be in the hot sun, have enough muscle strength to weed or plant in the soil, rake leaves onto rows or mulch, it is better that they do not work with you.
Children up to age 8 can attend an organized activity in the Children’s Garden instead, while you put in your hours. Children’s Garden programs are offered on occasional Saturdays throughout the season.
Collecting Your Share
A great time for children to join you and experience the farm is when you come to do your pickup. Please encourage your children to help you under the tent. You can read signs together while you pick out your share, carefully choosing and weighing your produce.
Children frequently enjoy helping to harvest the Pick Your Own (PYO) portion of your share. While you are in the field please ensure that your children can work with you in an age appropriate way. They need your guidance to make sure of the following:
- You pick only your family’s share (with strawberries, it can be easy to eat your entire share while in the fields). The farm staff makes careful and precise calculations to determine the amount of crops harvested for both pickup under the tent as well as PYO in the fields.
- None of the plants are being hurt or pulled out during harvesting.
- Flowers are not cut too low, or they will not be able to continue blooming for everyone to enjoy.
- Harvesting is done correctly according to the instructions presented on the boards.
In other words, children should not be sent off to harvest on their own without your presence and supervision. Children who are old enough and capable of playing on their own may play in the Children’s Garden or use the swings near the pickup tent while you are collecting your share: these areas are for all our children to enjoy.
By following these rules, we all ensure respect for our farm and our community. Thank you for understanding. We look forward to seeing you and your children!
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