An Ohio Resident Summer Camp
for Children Who Love Animals

...and wish to participate in the day-to-day life of a real farm.

Established 1976
Five-day/four-night sessions, for age 6-12

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The Setting and Neighborhood

The Country School Farm is a summer camp located in Holmes County, Ohio, where occupations are carried on by the mostly Amish residents as they were a century ago. The farm occupies forty-two acres of hills and valleys adjacent to Troyer's Hollow on the Doughty Creek. Woodland wraps around three sides of the property rendering it cozily tucked away in its own corner of the county. Fifteen acres are in hay, ten in pasture, twelve are in woodland and five acres constitute the home farm. There is a two-acre orchard with apple, pear and peach trees. Close to the barn is a small vineyard with several types of grapes. The organic garden utilizes raised deep beds and is planted in both annual and perennial vegetables. The barnyard houses a herd of Nubian dairy goats, with horse and sheep pastures nearby.

The west pasture is being returned to woodland so that the entire property will be surrounded by a wildlife sustaining ecology. We have seen more and more wildlife in the surrounding thickets and woodlands - deer, raccoon, groundhog, red fox, cottontail rabbit, chipmunk, squirrel and muskrat, owl and red tailed hawk.

This predominantly Amish area is home to a vigorous community of small, tidy, family farms. While the Barkers are not Amish, they enjoy many benefits from living among them. The neighborhood adheres to a set of principles that inadvertently result in a society that is "people scaled." The assumptions of life are clear to everyone. Each member of the community knows what is coming next in life and because of this, growing-up is relatively stress free.

Everyone is accepted for his or her own strengths and weaknesses. No one ever feels left out. Cradle-to-grave security is, indeed, a reality. On a day-to-day basis the Amish are surrounded by people they can trust. Because of this, crime is almost nonexistent. The sacrifices, perceived as germane to their way of life, mean that few outsiders join them voluntarily. Yet, as a relatively healthy community, we can take lessons from them. These lessons have an influence on everyone at the farm both in the summer and year-round.

Why Children Join Us on the Farm

The natural world is our earliest and most efficient teacher. Children are attracted to both the meaningful activity of the farm and to the involvement with living things that it implies. The hidden lessons of farm life are appropriate in these troubled times and serve to link wilderness with civilization. For the child these lessons point to "where things come from" and foster a respect for nature, observational skills, foresight, a sense of responsibility, patience, and a deeper understanding of one's place in society's division of labor. On the farm the child

". . .relives the cultural history of man who passed from the natural (hunting and nomadic) state to the artificial (civilized) state through agriculture; when he discovered the secret of intensifying the production of the soil, he obtained the reward of civilization. This same path must be traversed by the child who is destined to become a man." —Maria Montessori

Our visiting children actually live the reality of this stage of settled agriculture by becoming active participants in the life of our working family farm. This is not a demonstration farm or traditional summer camp, nor is it for troubled children. Each visitor becomes an important contributor to the well-being of our many living things. In the narrowest sense, this develops the ability to work with others on a common goal. It also fosters habits of character essential for membership in any society, a commitment to honesty and fair play. Those who join us have a love of animals and enjoy the out of doors. Our livestock include rabbits, dairy goats, sheep, calves, work ponies, dogs, cats, ferrets, peafowl, hens and bantams. Our other activities include care of the garden and orchard, food preparation and preservation, farm repairs and improvements. We gather wild berries and herbs and learn through experience about sensible land, water and waste management. Our visits to the feed mill, lumber yard, livestock auction, woolen mill and other local resources are never field trips but always occasioned by necessity.

 

"While I am happy that he had such an enjoyable experience, I am even more pleased that he returned home surrounded by such an air of freedom."—Karen Cahall; Amelia, OH