Health & Safety

 

Your Child's Well Being at the Farm

Participating children benefit from our thirty years of providing a warm, safe, satisfying experience. Several factors contribute to the atmosphere of meaningfulness and security. The Barkers actually live at the farm, sharing the same environment and daily happenings with their visitors. The result is a seamless relationship with the children producing a comfort zone that minimizes safety and behavior issues. The ratio is one Barker to six visitors. The experience is noncompulsory. Those who come want to be at the farm. As animal lovers our visitors tend to be a caring and cheerful group.
The policies and ground rules are specific, clear and reflect over three decades of experience and attention to detail. The children are carefully oriented with a focus on safety and conduct in their interaction with one another and the farm. With these guidelines in place, they enjoy a perception of freedom and empowerment. Thus, they "claim the farm as their own," derive the most benefit from the visit, and leave with lingering feelings of purpose and satisfaction. Problems sometimes occur, as they do everywhere, but are always of a reasonable scale. The authenticity of the farm fosters trust and a sense of responsibility. The absence of competition promotes cooperation. Discussion resolves most issues, and is an important part of the fabric of the experience. During Monday morning’s orientation, we also talk about homesickness and ways of dealing with it. Children who resist coming to the farm should wait and attend another year.
In practical terms, The Country School Farm Camp, since its inception in 1976, has been licensed and inspected by the State of Ohio as a Resident Camp and Food Service. Each adult who works with the visitors has passed a background check. The Barkers have First Aid and CPR Certification, Wilderness-First-Responder training, EMT training and First Responder Certification among them.  Plus, they have over thirty years of experience designing a safe and healthy environment. Children are carefully instructed on health, cleanliness and safety on Monday morning and, should the need arise; our local 911 Emergency Squad is available ten minutes from the farm.

 

The Food

Most of the foods we serve at the Country School Farm are organic and home grown. Free range hens supply our eggs. Our meat comes from our own or locally grown stock and includes: ham and loins, summer sausage, hot dogs and beef. We milk ten Nubian goats morning and evening, churn butter and bake whole-wheat bread. Our cheese is made at local cheese houses. The salads we serve are harvested weekly from our gardens. Our fruit is purchased weekly at the local produce auction. The children snack on wild black raspberries, blackberries and elderberries which are abundant on the farm.   Our primary sweetener is raw, organic honey. Due to the activity level here children develop great appetites and many go for "seconds." There is always plenty to go around. And, although we do serve meat, vegetarians do fine by simply skipping it and eating the other protein sources.

A Typical Day's Menu
Breakfast Penny's honey oat-cereal (very popular) milk. orange slices whole wheat toast, butter and honey scrambled eggs with and without ham or cheese	Lunch summer sausage (hot from the oven) cheese (swiss, longhorn, cheddar, havarti, etc) crackers (saltines, wheat), grahams tortilla chips apples bananas orange slices other fruits in season - (plums, peaches, strawberries, cherries, grapes, pears, etc.)
Supper (varies; this is Wednesday's) spaghetti with sauce toasted warm garlic French bread from the morning's baking and butter-making fresh salad from the garden milk cottage cheese	Bedtime Snack Penny's honey cocoa

Sleeping Arrangements

 

Since many ask . . .
The farmhouse is roomy, clean, and airy. The children sleep on large, screened sleeping porches that wrap around the house. The children know where the Barkers sleep in the house and can easily access them if help is necessary during the night.
Boys and girls have separate rooms. Siblings of the same gender sleep in the same room. Only children nine and over are assigned to upper bunks (which are equipped with guard rails) unless otherwise requested. Although we cannot promise special sleeping arrangements, you may note your preference on the back of the Medical Information Form for consideration.