Health & Safety

 

Your Child's Well Being at the Farm

Participating children benefit from our two generations of providing a warm, safe, satisfying experience. Several factors contribute to the overall atmosphere of meaningfulness and security. The Barkers actually live at the farm, sharing the same environment and daily happenings with their visitors. The ratio is one adult to six visitors. The experience is noncompulsory. Those who come to the farm all want to be there. Half are returning from previous years. As animal lovers the visiting children tend to be a caring and cheerful group.

The policies and ground rules are specific and clear and reflect many, many years of experience. This attention to detail reduces anxiety. The children are carefully oriented with close attention to safety and expectations regarding conduct and interaction with the farm. With these guidelines in place, the children enjoy a perception of considerable 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.

The affirmation of a broad range of ages and abilities further enhances feelings of security. The absence of competition promotes cooperation in all aspects of life at the farm. Discipline problems occasionally occur as they do everywhere, but they are always of a scale with which our small close-knit community can cope. Discussion and an appeal to ones "better self" customarily resolve most issues. The real-life nature of the farm experience appeals to each child's sense of responsibility and results in an atmosphere of trust and commitment.

The Country School Farm, since its inception in 1976, has been annually inspected by the State of Ohio Department of Health and is licensed as a Resident Camp and Food Service. Ohio criteria meet or exceed the minimum accreditation standards of the American Camping Association. Each adult has passed a background check. The Barkers have current First Aid and CPR training, and among them, EMT and First Responder training, plus over thirty five years of designing a safe, healthy environment. Upon arrival children are instructed in cleanliness and safety matters. If needed, a 911 Emergency Squad is available ten minutes from the farm.

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The Food

Many of the foods we serve at the Country School Farm are organic and home grown. Our meat comes from local stock and includes: ham and loins, summer sausage, hot dogs and beef. We churn butter and bake whole-wheat bread. Our cheese is made at local cheese houses. Many of the vegetables we eat are harvested fresh from our garden. Our fruit we purchase weekly at the local market or produce auction and all summer we harvest wild berries. We sweeten with 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 sources of protein available.

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 bread from the morning's baking of French bread 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.