Why Outdoor Learning
Why time on the farm matters more than ever
Children Belong Outdoors
We have all seen it. A child who has been restless and frustrated indoors steps outside and something shifts. They breathe deeper. They slow down. They start noticing things — a beetle on a leaf, the way the mud squelches underfoot, the sound a chicken makes when it is happy.
Children are wired to learn through doing, through moving, through getting their hands dirty. For thousands of years, that is exactly how they grew up — outside, in nature, alongside adults doing real, purposeful work. Somewhere along the way, we lost a lot of that. Children today spend less time outdoors than any previous generation.
At Raising Young Farmers, we believe that giving children regular, meaningful time on a working farm is one of the most powerful things we can do for them. Not as a treat or a special outing, but as a normal, essential part of growing up.
The Benefits of Outdoor, Farm-Based Learning
Every session on the farm supports children's development in ways that are hard to replicate indoors. Here is what we see, week after week.
Physical Health & Wellbeing
Children on the farm are constantly moving — carrying buckets, climbing over stiles, digging beds, chasing after a wayward goat. It is not exercise for the sake of it; it is purposeful movement that builds strength, coordination, and stamina without them even realising. Add in the fresh air, the daylight, and the exposure to beneficial microbes in the soil, and you have a recipe for healthier, hardier children.
Confidence & Independence
On the farm, children are trusted with real responsibility. They learn to use tools, to handle animals gently but firmly, to make decisions and live with the consequences. Every time a child does something they were not sure they could do — lights a fire, carries a heavy bale, catches an escaped chicken — their confidence grows. We see quiet children find their voice and cautious children discover they are braver than they thought.
Connection to Nature & the Seasons
Children who spend time on a farm understand where food comes from. Not in a textbook way, but because they have planted the seeds, pulled the weeds, harvested the crop, and eaten what they grew. They learn to read the seasons and the weather. They develop a relationship with the natural world that goes beyond knowledge — it becomes something they feel and care about deeply.
Social Skills & Community
Farm work is inherently collaborative. Children work alongside others of different ages, learning to cooperate, negotiate, and support each other. Older children naturally mentor younger ones. Everyone has a role and everyone is needed. This builds a genuine sense of belonging and teaches social skills that no amount of structured group work can replicate.
Creativity & Imagination
There are no plastic toys on the farm, and children do not miss them. Give a child a stick, a pile of straw, and some space, and watch what happens. The natural environment is endlessly rich in materials for building, making, and imagining. Without screens and manufactured entertainment, children rediscover the deep satisfaction of making something with their own hands and creating their own play.
Emotional Regulation & Calm
Nature has a remarkable effect on children's emotional wellbeing. The rhythm of farm life — steady, seasonal, purposeful — is calming in itself. Sitting quietly with an animal, listening to birdsong, feeling the warmth of a fire — these sensory experiences help children regulate their emotions in ways that are hard to access indoors. We regularly see children who struggle in other settings find a sense of peace and focus on the farm.
What the Research Says
You do not need a study to tell you that children thrive outdoors — you can see it with your own eyes. But the research backs up what parents and practitioners already know:
- Natural England (2016) found that children who have regular contact with the natural environment show improved physical health, mental wellbeing, and greater environmental awareness. Their research highlights that nature connection in childhood builds lifelong habits and attitudes.
- Richard Louv, in his influential book Last Child in the Woods, coined the term "nature-deficit disorder" to describe the costs of children's increasing disconnection from the natural world — including rising rates of anxiety, attention difficulties, and obesity. His work has inspired a global movement to get children back outside.
- Play England research shows that outdoor play and managed risk-taking are essential for children's physical, social, and emotional development. Children who are allowed to take age-appropriate risks develop better judgement, greater resilience, and stronger problem-solving skills.
- A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2018) found that children who regularly engage in outdoor learning show improved concentration, self-discipline, and more positive attitudes toward learning compared with peers who learn mainly indoors.
Why a Working Farm?
Parks are wonderful. Gardens are great. But a working farm offers something that no playground, nature reserve, or allotment can quite match.
On a working farm, there are real animals who depend on the children. The chickens need feeding whether it is raining or not. The goats need water even when the children would rather play. This is not a petting zoo — these animals rely on the care that the children provide, and the children know it. That sense of being genuinely needed is transformative.
There is real food being grown and harvested. Children do not just learn about where food comes from — they live it. They plant seeds in spring, tend crops through summer, harvest in autumn, and prepare the soil again in winter. They eat what they have grown. They understand, in their bones, the connection between hard work, patience, and a meal on the table.
And there are real consequences and real responsibilities. If you forget to shut the gate, the sheep get out. If you do not water the seedlings, they wilt. This is not about punishment — it is about cause and effect in the most tangible, meaningful way possible. Children rise to this. They take it seriously because it matters, and they can see that it matters.
A working farm gives children something that is increasingly rare in modern childhood: a sense of purpose. They are not doing activities for the sake of it. They are contributing to something real, something bigger than themselves. And that builds a kind of confidence and self-worth that no amount of praise or stickers ever could.
Why a Biodynamic Farm?
Tablehurst Farm is not just any farm — it is a biodynamic community farm, one of the oldest and most respected in the UK. Biodynamic farming goes beyond organic: it treats the farm as a living organism, working with natural rhythms, building soil health, and caring for the land in a way that is deeply sustainable.
For children, this means learning on a farm where everything is connected. They see how composting feeds the soil, how healthy soil grows nutritious food, how the animals contribute to the cycle, and how the seasons guide everything we do. It is farming with a conscience, and children absorb these values naturally.
Based in Forest Row in the heart of East Sussex, Tablehurst Farm sits within the beautiful High Weald landscape — an inspiring setting for children to learn, play, and grow.
Complementing Your Child's Learning
Many of the families who come to Raising Young Farmers are home educators, and we understand why. You have made a thoughtful choice about your child's education, and you are looking for experiences that bring learning to life in ways that books and worksheets cannot.
Our farm sessions are designed to complement what children are learning at home or in any other setting. They are not a replacement for anything — they are a rich, hands-on addition that fills in the gaps that are hard to cover at a desk.
Practical skills — Children learn to use real tools safely, to care for animals, to grow food, to cook over an open fire, to build and make and mend. These are life skills that will serve them well no matter what path they take.
Scientific understanding — The farm is a living laboratory. Children observe life cycles, weather patterns, soil science, animal behaviour, plant biology, and ecology — not as abstract concepts, but as things they can see, touch, and experience first-hand. A child who has watched a chick hatch or a seed germinate understands these processes in a way that no diagram can convey.
Character and resilience — Working on a farm teaches patience, perseverance, and the ability to cope with things not going to plan. Animals are unpredictable. Weather changes. Things grow slowly. Children learn to adapt, to keep going, and to find satisfaction in work that takes time and effort.
Come and See for Yourself
The best way to understand what outdoor, farm-based learning can do for your child is to experience it. Book a trial session and let them spend a day on the farm. We think you will see the difference.
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