La Ferme Européenne des Enfants welcomes your children from 5 to 12
Coming on holiday in La FEE is, above all, to reappropriate the notion of space in this vast 30-hectare domain, participating in farm life, discovering the agricultural way of life at the pace of a small village’s life. Children learn to take the time to do things, listen to the birds, admire the stars, feed the animals, cultivate a vegetable garden, and discover the ecological issues of our actions… Taking the time to create, understand the rhythm of animals and plants, rediscover the satisfaction of obtaining a healthy product through work. Children can also understand where food comes from, from wheat to flour, the wool of our sweaters, the water we drink, and thus understand how important it is to protect our planet. With all senses awakened, it’s time to imprint deep within oneself striking and moving images, full of hope.
Experiment, marvel, be moved.
Living at one’s own pace and the pace of one’s discoveries.
Holidays at La FEE are also about discovering other cultures. Children from all over the world come to the small village of Grandcourt to spend their holidays at la Ferme Européenne des Enfants. A cultural and linguistic exchange quickly takes place between the curious children who want to know “how do people live elsewhere?” Simple songs in all languages are offered every morning during the daily gathering. Artistic workshops, especially Theater and Music, are also an opportunity to find a mode of expression in common during performances!
Discovering others and discovering oneself.
Examples of workshops
Sharing farm life
Taking care of animals
Every morning, children feed the chickens, rabbits, ducks, geese, ponies, goat… In the “cuddle corner,” they participate according to the seasons in the hatching of chicks, ducklings…
“From wheat to cake”
Children harvest the wheat, turn the mills, sift their flour… They go to the chicken coop to collect eggs and prepare their cakes for snack time every day.
“From sheep to wool”
In the afternoon, they feed and shear the sheep’s wool, wash and dye the wool with plants. Depending on each child’s project, the wool will be carded, spun, woven, or knitted.
Jams
In summer, picking currants, blackcurrants, raspberries to make jam… In October, discover the apple press, make applesauce, a little pot of jelly, or even chestnut cream.
The vegetable garden
Sowing, planting, watering, harvesting according to the seasons…
Discovering the environment and heritage
Fun and creation with renewable energies
Lighting the goat’s house with the force of the river water, building a solar boat, or creating a solar music box…
Who lives in the river?
Discover the fish food chain, fish in the river for different insects and crustaceans, determine the water pollution level based on the diversity of species living in the river (biotic index), and become aware of the impact of human activities on biodiversity.
“SOS trees”
Discover their origin, growth, their close relationship with humans and their many inhabitants (birds, insects, plants…). Children plant trees from collected seeds and can discover them by climbing!
Exploring the forest and its inhabitants
Discovering the richness of fauna and flora, following animal tracks or making an herbarium, going to drink from the source and taking a detour to the fossil quarry.
Heritage workshop
Introducing children to woodworking, carpentry, and joinery, forging, slate or tile roofing, building their birdhouse Architecture Learning to make cob, flint masonry, bricks… building huts, discovering Norman rural heritage
Opening up to the world
Workshops are led by professional instructors in English, French, or Spanish, allowing children to approach languages in a playful and concrete way.
Every morning and afternoon, before we split up into different workshops, we meet in the barn to exchange, according to the children’s nationalities, how to say hello in different countries, sing songs in all languages… During quiet times, children can write their logbook in different languages…
Artistic, cultural, and sports activities
Music
Discover and share the passion for music, alone or in small groups, with professional musicians
Theater
Improvise, make masks, and natural costumes with British or French professional actors
Circus
Children learn juggling, bolas, pyramids, trapeze, beam, rola-bola… and prepare for the big end-of-week show
Drawing and painting
The artist’s workshop invites each child to freely discover hidden talents for painting, drawing…
Modeling
Working with clay, letting imagination express itself
Land Art
Creating from natural elements, raw materials provided by animals and plants.
Sports activities
Forest hikes, table tennis, football, rounders, basketball, “thèque”, badminton, outdoor games…
Dates & rates
The European Farm welcomes your children from 5 to 12.
Stay with full board accommodation and participation in all workshops
Spring 2024
- Sunday, April 7 to Saturday, April 13
- Sunday, April 14 to Saturday, May 20
Autumn 2024
- Sunday, October 20 to Saturday, October 26
- Sunday, October 27 to Saturday, November 2
Summer 2024
- Sunday, June 30 to Saturday, July 6 (mandatory school certificate)*
- Sunday, July 7 to Saturday, July 13
- Sunday, July 14 to Saturday, July 20
- Sunday, July 21 to Saturday, July 27
- + Weekend price (for children staying two weeks)
- Sunday, August 18 to Saturday, August 24
- Sunday, August 25 to Saturday, August 31
- + Weekend price (for children staying two weeks)
Useful documents
Packing list (to be filled out and put in the suitcase)
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