Who are we?
For over 35 years, “La Ferme Européenne des Enfants” has been welcoming children in Grandcourt, Normandy, during school holidays, family gatherings, and friend groups in cottages, and nature classes, children’s groups with their parents, and artists in residence…
“La Ferme Européenne des Enfants” was born from the dream of Dr. Véronique Barrois, who believes in the discovery of the environment and nature as a means of awakening and personal fulfillment for children.
In 1987, Véronique Barrois embarked on the adventure with the intuition of creating a place that could foster the bond between children and animals, and she purchased the family estate. Having traveled extensively, she had visited an educational farm in the United States about a decade earlier.
She also endeavored to pass on what she experienced during her childhood family vacations: following her grandfather fishing and using this opportunity to discover the river’s ecosystem; harnessing the pony, taking a carriage ride to the forest, and stopping to drink directly from the source; visiting the baker and discovering the making of bread, wheat, flour, and so on…
Through discussions about the necessity of providing such a place for children to discover nature, marvel at it, be moved by it, and become its defenders, the founding intuition crystallized into a meaningful educational project. Through her travels and network of friends, children from around the world came to this small village in Normandy, adding a dimension of cultural exchange and discovery of otherness to the project.
This intuition has proven increasingly relevant as the estate has expanded, and over 30 years of educational experience now bring joy to children who come on holiday to explore and discover, learn by doing, develop new talents, and take the time to encounter others.
Where are we?
“La Ferme Européenne des Enfants” extends over 30 hectares and includes:
- An 18th-century manor house, its park, and its farmyard
- “L’Etable,” a very friendly and warm reception hall with a large fireplace, sofa corner, and upright piano that can accommodate 50 to 70 people, professional kitchen, 5 bedrooms with bathrooms
- “La Ferme,” adjoining, with 6 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, living room with fireplace
- “La Mazurie,” independent, overlooking one of the meadows with its apple trees and horses, double living room with a large fireplace, kitchen area, and 5 bedrooms
- A beautiful 18th-century barn, suitable for organizing concerts, shows…
- Educational workshops in the numerous outbuildings: theater, woodworking workshop, solar boat construction, from wheat to cake, from sheep to wool…
- The river, classified as first category, runs through the estate for 2 kilometers, with its mill, supporting an international educational project for sustainable development
- A 4-hectare wood, ornithological and floral reserve, allows children to build huts, discover the spring, the fossil quarry, and initiate themselves into environmental exploration…
- This exceptional property, with its biodiversity and landscape (woods, meadows, orchards, limestone slopes…), is located on hiking trails leading to the sea and bordering the Eu Forest.
The animators & the permanent team
“La Ferme Européenne des Enfants” is a large family, with generations of animators succeed each other and pass on to each other the tricks and tips of educational workshop transmission and the whole spirit that makes holidays at the Farm so special!
Accreditations
La FEE est une association régie par la loi de 1901 et créée en 1990. Elle a été récompensée pour sa pédagogie par des agréments :
Direction Départementale de la Jeunesse et des Sports N° 076 320 079
À télécharger :
Évaluation pédagogique du séjour par l’inspecteur de la DDJS
Inspection Académique de la Seine-Maritime N°IA 76/94/50 ; IA 76/94/50/M
Agrément DDASS
Agrément PMI
Agrément BIO
Agrément Gîtes de France