Photos from The Care Farm Castlemartyr's post

Saturday activity for March is a crayon holder! Today the kids had the first go at this activity. This activity involved wood work (drilling) and decorating (using stencils to write their name). Many areas of development are encouraged with this activity; fine motor skills, creativity, letter recognition, self confidence (yes! I can do this! I would love to try something new again!) and positive self esteem (look at what I am bringing home! I am good at making things). And what is best about all of this is that the kids are having fun while this is going on!

Photos from The Care Farm Castlemartyr's post

Almost everyone form group 3 was there this afternoon! A great group of friends, kids who have Down Syndrome and their siblings. We decorated cupcakes to look like farm animals and spent time at the farm too! We are organising an extra session for this group during the mid term break; Thursday the 23rd from 12:30-2:30.

Photos from The Care Farm Castlemartyr's post

These little cuties are for sale! They will be ready for their new home from 23rd February.

Photos from The Care Farm Castlemartyr's post

We have a new Care Farm information brochure!! So delighted with it. When new parents call it can be difficult to explain what exactly the farm is about. So now I can post out a brochure. I had a brochure printed when we first opened 4.5 years ago, but they ran out quickly and I never got around to getting more. Now it was also time for a new design, so here it is! If any of you would like one posted out, just send me a message with your address. And if any parent who comes to the farm would like one, they are on the white cupboard for you to take!

Timeline Photos

Celebrating Difference! This month at the farm we are looking at difference, and developing a positive attitude towards it. Here are some methods we use at the farm but you could adapt these and use them at home. Feeling ok and positive about all the differences between each and every one of us is important for emotional well being, and ideally a child has this foundation before they become aware of their own similarities and differences with others. At the farm the animals help us with this. With very young children we look at how two donkeys or two rabbits each have a different colour or size. With older children and teens we observe the animals and ask children to look at the animals' behaviour and preferences. For example if we make salads for the guinea pigs we watch 'what will Rocky eat first? What is his favourite food?' And then we look at Pip and discuss the same. We will look at the goats and discuss 'which goat loves to be with people?' And 'Which goat is shy and prefers not to be touched by people?' I made observation sheets which the kids will be completing this month to guide them with this activity. All of this is a good start for a classroom discussion about same and different. You could do this at home. Discuss things like What does mom like to do in her free time? What does dad like to do in his free time? What is mom / dad good at? What does mom / dad find difficult? Then chat about the kids in the family. It becomes clear that there is no person the same. And to help the kids, we always approach all the differences between us as positive, that it is what makes life interesting! I ask the kids 'would you like to have seven of exactly the same Pygmy goats? All the same colour and personality?' That would be boring!

Photos from The Care Farm Castlemartyr's post

Amy Lee just had her first kids! Unusual to have twins the first time. That's probably why they are the tiniest kids I've ever seen. Straight under the warm lamp!

Photos from The Care Farm Castlemartyr's post

Our adorable male guinea pig is for sale! €20 Male guinea pigs are fertile from 3 weeks and have to be separated from their mother at this age. As you know he is handled daily by the kids so he's very used to children.

The little boy is very playful 😍

Photos from The Care Farm Castlemartyr's post

What a surprise this morning! Chrissie had two kids! A boy and a girl. At one of last week's sessions one of the kids said to us, chrissie must be pregnant. She'll be delighted she was right! The kids are going to love these two cuties.

Photos from The Care Farm Castlemartyr's post

This month the Saturday groups have been doing a wood work project; making their own bird feeder! They also filled it with a coconut oil and seed mixture. So much was involved in this project, fine motor skills when using the saw, drill and screwdriver, motor planning skills when thinking about the order in which to do things, social skills when taking turns with the tools and making the seed mixture and finally growing in confidence when you end up with your own, hand made bird feeder. Well done to everyone!!! Here some pictures from the last two Saturdays.

Photos from The Care Farm Castlemartyr's post

Pip had two guinea pig babies today!! Yippee 🎈🎉

Timeline Photos

Almost there!! 969 people following us today! Thanks everyone for following The Care Farm page! Xx