Visiting with Children
Fitness, fun & fresh air at Firs Farm
These days, many children spend too much time indoors, glued to their screens.
So great is the problem that it has been called ‘Nature deficit disorder’. Yet spending time outdoors isn’t just enjoyable — it’s also essential for children’s physical development and well-being. Running, climbing, jumping, and playing in a natural environment can help build muscle strength, coordination, and improved cardiovascular health.
Many child experts agree that kids who play outside are happier, better at paying attention, and suffer less anxiety than kids who spend more time indoors.
Help your children become more active and less sedentary by bringing them down to Firs Farm; to explore, have some fun, and instil in them a love of nature from an early age. If they get a bit muddy, there are toilets and washing facilities in the Community Hub to clean up afterwards!
The mile-long circuit around the perimeter of Firs Farm is perfect for bike riding, scootering and buggy walks.
The Friends help young explorers have fun at Firs Farm, by creating a natural playground.
Follow the meandering paths through the wetlands and woods; with little ‘surprises’ to be discovered on the way.
We are very lucky to have some creative Friends, who put a huge amount into children enjoy being in Firs Farm.
The Friends have provided interpretation boards around Firs Farm, to help children learn about the wetlands and wildlife.Children love litter-picking, which is a simple way to introduce the idea that we all need to look after our environment.
Resources to help children to become nature detectives at Firs Farm
Nature Detectives activities and resources
‘Find it at Firs Farm’ guides will be available to download shortly.
Plant a tree for you and me
Children have helped to plant hundreds of trees and bulbs at Firs Farm. Many families come back regularly to visit ‘their’ tree and help water during dry periods.
Pond dipping is popular, for children to discover some of the amazing wildlife hidden beneath the surface of the water in Firs Farm’s lake. However, please don’t bring your nets and equipment to Firs Farm as this can result in cross-contamination.
Come and join in our pond dipping days; details will be published on our What’s On page.
Children are at the heart of the Friends’ organised events throughout the year, which are popular with local families. These include National Children’s Day, Rivers Week, Halloween and Christmas, as well as activities during the school holidays.
Details of children’s events are published on the What’s On page.
Christmas 2023, when Santa dropped in to Firs Farm
Get out and Get Active in Firs Farm
Let’s help to change this shocking statistic.
See the article in the Guardian
“Three quarters of children spend less time outside than prison inmates – survey”
For more information on how we work with schools and youth groups visit our dedicated Schools page.