Yes, I bark with my daughter. Sometimes I even run around on all fours in the living room. But I haven’t WOOFed with her, at least not yet.
This past January we trekked to Costa Rica, where we spent several weeks on an organic dairy farm. We got to help feed the calves and participated to a small degree in farm life.
What is WOOFing? It’s World Wide Workers on Organic Farms. It’s a farm-based volunteer opportunity for individuals and for families. For a small membership fee, you can get listings for farms around the world that offer food and lodging to volunteers who are willing to work on the farm. Volunteers usually get some time off every week to explore the area as well. It’s an inexpensive way to get acquainted with local farming practices, meet the locals, and go to places that are decidedly off the beaten path.
It can also be a learning experience for children. Having the opportunity to feed calves, plant seeds, or pot plants teaches kids about the day to day work on a farm. If you have an urban or a city kid, it’s a lesson in what goes into making our food. If you have a rural kid, it’s a chance to experience an entirely different sort of rural life, perhaps even rural life in another country.
Next year, we plan to visit a maple syrup farm in rural Quebec for a few weeks. I haven’t decided whether we’ll do a paid farm stay or a volunteer experience. I value the idea of helping out, but I do have some reservations about volunteering with my daughter. Although she’s a seasoned volunteer, she does get bored fairly easily. This means that as the sole adult who travels with her, I’m not going to get my fair share of work done.
Before WOOFing with children, it’s important to look at the farmer’s expectations. Does the farm allow families? Do they have volunteer opportunities that are suitable for children? How many volunteering adults are in your party? Also, if you feel that you will not be able to contribute fully to the farm work, can you pay to do a combination of a farm stay with some work?
Would you volunteer on a farm with your kids?