– Featuring children’s yoga, nature hikes and fun games

RECOGNISING that children are substantially more likely to suffer long-term physical, mental and emotional effects of the current pandemic, Diane Chin and her husband Joseph have teamed up with a group of professional teachers to create solutions that can help kids navigate the harsh realities that they’re currently experiencing.

The kiddies’ day camp at the Armadillo Earth Farm that they hosted recently has received overwhelming support; so much so, that another one is fixed for August 7. A 10-acre ecological safe space located at Long Creek, on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, the Armadillo Earth Farm allows for activities such as kids’ yoga, sewing craft, nature hikes and other fun games.

The mission of Armadillo Earth Farm is to create a space that is aligned with how children learn naturally and focus is being placed on developing children’s creative skills. “The goal is to help each child actualise their unique potential and God-given passion,” Diane told Pepperpot Magazine.

“The camps are taking into consideration that children have been forced to sit in front of a screen for hours on end, that they have lost friends, that there’s no social interactions and connections, no play, no fun. Basically, the world that children have been forced to live in is ironically very bad for their immune systems and, of course, their health,” she further expressed.
In addition to academics, Diane said children must sing, dance, paint; learn basic life skills such as cooking, sewing, woodworking, planting their own food, knowing the importance of composting, and protecting the forest.

“Our current high-tech, modern, civilised world has come at a high price. We are disconnected from the wisdom of our own bodies, our spirit and our creative intuitions and from nature herself, from which our very bodies are birthed and from which all our substance comes,” she posited.

Following the first camp, parents have been reaching out to enquire about other camps and other activities for the August holidays and beyond. So the second camp will see collaboration with professional scouts, who will be there to teach the children a number of forest-survival techniques; wildlife exploration and education; basic pioneering (building structures out of the natural surroundings) and more. The buildings at the farm have all been built with materials from the surrounding areas.

The idea of overnight camping facilities where children can be immersed in nature, learning basic survival skills; how to take care of animals and plants on a farm; how to grow their own food, do yoga and meditation, are all areas that are being looked at by the Armadillo Earth Farm team for the future.

On August 7, a bus will leave Georgetown at 08:15hrs to transport the children along with their parents.

“The camps are a wonderful relaxation opportunity for the parents as they get a chance to relax in an enchanted natural setting, read a book from the extensive library at the farm, while their children are being taken care of by professional teachers,” Diane said.

The camp caters for children between the ages of six and 12 years old, The spaces are limited as the organisers ensure that there is no overcrowding and all COVID-19 protocols are observed.