Mead Open Farm Activity Farm Bedfordshire
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Mead Open Farm, Stanbridge Road, Leighton Buzzard, , LU7 9JH
MONTHS OPEN
DAYS OPEN
AGE GROUPS SERVED
Listed under: Leisure and Tourism | Themed Attraction | Team Building | Picnic Areas | Indoor Activity & Soft Play Centres | Farms | Outdoor Education | Animal Welfare | Animal Experiences | Reward Trip
What we offer on a school trip
Easily reachable for days out from all over Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, located in Leighton Buzzard not far from the A5 and Junction 11A, Mead Open Farm’s Farmyard Experience package offers a day of discovery and fun, with activities for children of all ages.
Getting close to animals is a magical and memorable experience for all young children. The Farmyard Experience is great for both Youth Groups and Nurseries or Pre-schools – giving children of all ages the opportunity to stroke rabbits at Bunny Hop, hand-feed goats and sheep, and enjoy a dedicated Tractor & Trailer Ride* (April to October half term, weather permitting).
As well as all the animals, the farm has two huge jumping pillows, a giant adventure playground, Go-Karts and Crazy Golf, as well as a fantastic sandpit and Digger Village.
Our softplay, Shaggy’s Indoor Playworlorld is huge – totalling over 13,000 sq feet and with the Magical Veggie Wood too, it’s now even bigger. The kids will have a ball as they zoom down the 65ft astra slides, brave giant drop slides, clamber over shiver chicanes and scramble zigzag net climbers.
It’s a fun-packed day out for kids offering loads of different environments for children to play, swing, climb, balance, slide and ride! Come and see Bedfordshire’s favourite children’s farm for yourselves!
What makes us a great choice for education
We have been welcoming school trips for over 20 years, catering from pre-schools to post-16 trips. With hands-on animal experiences and learning all about our animals and the farm, to all the play we have to offer, Mead Open Farm is the perfect blend of education and play.
Our Farmyard Experience has been carefully designed to provide hands-on learning opportunities and a day that the children will remember. We believe learning outside the classroom is necessary and one of our aims is to inspire the children who visit us to continue learning about farms, animals and the countryside after their visit at the farm.
What is typically included on our school trips
- Farmyard animals: Cows, goats, sheep, ponies, donkeys, rabbits, alpacas and more
- Hands on animal activities: Bunny Hop and Pony Grooming
- Designated tractor and trailer ride – from Easter-October
- Lamb feeding – From Spring
- One bag of animal feed for every 2 children included, allowing hands on experience feeding our goats, sheep and pigs.
- Giant indoor softplay
- Large outdoor adventure playground, go karts, mini golf and bouncing pillows
- Designated area for belongings and lunch
- Free pre-visit for lead-booker
- Free teachers at a ratio of 1:5
- Free Coach Parking and free entry for the driver
- Health and Safety Guidance Notes
- First Aiders onsite
- Downloadable Risk Assessment and teaching resources
Group Sizes Catered For
We cater for any groups over 20 children. If your group size is larger than 100 children please contact us to arrange your boo
Materials, Resources & Information Provided
We provide a timetable of your groups designated activities and you are provided with animal feed for your visit. We have animals facts posted around the farm and our team are always on hand to provide more information about our animals.
Please contact us and we can assist with any information before your visit.
Photography, Filming & Audio Restrictions
You’re more than welcome to film onsite, as long as you have the subjects consent.
Risk Assessment Details
We have created a risk assessment form to assist group organisers, school teachers and others in drawing up their own risk assessments. You can find it here: https://www.meadopenfarm.co.uk/farm-visits-schools-groups/
You’ll also get a free planning visit for trip organisers to carry out risk assessments before the date of your trip.
Education Officer Information
We do not have a designated education officer but, please contact events@meadopenfarm.co.uk with any questions or for any assistance.
Pricing Information
Our school group rate is heavily discounted starting from £10.50 per child.
One adult goes free with every 5 paying children, with any additional adults start from £10.75.
Clothing Requirements
We recommend suitable outdoor clothing according to the time of year. Warm and waterproof clothing in the winter and hats and sunscreen in the summer.
We recommend suitable footwear and wellies in wet weather.
If your group wishes to use our indoor softplay, socks are required at all times and long sleeves and trousers are required to use our drop slides.
Available Facilities
We provide a designated area for your group throughout their visit to leave belongings and eat lunch, this can vary depending on when you visit and your group size. We will show you the different areas on your pre-visit with us.
We have female, male, mixed gender and disabled toilets onsite, as well as regular hand-washing facilities throughout the site.
Onsite we have a restaurant and pantry onsite where hot and cold food and drinks can be purchased throughout the day. With prior notice you can pre-order hot food for your group from meals such as jacket potatoes to burgers or lunch bags.
Our gift shop prices start from £0.95.
Accessibility & Disabled Facilities
See our accessibility statement for your specific needs: https://www.meadopenfarm.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Accessibility-Guide.pdf
Opening Hours & Information
We are open from 10am-5pm 7 days a week. We have 10:00am or 10:30am arrival slots for school groups.
Testimonials
‘We have been bringing our Year 2 classes here for 10 years and each year it doesn’t disappoint, we love visiting Mead Open Farm. The children absolutely love getting to pet the bunnies, groom the ponies and feed the goats and of course the softplay too. The staff are incredible and are always on hand to help to children and answer their questions.”
“As a SEN school, school trips are not easy for us, but we had a great day at Mead Open Farm – thank you! The children loved petting the animals and the staff adapted the activities to suit our needs. We had our own designated room and this was great when some of the children needed a bit of quiet time. We will definitely be back.”
“The kids have not stopped talking about their trip to the farm, it was the best day ever in their eyes. We’ve been learning about baby animals and the children we so excited when they saw the little lambs, goats and even a newborn calf!”
“We went for the animals, but we didn’t realise just how much there was to do. The children went mad for the softplay and it was a welcome break in the heat (it’s air-conditioned!). There’s also bouncing pillows, go karts and mini golf, which was great to split the children up over, as well as the huge outdoor playground. We could’ve been here from open until close and still have more to do. Thanks Mead Open Farm, we’ll be back with next year’s cohort.”
