Welcome to the heartwarming world of Small and Beautiful Farmstead
We warmly invite you to become a supporter of our mission and help an extraordinary educational initiative thrive.
„I wonder what kind of work I’ll be doing today”
– The children arrive with this excitement to the farm each morning, eager to explore and discover more about themselves and each other, while strengthening their willpower and life forces.
What is this initiative about?
In our initiative to renew classroom pedagogy, 19 children with special needs, aged 6-16, are attending the “Small and Beautiful Farmstead” in Gödöllő during the 2024-25 academic year. These children require more individual attention and support than what a regular large class could provide, whether they are struggling with learning, behavioral, or communication difficulties, or have conditions such as Down syndrome or are on the autism spectrum. Research shows that these children particularly benefit from a deeper connection with the earth and the natural world for healthy development. Their daily activities are integrated into the rhythms of nature, drawing from the presence of the earth, plants, animals, and creative, hands-on people. Their learning processes arise naturally from these real-life activities.
Our program is not unique in the world; many similar initiatives are rapidly growing in other countries (such as forest, farm, or community kindergartens and schools), which foster an enhanced awareness of the connection with nature. Two excellent examples of this are Mulberry Farm in the USA and Freie Hofschule Pente in Germany.
For 8 years
We launched our activity-based farm pedagogy program in Gödöllő in 2016, and since then, nearly 50 children have participated.
Currently with 19 children aged 6-16
This year, we are working with three groups of children who struggle to find their place in the traditional state education system.
15 staff members and many volunteers
Our program is supported by teachers, farmers, artisans, volunteers, and parents on a daily basis.
On 3 locations under the aegis of the Association for Farm Based Education
Small and Beautiful Farmstead – Gödöllő
Almáskert – Piliscsaba
Balaton-felvidéki Gyermekkör – Hegyesd
Our Funding
Due to the personal attention required by the children and the nature of activity-based pedagogy, a relatively large number of adults surround the small group of children on a daily basis. Starting from the 2024 academic year, the children are divided into three different groups due to their age distribution. Thanks to the inclusion of some recently joined special children, wonderful human qualities have emerged in the community. Even with a high proportion of volunteer work, our program’s normal annual budget is around 83 000 EUR (approximately 380 EUR per month per child, a sum that many families cannot afford).
Our program is implemented entirely through self-funding, without any state support.
Our goal is to ensure that every child has the opportunity to participate in our program, regardless of their family’s financial situation. Therefore, we build our funding on the following three main pillars:
1.
Regular parental contributions,
based on individual financial capabilities.
2.
Income from community activities,
typically through organizing programs and crafting handmade goods for sale.
3.
Supporting patrons,
regular or occasional donations from individuals and companies, as well as occasional grant funding.
The year 2023
Last year’s main challenge was expanding our learning spaces due to the increasing number of children and the broader age range, which required separating the children by age. Our community successfully raised extra funds for this purpose, resulting in the construction of our mobile wooden house, which the children named “Bell House”.
The 2024-25 academic year
This year’s financial challenge is that while we now operate with three groups due to the age distribution, we cannot accommodate more children due to the site’s capacity limits. As a result, the per-child cost has increased significantly, by about 40%, which the families are no longer able to cover.
Without the necessary extra funds:
1.
The children wouldn’t be able to participate sufficiently in the core craft activities of the educational program (such as blacksmithing, gingerbread baking, felting, leatherworking, etc.).
2.
We wouldn’t be able to provide enough dedicated personal attention to the special children (such as those with Down syndrome or on the autism spectrum) in the group, which would mean they wouldn’t be able to attend Small and Beautiful Farmstead.
3.
For some children, financial reasons would make it uncertain whether they could spend their days in the environment so crucial for their proper development.
Support the future!
Let’s save childhood together!
Our fundraising goals this year
During the period leading up to June 2025, we aim to raise 19 600 EUR through community support to meet these three objectives:
5 400 EUR
to cover the missing funds for the increased support of our special children.
6 000 EUR
to cover the missing annual costs of the essential craft activities.
8 200 EUR
to enable children from financially disadvantaged families to participate in learning at Small and Beautiful Farmstead.
Only
to 19 600 EUR
„Children heal themselves in the right environment.” (Rudolf Steiner)
The daily active connection with the earth, plants, animals, and people has a therapeutic, healing effect on children. It provides opportunities to develop and nurture their senses and perception, contributing to their health, lifestyle, equal opportunities, and overall quality of life.
Parent feedback
„The endless selfless love and acceptance shown toward my children and our family is wonderful.”
„Thank you for giving my son the chance to become his best self here.”
„I see that many children have been given the opportunity for a different kind of life at Small and Beautiful Farmstead.”
If you find our initiative interesting…