Family Farmstay Weekends (Archive)
Archival record of hands-on weekend farmstays offered at our Benton, Pennsylvania farm from 2018–2021 (now closed).
Family Farmstay Weekends
Family Farmstay Weekends were offered at our Benton, Pennsylvania farm from 2018–2021. This program is now permanently closed and preserved here as an archival record of our educational farmstay and agritourism curriculum.
Hands-On Farm Living Experience
Our Family Farmstay Weekends invited families to experience real, working farm life from Friday afternoon through Sunday checkout. Guests participated in morning chores, learned natural livestock stewardship, and enjoyed peaceful evenings around the campfire.
🐐 Heritage Fainting Goats
Learn hands-on goat care with author Carrie Eastman (The Energetic Goat). Activities included hoof trimming, health checks, milking demonstrations, and bottle-feeding baby goats in the pasture.
🐴 Rare Arabian & Teacher Horses
Learn gentle equine communication, feeding, natural hoof care, and horse body language through our compassionate classical horsemanship approach with horses who have free will.
🫏 Donkey Care with Jasmine
Discover how donkeys think and learn differently than horses. Hands-on activities included grooming, ground manners, and pack saddle training.
🦆 Pastured Poultry & Ducks
Collect fresh duck and chicken eggs, learn about flock nutrition and predator-proof housing, and assist with seasonal duckling care.
🌱 Gardening & Campfire Evenings
Participate in planting, weeding, and harvesting heirloom vegetables and herbs in the farm gardens. Enjoy scenic picnics by the farm pond or in the historic barn, followed by evening marshmallow roasting around the campfire.
Arrival & Evening Campfire
- Afternoon: Check-in and settling into The Glamping Loft or campsite.
- 1 Hour Before Sunset: Welcome orientation tour of the barn and grounds.
- After Sunset: Private family marshmallow roasting at the campfire (weather permitting).
Full Day Hands-On Farm Immersion
- 9:00 AM: Join the farm crew for morning chores (poultry feeding & egg gathering).
- Morning Focus: Horse and donkey meet-and-greet, followed by garden time.
- Lunch: Vegetarian cheese, fruit, and veggie platter with local bakery dessert.
- Afternoon: Hands-on goat time (hoof trimming, health checks, cuddling kids).
- Mid-Afternoon: Break with refreshments, followed by gentle horse handling lessons.
- Sunset & Night: Campfire pizza dinner, stargazing, and evening campfire.
Focus Workshop, Q&A & Checkout
- 9:00 AM: Morning chores and customized livestock focus session (chosen by the family).
- 12:00 PM: Farewell lunch and Q&A session on homesteading and animal care.
- Afternoon: Checkout. Guests enjoyed visiting nearby Ricketts Glen State Park, Worlds End, or Knoebels Resort.