Grade 0 Outing to Farm Outing - 26 June
Two Champ buses full of excited ‘Chameleons’ and ‘Frogs’ set off from Clifton early Thursday morning, buzzing with excitement as they made their way towards the mountains and Excelsior Farm. Along the scenic route, the children spotted the sparkling Spring Grove Dam and even caught a glimpse of snow on the distant Drakensberg – a magical start to the day!
We had an unexpected but very farm-appropriate delay en route, as a herd of cows and calves from a neighbouring farm took their time walking along – and sometimes across – the Loteni Road! The children were fascinated by the “traffic jam,” giggling as the animals wandered peacefully around our buses.
We were warmly welcomed at Excelsior by Tammy, Jo, and Lucy Greene, who were ready and waiting to share their beautiful farm with us. After a walk through Tammy’s colourful garden, we were introduced to the baby calves. Some brave little hands reached out to touch the gentle animals, while others took a moment to get used to the strong farmyard smells!
The adventure continued with a slow and careful tractor ride to visit the older calves in a nearby paddock. A highlight here was meeting “308”, a Friesian-cross-Jersey calf who quickly stole hearts with her soft coat and cuddly nature. The children also had a chance to feed some of the calves special pellets, which they eagerly nibbled from small outstretched hands—an experience that left many little farmers beaming with pride!
Next, we hopped onto the back of a Land Rover with Simphiwe, who drove us to the neighbouring Bramleigh Farm, while Tammy accompanied us in another vehicle. Bramleigh Farm is completely organic and practices restorative farming, which helps care for the land and animals in a natural and sustainable way. There, Kaitlyn Kauerauf taught us about her free-range chickens and the egg mobile — a special hen house that moves with the hens around the farm. This clever system allows the chickens to naturally fertilise the grass as they roam, helping to keep the farm healthy and sustainable. One of the biggest hits of the day was collecting eggs from the nesting houses – with only one egg broken out of hundreds collected, our children did an excellent job!
We also had the pleasure of meeting Frieda and Muddy Pig – the biggest pigs many of us had ever seen! Frieda, a large brown sow, and Muddy, a massive white boar (much to the children’s amusement, as his name didn’t match his colour!) were enjoying their feed — and doing so with great enthusiasm and very noisy snorts! Not far from the pig pen, we were introduced to the baby goats, who were full of energy and made plenty of bleating sounds to show it. Watching over them was Rex, the loyal shepherd dog, whose job is to keep a watchful eye on the curious and very vocal little kids. The children loved meeting this furry farm guardian and seeing him gently patrol his charges.
The scenic drive back to the house offered beautiful views of the valley, rolling hills, and shimmering farm dams. We enjoyed a relaxed picnic lunch on Tammy’s lawn, munching on delicious treats from our lunchboxes. A special thank you to Ntuli for setting out the beautiful picnic blankets that made our lunch extra special. Afterward, the children jumped on trampolines and petted some dogs, exploring every corner of the farmyard before it was time to board the Champ bus for our return trip. On the way back, the children joyfully sang “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” together on the buses, a perfect end to a wonderful day!
A heartfelt thank you to Lucy, Jo, Tammy, Simphiwe, and Ntuli for their warm welcome, care, and support throughout the day, and to Kaitlyn and Andrew for sharing their knowledge and the special experience at Bramleigh Farm. The kindness, care, and time you all gave us will be remembered for years to come!
