Feeling adventurous and your kids love animals?
Here is the list of the Parks with animals you can visit!
There will be 2 main categories in this list: 4H-gård & Parkleks and stand-alone - Skansen, of course.
4H-gård
Whilst Stroll In has already a blog post about Parkleks, 4H farms sparked my curiosity, so what is it?
4H is an international non-profit youth organization with broad activities in everything from farming and animals to sports and theatre with the main focus on children and young people aged 6-25.
The organization's name comes from the four H's that begin the organization's motto, "head, heart, hand, health". 4H exists in over 80 countries and the organization and management vary between countries.
Sweden's 4H's vision is that all children and young people should develop into committed, well-being and responsible people with respect for the world around them. The vision is to be achieved by discovering their rich values and diversity in interaction with people and nature. In this, each species and individual is an important part of the whole without being more valuable than any other.
Sweden's 4H's motto is "Learn by doing" (source: Wikipedia).
Stockholm county has 11 4H farms (4H-gård).
Here I will do small highlights for each of these farms.
To save you time going through I will mention that almost all of these farms have horses, goats, sheep, hens and cats. Some have cows and guinea pigs. Almost, if not all organise Animal Courses for children of different ages. For example, the courses for the youngest children (4-6 yo) help participants to learn how to take care of animals and practice understanding what animals feel. They also sometimes ride horses, pet rabbits and brush sheep. There are also courses for older kids as well. 4H Farms also organise day camps - just for a day, weekend or a school break. Some organise horse or pony riding. Many organise events, such as Halloween witch hunts or egg hunts during Easter and other. Some offer Rabbit Hotels if someone needs their rabbits to be taken care of during vacations. Almost all of the farms offer the possibility to celebrate a birthday party with a special package. Whatever activity you might want your children to participate in, it has to be pre-booked. Most of the farms have cafes, and some have farm shops, where one can buy honey, berries or even animals.
Akalla 4H farm
This farm has horses, goats, pigs, cats and rabbits. Here young visitors (from 4 yo) can subscribe to the animal courses or day camps. It is possible to book a children's party, place your rabbit in a rabbit hotel, when required or book a horse riding session.
This farm offers a Ghost Hunting on October 29th, which has to be pre-booked.
The farm also has a cafe, mini golf course, ceramics workshop, playground, BBQ area and a splashing pond.
Augustendal's 4H farm
This farm has horses, cats, goats, rabbits and hens. Young visitors can participate in the animal care courses (from 4 yo). It is possible to book children's parties as well.
There is a cafe with high chairs and changing table in the bathroom. There are toys available to play with. The stroller must be parked outside. This farm organises Egg Hunts during Easter and the Farm days (see more details on the website).
Björklund's Hage 4H farm
This farm has sheep, goats, pigs, hens, rabbits, guinea pigs and even bees. Young visitors can participate in the animal care courses (from 4 yo). It is possible to book children's parties as well.
This farm organises Halloween, Easter celebrations and Farm Day (see more details on the website).
Eolshäll's 4H farm
This farm has horses, cows, goats, hens, rabbits and cats. This farm offers a wide variety of courses for young visitors, as well as day camps. It is also possible to do horse riding. There is a rabbit hotel for those who wish their rabbits to be taken care of during vacation time.
The farm hosts various events, such as Farm day, Fall&Christmas markets, Halloween, Easter Hunt and more. It is possible to book a Birthday party as well.
Ersboda 4H farm
This farm has sheep, goats, rabbits, hens and cats. This farm offers as well Animal courses for various ages and day camps. It organises Halloween parties and Easter celebrations. It is possible to book the venue for a birthday celebration.
Färsna 4H farm
This farm has goats, pigs, horses, hens, rabbits and cats (it also has animals for sale). It offers various camps (easter, summer, fall etc), horse&pony riding and more. Throughout the year it organises and hosts 9 events, including Halloween, Christmas market and more.
Hågelby 4H farm
The farm has goats, pigs, horses, hens, rabbits and cats. This farm offers animal courses and day camps. Hågelby farm organises Easter hunts, Witch and Ghost hunts during Halloween and Santa Adventure during Christmas. It is possible to organise a birthday party on the premises.
Kallhäll's 4H farm
This farm has sheep, pigs, horses, hens, rabbits and cats. This farm offers, like others, animal care courses, horse riding, and the rabbit hotel. The farm organises Halloween, egg hunt during Easter and various activities during Farm Day. There is a cafe and a farm shop.
Stora Skuggans 4H farm
This farm has horses, cows, sheep, pigs, rabbits, hens and cats. This farm offers, like others, animal care courses, horse riding, even overnight stays and much more.
Riddersvik 4H farm
This farm has horses, goats, pigs, hens, rabbits and cats. It offers day camps and animal courses or horse riding sessions. It is possible to book a birthday party celebration. This farm organises a Ghost walk on Halloween.
Vallentuna 4H farm
