An Amazing Family Experience

So, today we are going to take a break from curriculum, projects, and activities because I have something I must share with you! Each weekend my family and I attempt to find new fun and educational activities, while spending quality time together. This past Sunday we spent some time at The Gentle Barn in Santa Clarita. I had heard from several of my mommy friends that it was a wonderful place to take children and they were absolutely right!


For those of you who are unfamiliar with The Gentle Barn, let me share a little bit about it. The Gentle Barn is wonderful place where abused and neglected animals have been brought and nursed back to health. Each animal has a story. Each story is tragic, except for the ending. The end of each animal's story is one of health, happiness, and healing from the they have spent with the wonderful volunteers and Gentle Barn family members.


They have approximately 130 animals at their location. All of the animals can be pet, groomed, and loved on. My boys (especially my husband) loved feeding the horses! The volunteers kindly taught us how to properly hold our hands, so that the horses could eat their yummy treats.

We also went to the top of the property where we met several pigs, chickens, turkeys, goats, and peacocks. This was where I fell in love! I'm unsure of his name, but he was enormous and had the loudest snore I have ever heard. ADORABLE!!!

The Gentle Barn is open to the public every Sunday from 10am-2pm. However, during the week they work with at risk teens and children with special needs. When I found out this bit of info, I loved the Gentle Barn even more. It is a wonderful place to show all people that we can heal from our hurts. Each animal was truly an amazing creature and my entire family left feeling uplifted and grateful for our time there.

I was also pleased to see our new animal friends chowing down delicious veggies (which are donated by Albertsons). And did I mention the Gentle Barn serves vegan pizza from their concession stand? The Gentle Barn could definitely be my new favorite place. What more could this girl possibly ask for?

The Gentle Barn was such an inspirational experience that I have decided to incorporate community service projects into our curriculum. Our first project will be to sponsor an animal from the Gentle Barn.

If you are interested in more information about this incredible place, please visit their website at http://www.thegentlebarn.org/ They also have a Facebook page and are on Twitter as well.

I highly recommend making a trip to The Gentle Barn! If you decide to go, you will have an awesome time and I can't wait to hear about your experience!