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1 hour farm experience

Between Sunday 29 March 2026 and Sunday 26 July 2026
Come and meet the sheep. Feed and cuddle them, say hello to the chickens and learn about farming life.
Ivy Cottage Pedigree Ryelands
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Meet the sheep and work the sheepdog

Between Saturday 4 April 2026 and Saturday 5 September 2026
Come and meet the sheep, feed them and give them a cuddle, then learn about our working sheepdog and try your hand at whistling and shouting commands. Will he take any notice?
Ivy Cottage Pedigree Ryelands
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Meet and greet before starting the home education programme.

Tuesday 7 April 2026
Come and meet Karl and Nicola just for half an hour to see if you fancy committing to the full weekly programme. Come and talk to us about any special needs. We are both very experienced with Autism and ADHD.
Ivy Cottage Pedigree Ryelands
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Home education farm group sessions

Tuesday 14 April 2026
Home education farm experience. We will be running a group for up to 5 children on Tuesday at 1pm every week at our smallholding in Saddleworth. The group will last for an hour and a half and be run by a qualified teacher, Nicola, with Karl assisting as the farmer. We will cover lots of subjects including animal husbandry, anatomy and the environment. Our emphasis is on well-being , with the opportunity to be in the countryside and enjoy the fresh air. There will also be lots of opportunities to cuddle and feed the animals. We're aiming at all ages for children who enjoy being outdoors and close to animals. Booking is essential and the children will need to be accompanied by an adult as we are a working farm. Please get in touch if you think this would be good for your child.
Ivy Cottage
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Afternoon tea on the farm

Between Saturday 28 March 2026 and Saturday 28 November 2026
Enjoy an afternoon tea at the farm with a gorgeous selection of sandwiches, sausage roll, dinky pie and quiche, followed by a selection of cakes and a scone, all provided by our local Village Manor Bakery. Enjoy endless tea and coffee and a glass of Prosecco if you've pre ordered. After you've eaten spend time feeding and cuddling our lovely friendly sheep, have a chat with a chicken and maybe get involved in some jobs around the farm. Learn about how we care for the lambs and how we use the wool that we produce.
Ivy Cottage Pedigree Ryelands
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Lambing

Between Sunday 3 May 2026 and Tuesday 26 May 2026
Come and join us when we are at the most fabulous time of year - Lambing. Come and get hands on and learn about how we support our gorgeous Ryeland Ewes as they give birth to the best little lambs! This is hands on and for over 14s. Sessions suitable for smaller children also available.
Ivy Cottage Pedigree Ryelands
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Bring your herding dog to learn how to be a sheepdog.

Between Saturday 6 June 2026 and Saturday 5 September 2026
When we train sheepdogs, they are outside a round pen and the sheep are inside. The dog also has a long lead. Let's see if your dog has what it needs to be a sheepdog? Work our sheepdog and learn about how we keep our pedigree heritage sheep. This is a fun day for dog owners, we don't guarantee that you'll be winning Ine Man and his Dog anytime soon.
Ivy Cottage Pedigree Ryelands
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Open Farm Sunday

Sunday 7 June 2026
Come and visit our smallholding in Saddleworth as part of LEAF open farm Sunday. Come and learn about how we farm in the best way we can for the environment. Come and cuddle a lamb and a chicken.
Karl Jones