Storybook Farms
Fall of 2016 I had the privilege of volunteering at Storybook Farms. While at Storybook I had the honor of working with children who have special needs. The intentions of Storybook Farms is to allow children who have learning impairments and disabilities to have something that they can excel at in life. The goal is to make the children feel uplifted and to strengthen their self-confidence in who they are as individuals. At Storybook the children who participate get the chance to ride horses while playing games, learning, making friends and having fun. The horses are used somewhat as a positive therapy for the children, it gives them a chance to overcome fear of animals, heights and opening up to new people. Storybook is kid-friendly because their horses are all named after a storybook character out of different children's books.
While volunteering at Storybook I had the opportunity to create bonds with my children or riders. I got to know who they were, their interests, and even some information about their conditions. I had the opportunity to work with kids of all types, all ages and even different nationalities; I learned to interact with children of all types of disabilities and it gave me knowledge of how to interact with special needs children in the future. In addition to learning about interaction and getting involved with the children who attended I also got the opportunity to help out around the farm with barn chores, I got to learn things such as horse language, how to take care of a horse, the proper way to brush a horse, the proper way to wash a horse, how to feed and water the horses, how to clean out a horses hooves, how to muck stalls and even how to lead a horse.
Volunteering at Storybook also humbled me as a person; it truly made me realize how much I and so many others take advantage of the "normal" life we live as people in today's society. I am so much more thankful for who I am and how much I was blessed to be born the person I am today because it is important for me and so many others to realize that our worst day is someones best day. I am so glad I had the opportunity to volunteer at such an amazing place because I created memories and bonds with my children that will last a lifetime.
While volunteering at Storybook I had the opportunity to create bonds with my children or riders. I got to know who they were, their interests, and even some information about their conditions. I had the opportunity to work with kids of all types, all ages and even different nationalities; I learned to interact with children of all types of disabilities and it gave me knowledge of how to interact with special needs children in the future. In addition to learning about interaction and getting involved with the children who attended I also got the opportunity to help out around the farm with barn chores, I got to learn things such as horse language, how to take care of a horse, the proper way to brush a horse, the proper way to wash a horse, how to feed and water the horses, how to clean out a horses hooves, how to muck stalls and even how to lead a horse.
Volunteering at Storybook also humbled me as a person; it truly made me realize how much I and so many others take advantage of the "normal" life we live as people in today's society. I am so much more thankful for who I am and how much I was blessed to be born the person I am today because it is important for me and so many others to realize that our worst day is someones best day. I am so glad I had the opportunity to volunteer at such an amazing place because I created memories and bonds with my children that will last a lifetime.
"Storybook Farm is a magical nonprofit ministry where courageous children challenged with a variety of physical, emotional, social, and mental situations embrace and celebrate life!" -Storybook Farms
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