Kelsey Creek Farm Tour in Bellevue

Sharing is caring!

 

We had the opportunity to check out Kelsey Creek Farm in Bellevue about a week ago over our Spring Break.  I am excited we were invited to visit as I found Kelsey Creek Farm to be a great opportunity for families in this area & I know we will definitely be heading there again. We’ve mentioned some of the events at this farm in our weekly events list in the past, but I never had the opportunity to check it out in person. The cool thing about this farm is that it’s in the middle of a residential neighborhood not far off of I-405 in Bellevue & actually is part of the City of Bellevue’s park system. It’s no longer a working farm, but its primary purpose is for education, which means its very child-friendly.

Here are some of the activities you’ll find at Kelsey Creek Farm:

Free Animal Viewing – If you’re up in Bellevue or live nearby, anyone can go visit the farm during the day for animal viewing & to check out the farm. It’s open from 9:30am – 3:30pm daily. Also, on the grounds are a playground (down below in the park area), hiking/jogging trails, picnic areas, wetlands & play fields.  {These hours are for the Spring 2012 time, make sure to check on the website to determine the visiting hours for when you visit.}

Special Family Events – Throughout the year, they offer special free events for families (make sure to keep checking the main website for new events to be added). The next event this spring is coming up Saturday April 28th, 2012 – the Sheep Shearing Event. It will take place from 11am – 4pm & there will be tractor/wagon rides, animal viewing, educational crafts, sheep shearing demonstrations & more. There will also be a few fee-based events (inflatables, pony rides & food/drinks) .

Farm Classes for toddlers & preschoolers – Farmer Jayne leads the Farm Classes during the school year at Kelsey Creek Farm & she did a fantastic job with the kids in our group, keeping them engaged & interested for the entire visit. The classes can range from 1 1/2 hours – 2 1/2 hours. They have a large multi-purpose room where the kids had a chance to do a craft (they decorated golden horseshoes on our tour), have free play & a circle time activity where they learned about the farm & the animals they’d be seeing. They also get to participate in barn chores, visit the animals & have pony rides, too. Check out the Bellevue Parks & Rec website for more info on pricing, times, etc.

Group Farm Tours – This is a great option for a school or preschool, playgroup, group of friends & more. You can schedule a farm tour where you’ll be able to get an in-depth look at the farm & take part in a number of educational activities. Right now, Farmer Jayne is offering Springtime in the Barnyard (mid-April – May) where kids can meet some of the new baby animals on the farm, tour the barn & plant some seeds in the garden, too. Each season they offer new types of educational tours. The costs for the tours are $85 for the first 15 people (kids or adults), which works out to $5.67/person.  After 15, it’s $5.50 per child and $2.50 per adult. {School staff is free}

Birthday Parties – Kelsey Creek Farms also offers birthday party packages, which seem very comparable to most of the other packages I’ve seen for birthday party locations. However, you really get a lot for your money – 2 hours complete with farm tours/petting the animals, doing an educational, fun craft & play time in their classroom.

Summer Day Camps – these are very similar to their Farm Classes but take place in the summertime. Kids get to participate in animal feeding & care, barn chores, cooking, gardening & more.

Overall, I was very impressed with Kelsey Creek Farms & thought it was such a fun and educational experience for my girls. We all loved Farmer Jayne & her easy-going & engaging personality.  I think preschoolers & elementary aged kids would have a blast! My gals loved the pony rides (even in the midst of the hailstorm that started up during both of my girls’ rides – of course!). The wet weather didn’t dampen their spirits at all, though – too much to do at this fun farm with a variety of indoor & outdoor activities, perfect for our always-changing NW weather!

Even helping out in the barn doing “chores” to take care of the animals was something they enjoyed. {I thought that was a brilliant way of keeping the kids busy & doing something fun while the other kids went on their pony rides, so they didn’t have to stand around in a line waiting for their turn.}. At the end of the day, we had a little time to enjoy the playground down in the park area & next time, I’d love to check out some of the walking trails, too. Definitely a place we’ll be visiting during the various seasons from now on!

Have you visited Kelsey Creek Farm before & what did you think?