Clubhouse Farm daycare in Kelowna vies for social change award

Chores like feeding chickens may sound boring to some people, but the children at a farm-based daycare inKelowna love it, according to the daycare's manager.

The managers of Clubhouse Farm Child Care Centre is hoping she will be able to convince people justhow important outdoor activities are for children's development at an award competition tonight.The daycareis one of six organizations vying for this year's ChangeUp: Innovating for Social Changeprize inKelowna.The audience picks the winner based on which one has the most social impact on the community.

Children at Clubhouse have five acres of land to play on, a big change for those of them who normally stay inside most of the day.

"It's for every kid who has trouble in school. This area becomes this level playing field for kids. They make friends with kids out here they normally don't when they're inside," said Audrey Hystad, manager of Clubhouse farm.

More time outside

Children at the daycare are taken outside in the morning and the supervisors allow them to make up their own games and activities.

"They can play in the sand, the dirt, with the rocks, the mud, the sticks, the buckets and shovels, and they will find their own activities and then they can help us with the chores if they want to," said Hystad.

More importantly, the time outside helps with any behavioural problems children may have, said Hystad.

"I noticed the play becomes more innovative. It becomes more imaginative... we find less bullying."

Filling a need

Hystad says Clubhouse Farm started as a regular daycare, but the executive director and others, who had decades of experience in childcare, noticed children nowadays were just not as happy as before.

"They had all noticed that kids just don't get outside enough. Kids have started to become quicker to get upset and in general, a little more unhappy over the last couple of decades."

Two years later and Clubhouse is a popular choice for not only daycare, but also school field trips, according to Hystad.

She hopes tonight's award competition will give the daycareextra funding to extend itshours and compete a few projects like renovating the chicken coop and putting up gates for the fences. There may even be plans to expand this idea into other cities. The need is there, said Hystad.

"So many kids need this. So many kids need to get outside."

• CBC Open House and Food Bank Day 2015 in B.C.

To listen to the full audio click the link labelled: Clubhouse Farm daycare gives kids chance to play outside.