Family Bonding at Helping Friendly Farm – Part 1

Part 1 of a two-part series about Helping Friendly Farm

New Hope, PA is known for its bucolic beauty, rich ties to history, and an eclectic town center with stunning views of the Delaware River. Nestled in the countryside of this desirable town is Helping Friendly Farm – the best hidden secret in the entirety of New Hope.

For neurodiverse families, outings can be limited if locations don’t support the needs of family members who struggle in social settings. Thankfully, Jessica Zander (Jess) decided to put her dream of a sensory farm in Bucks County. I know that I, and many other families, are counting our blessings by having Helping Friendly Farm in our own community.

At the heart of Helping Friendly Farm is Jessica’s belief that “the sibling relationship and the familial relationship is so important to practicing skills.” As a parent of children with complex autoimmune disorders, Jess saw how therapies could be isolating, failing to engage her two children at the same time if one was receiving services. I know that many special needs families can empathize with what Jess went through, myself included. From her experience, Jess recognized that a safe place to form sibling and family relationships was necessary in the special needs community. Thus began the dream of Helping Friendly Farm.

In November of 2018, Jess began working through the steps of creating a safe experience for families of all abilities to get back to nature. COVID stalled the reality of Jess’ dreams, but after 3 years, she was ready to open the barn doors of Helping Friendly Farm.

Just a day at Helping Friendly Farm truly felt like magic for my family. The entire space exudes peace and beauty. 

• Jess ensures that families who schedule visits to the farm are introduced to The Sensory Barn first. However, she is all about self exploration and supports wherever her visitors want to be.

• The Sensory Barn was truly unbelievable. If I could make a standalone structure for everything my son loves, it would be what Jess created with her Sensory Barn. 

• There are three rooms: Light and Sound Therapy Room, Meditation/Yoga Room, and the Open Play Sensory Room.

• Light and Sound Therapy Room – has all sorts of buttons, light-up objects, sound makers, star projectors, and light-up Lego. Sounds overwhelming? It is not! With the low lights, it’s paradise for a child who seeks out visual and auditory stimulation.

• Meditation/Yoga Room – Jess uses this to encourage visitors who need a calming space. This is also a work space for Jess (and her favorite room!), as she teaches Yoga individually to students throughout the week. 

• Open Play Sensory Room – My children were about to move into this room and never come home—and so was I! Slides, monkey bars, rock climbing walls, tunnels, steps, handles, gliding bars, swings, crash pad, tunnels. You name it, it’s in this room! “I wanted to create a room of everything I wish I had for my kids when they were younger,” Jess said. 

Parents of children who are in therapy know that play is often dictated and regulated so that the child can achieve their goals. It can be exhausting and challenging for our children to do that repeatedly day after day or week after week. However, Jess created this barn space so that “the equipment is familiar, but goals are not being dictated,” and each child can feel freedom in that choice of play.

Jess recently hosted her first birthday party at Helping Friendly Farm. It was a small group of extended family, and she observed that the experience went extremely well. (Large groups and overstimulation make birthday parties a difficult part of everyday life for kids with sensory needs.) But at the farm, Jess created a type of freedom many children never experience. Walking through the farm, I envisioned my own family enjoying birthdays here for my son while knowing he won’t be overwhelmed and can just be himself. I know Jess understands how important of an experience she is slowly building at the farm for families like mine with these special events.

I thought the farm could not get better than the Sensory Barn, but I was wrong. As my children ran into the fields to explore the organic food, G.O.A.T.S, chickens, and the cutest donkeys, I was overcome with an even bigger appreciation for what Jess is doing at her farm.

Part 2 on the rest of the farm (and this cutie, Elvis) coming soon!