HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (RNS) — On a warm, sunny morning in farm country, a group of 40 preschoolers and their parents fanned out across several rows of crops to pluck strawberries from beneath crowns of green leaves.

Later, the children sliced the berries they had gathered and added bananas, kale and yogurt to blend into smoothies before heading out to feed chickens and goats. They then strolled through a wooded trail (spotted a turtle!) and took turns at a pair of swings hanging from a tree. The morning concluded with an outdoor lunch prepared by a dietitian and chef.

The outing Wednesday morning (May 29) was part of a wellness program called Grow It, one of several offered to young families living in North Carolina’s Triangle region by Spring Forest, a farm and new monastic community, or “farmastery.”

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