Imaginations Run Wild at Westport’s Fairy Tale Farm

I used to play pretend a lot as a kid. I loved Halloween because the costume that my mom bought me in October would get worn long after the last piece of trick-or-treat candy was eaten. That’s probably why I love the idea of a Fairy Tale Farm so much. It offers the children of the SouthCoast a place to play make-believe and let their imaginations run wild.

According to a recent press release, Flying Starlings is an educational non-profit public charity that was founded “with the intent to answer the growing need for educational opportunities for children that included fresh air, old-fashion skill building, social connections, and acknowledged the deep-rooted need in all children to expand their comprehension of the world that surrounds them.”

Amanda Deane is the Vice President and Founder of Flying Starlings.

“We create fun outdoor social gatherings and educational experiences that instill respect and fascination with nature and conservation,” Deane said. “Our mission is to be able to provide wholesome experiences for children, of all ages and needs, in a safe inclusive environment.”

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Thanks to the generosity of the community of sponsors and donors, Flying Starlings has been able to provide a fun “Fairy Tale Farm” for children to learn and play. This storybook oasis is located at Walt’s Secret Orchard, where Flying Starlings was given the opportunity to lease in 2020. Members and volunteers have worked tirelessly pruning fruit trees, weeding, mowing, and maintaining the land in order to run children’s community programs.

“As a public charity nonprofit, we see a future that can give back, donate fruit, provide teen employment, raise a future generation that appreciates farming roots, help others discover the benefits of art and nature, and be a positive addition to our town of Westport.”

At Flying Starlings, children can develop old fashion skills like art, wood-working, floriculture, gardening, and harvesting. The goal is to accomplish this while learning and appreciating what was placed before them.

“We are teaching children the value of farming roots and agriculture, as well as inspiring the future generation to understand how nature and farmland hold wonderful and important stories,” Deane said. “We offer opportunities like relationship building and togetherness while reminding students to see the big and small moments of wonder; to live a little fairytale. Grow seeds, create art, have a tea party under an old apple tree, breathe the fresh air. As much as the world is modernized, industrialized, and developed, we feel strongly that Westport needs a home for adventure, imagination, and play where children and families can unplug and be a part of the community.”