What is a kinderboerderij?

A children’s farm — a small, usually free farm inside a park, with goats, chickens, rabbits and often a few pigs, staffed and meant for children to get close to the animals. Most Dutch towns have one, and they run feeding sessions, seasonal mornings and holiday activities. Those dated activities appear here; the farms themselves, with opening hours, are listed under Places.

Do nature activities run in bad weather?

Generally yes. A guided walk or a farm morning is not cancelled for drizzle, and the organisers assume boots and a raincoat rather than sunshine. Genuine storms are the exception and organisers post a cancellation on their own page, which is what each listing links to. If the forecast has decided the day for you, the Rainy day toggle on this page switches to indoor events instead.

City farms are free to walk into, and many park and forest activities cost nothing or a couple of euros for materials. Guided walks with an expert and organised nature workshops usually charge a small fee per child. The Free toggle in the filter bar narrows this page to the ones that cost nothing, which is a quick way to plan a Saturday that does not involve a card machine.

what’s on for kids

Nature & animals events for kids in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is small and flat and there is a great deal of green between its towns, which is lucky on the days when nobody can face another indoor activity. What turns up on this page is the guided sort: forest walks with someone who knows what the mushrooms are, activity mornings at a kinderboerderij where children can actually handle the animals, pond-dipping and seasonal nature days in the Amsterdamse Bos at Amstelveen and in city parks. Almost all of it is outdoors and goes ahead in ordinary Dutch rain, so dress for it rather than hoping.

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