Tucked away from the congestion of city life graze sheep, goats, cows and ponies - just some of the animals at Kentish Town City Farm, in north London.
The farm is one of 15 across the capital - with more than 60 throughout Britain. Friendly and fun, urban farms provide a rich learning environment and a totally new experience for many young children. And when it comes to early learning, 'real-life experience is what it's all about', says Nick Swarbrick, programme lead in the School of Education at Oxford Brookes University.
'There's nothing quite like stroking a cow. It's something you just can't get from either seeing pictures in a book or on a YouTube video, or even from seeing an animal from a distance. Visiting a city farm can help early years practitioners develop different aspects of their children's learning.'
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