Fellinlove Farm in Holland is the Ultimate Hands On Animal Experience for Kids

Your Kids are Going to Meet all Sorts of Animals Up Close

Do you know how many scutes (raised scales) are on the back of a leopard tortoise? Or how many bales of hay a Fell pony eats? You may have even heard of yoga with goats, but what of yoga with dachshunds?

You can find out the answers to these fun questions and more while visiting Fellinlove Farm in Holland.

Owned and operated by the Kaletka family, Fellinlove Farm has over 65 animals, a bunch of friendly barn cats and over 25 koi to check out!

Petting Farms and Animal Farms for Kids to Visit »

Learning Opportunities Abound at this Non-Profit Gem

My five year old daughter and I loved our visit!

The farm is a nonprofit organization with the mission to improve their guests’ quality of life by providing dynamic experiences for all ages and abilities. Not only did we get to view the animals, but we got to go in the pens, feed them, pet them and even hold them.

Are you a dog lover? The first animals we met (besides the barn cats, which my daughter adored!) were the white Great Pyranees Angel and Sky. These super friendly, lovable dogs were TALL and loved to give kisses.

Fellinlove Farm was named for their two rare breed Fell Ponies, whom the owners fell in love with.

We fed them carrots and watched the other full size and miniature horses before moving on to hold the chickens. (Fell ponies eat a bale of hay a day, by the way.)

Instead of just viewing the miniature llamas and donkeys, we were invited in to their large pen to pet them and see them up close.

I was surprised to learn that “miniature” llamas are taller than me and very friendly …almost too friendly. While they don’t spit like myth states, they DO like to give kisses to wary visitors.

12 Nigerian Dwarf goats share a pen with the two pigs. Their climbing structure was too hard for my daughter to resist. It’s a goat’s life…

We were both quite amused to learn that when you rub the Kunekune pig’s belly, he will fall over and almost fall asleep. We had to watch that happen twice just to believe it.

Fellinlove Farm has Unique Pint Sized Creatures to Meet, Too

Fellinlove Farm also boasts a variety of small animals that a farm member will bring out to you, including an African Pygmy hedgehog named Paisley that was slightly under the weather, degus, guinea pigs, hamster and even chinchillas.

My daughter was excited to for this change of pace after being around the larger farm animals for a while.

Yoga With…Dachshunds? (Sorry, Goats)

Yes, this farm DOES offer yoga with dachshunds, affectionately known as wiener dogs! Okay, and they do offer Yoga with Goats, too. So take your pick, grab a mat, and get ready for a memorable workout.

Check out their events page for the next sessions.

Before taking a 3/4 mile trail walk around the farm, we visited a Leopard Tortoise (he has 13 scutes by the way) and fed the large Koi in the pond, including the black one with the colored belly you can rarely see.

We also stopped to hold the incredibly soft rabbits, including our favorite, Blossom.

Hands On, Learning Fun can Host a School Group, Prom or Small Groups

Fellinlove Farm was a great hands-on experience for that was offered completely for free! They take many school groups, but even recently have hosted a prom and a wedding.

I was proud to see my five year old work past initial timidness and branch out to petting nearly every animal there.

Want to see if you will fall in love with FellinLove Farm? You can find out more information on their website or Facebook or by phone at (616) 335-8761. If you visit, donations are always accepted, but never expected.