Everything we do is for the children, they deserve the best start in life. We want to provide opportunites to learn how to live sustainably and resourcefully within community.
Educate. Empower. Grow - The heart of the Crops Not Shops mission and we feel that it starts with The Family.
How do we prepare our children for the ever-changing, fragmented world that we find ourselves in? This is our focus. To learn from our ancestors of old, from our children and from Nature herself. We get as close as we can to the land because we know that she has the medicine the toxic parts of our world needs right now. ‘Our children are not our children, they are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself’ We know that education is not a one way stream. We have much to learn from them.
‘They come through us but are not from us’ ;It is OUR job to hold and guide them in their journey; ‘You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth’; we remember that their purpose is theirs and we give space for their true selves to emerge.
What we offer?
We offer events focused on empowering families through topics like nutrition, well-being, being with community, also Sporadic "Feed the Family Day's" promoting harvesting, cooking, and eating together while learning about nutrition and sustainable farming.
We hope to establish passion led learning sessions, where children can partner with community members to learn new skills or skill swap.
Spring 2025
We have exciting partnerships with Skool Beanz & Mamma Village.
We are developing a Children's Garden area, which will have a lot of scope, for not only diggers but creative types to develop and decorate a gorgeous area for the children, by the children. Seeing this garden start from empty polytunnels and stacks of wood, to a haven of beauty and biodiversity will light any child up, ESPECIALLY because it's THEIRS, created for them by them <3
TUESDAYS - 10AM-2PM
Skool Beanz CIC in Devon and we are very blessed to have the knowledge and time of the their founder Lara, leading the way with the design plans and know how! Lara's story to what birthed Skool Beanz into existence is inspiring and we can't wait to see of our partnership grows this season (sorry about the pun ha!)
Skool beanz attention is focused mainly on the children's area with all things growing and for those that are less green fingered, but happy to be in nature, there are lots of opportunities and tasks to paint, design and even help harvest/cook lunch with the communities chef's.
THURSDAYS - 10AM-2PM
Mamma Village CIC, focused on bringing parents and children in the local area together for events & practices that are focused on love and honouring nature's rhythms. We feel blessed to be able to work so closely with them again, after several successful collaboratives endeavours last year. Namely a feed the Family event, where all the children and parents came together to harvest, prepare, cook and eat organically grown goodies!
This session is child led, we hope that we can organically grow our method of passion led learning, but know that in order for these ideals to grow we need to take time playing and being in a community environment. We envision this to be child led it will emphasise play-based and self-directed learning, fostering intrinsic motivation and lifelong curiosity.
