"But I am sure that there is a bit of a farm boy and farm girl in every little kid," says Gippy Tantoco, marketing director, Sta. Elena Properties Inc. " I have lived in the city all my life. But I have always fantasized about living on a farm."
Gippy, his wife Hindy and their son Lucas, came back to the Philippines for good a few years back. Gippy started to work for their family-owned Sta. Elena Properties in Canlubang and it was while he was working at Sta. Elena that the idea for a fun farm for kids came up.
It was during a visit to the farm of his friend in Bay in Laguna that Gippy thought of starting a fun farm with many farm animals for kids to see and play with. "Of course, I also wanted a place where I could take my family on weekends. I don’t really like going to the mall and I wanted a place which is close to Manila and where Lucas could learn a few things, too," says Gippy.
Enter Fun Farm.
We took a trip to Gippy’s Fun Farm in Sta. Elena in Canlubang one Saturday and the farm boy in Gippy took over.
At the entrance to the Fun Farm is a truck with an open bed, which Gippy painted. Painted on the truck is a smiling sun in bright yellow and the words "Welcome Fun Farm." There is also a smiling farmer scarecrow that stands guard on the bed of the truck.
There are cows grazing and sheep eating grass in one of the enclosed areas of the farm. A rooster, his chickens and their chicks run around freely. And then there are pot-bellied pigs. "The mom Pot-bellied pig just gave birth to four piglets," says Gippy. He also tells us that if it were possible, Hindy wants to take one of the piglets home. "The daddy pot-bellied pig is really friendly. He behaves just like a dog," adds Gippy. "He even rolls over when you pet him." So we try – and he does.
We walk some more and reach the cages of the rabbits and guinea pigs. We also get to see the doves and the chicken coop, too. There are ducks that live in the pond and the pond is home to tilapia and a few koi.
It is a fun farm and not a zoo, stresses Gippy. This is why there are no exotic animals around – just real, honest-to-goodness farm animals. And space, lots of it.
The fun farm is built on a 1.2-hectare piece of land and everywhere one looks, nature abounds. A walk deeper into the farm reveals a patch of green planted with rice and a space where corn grows. "We wanted kids who come here to experience what life on the farm is really like with the animals and some crops, too," quips Gippy.
And for Gippy, the experience is something that every kid (and kid at heart) should experience. This is why he has also opened the Fun Farm for children’s parties. What better way to enjoy a birthday but out in the open air and amid the lush greenery and friendly farm animals? There are even plans of expanding the farm to include a butterfly farm and an obstacle course.
Actually, there have already been a few birthday parties held at the Fun Farm and all those who have turned older at the farm have had a blast, says Gippy.
"During one birthday party we were grilling hotdogs and farmer Tinky (one of the people who loves animals and has helped in the development of the farm) got a bit upset," smiles Gippy. "Farmer Tinky said that the pigs were getting stressed smelling the grilled hotdogs."
But this does not mean that kids can’t grill hotdogs at the Fun Farm – the barbecue and hotdogs just have to be cooked away from where the animals stay. That is Gippy’s compromise.
Having a party at the Fun Farm is a great way to teach kids about life on a farm and it can be hassle-free, too. Gippy says that they have a menu from which people can choose what kind of food they want for the party – hotdogs and barbecue included.
"Hopefully, after attending a birthday party at the Fun Farm kids will go home thinking that farmers are not so uncool," shares Gippy. "And that a chicken, Pot-bellied pig or a cow can be a superhero, too."