Mackenzie House Hosts 2nd 'Kids Farmers School', an Educational Farming Experience for Families in Chigasaki

Mackenzie House Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture), a company engaged in new home construction, real estate, and home renovation in the Shonan and Seisho areas, held a food education and farming experience event for parents and children titled 'Kids Farmers School 2nd Session: Let's Plant Summer Vegetable Seedlings' in Serizawa, Chigasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, on May 16, 2026.

This event is a regional educational program conducted with the theme of 'learning the power to live through soil and food,' in collaboration with the Chigasaki City Board of Education and the NPO Furusato Farmers as supporters.

On the day of the event, participants experienced planting cherry tomato seedlings, harvesting snap peas, making name tags, and potting eggplants and green peppers. It was a time for children to connect with not just 'eating' but 'growing' food amidst the nature of Chigasaki.

In recent years, in Kanagawa Prefecture and the Shonan area, there has been growing interest in themes such as the lack of nature experiences, fewer opportunities for food education, the weakening of local communities, and the development of non-cognitive skills in children.
Amidst this, the 'Kids Farmers School' started as a parent-child participation-based regional education project that emphasizes 'learning through experience,' set in the fields of Chigasaki.
Rather than a simple harvesting event, it is developed as a 'place of learning' where children themselves experience 'why vegetables grow,' 'why soil is necessary,' and 'how nature and food are connected.'

Blessed with clear skies on the day of the event, many parents and children gathered in the fields of Serizawa, Chigasaki City.
In the cherry tomato planting experience that followed, participants poured water themselves, gently held the small seedlings, and covered them with soil with serious expressions. Furthermore, this time, they also challenged agricultural work called 'potting.' They experienced transferring eggplant and green pepper seedlings from small pots to larger ones.

In the latter half, they also made wooden name tags, personalizing their vegetables by writing the names of tomatoes and eggplants.
At the end of the event, a snap pea harvesting experience was also held. Children were highly excited to take home the seasonal vegetables they harvested themselves. Parents commented on the vegetables tasting 'like corn' and being 'sweet!'.

The 3rd Kids Farmers School is scheduled to be held on June 18, 2026.
Next time, they are also planning a program where children can learn while experiencing 'soil and food' in the nature of Chigasaki. The Kids Farmers School is an initiative started with the theme of 'raising children together as a community.'