Welcome to Summer Camp! 

General Information: 

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• Summer Camp sessions are suitable for rising 2nd graders - rising 6th graders.

• Camp is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, starting at 8:30 am and ending at 3:30 pm.

• Campers should bring a bagged lunch; water and snacks provided.

• Current CDC health & safety guidelines will be in place.

• Closed toe shoes required! Sunscreen & a hat encouraged. Some sessions will have messier activities than others so a change of clothes is not a bad idea.

• Cost is $250/session.

• Each session is limited to 8 campers.

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June 15 – 19                                             ALL ABOUT CHICKENS                                                    $300

Chicken Camp is, well, all about chickens! Hands on experiences will include avian embryology study with setting an incubator and completing a hatch, caring for a variety of chickens in a variety of circumstances (free range, brooder, hatching, chicken tractors, etc.). We will learn about avian husbandry, best practices, avian behavior, and how all of those factors can help us to design and create safer and more enriching poultry housing. Each day will feature an eggs-periment that teaches/reinforces scientific methodology but also promotes empathy, stewardship, and responsibility. Campers will also have the option to participate in poultry processing, doing as much or as little as they are comfortable. This will include lessons in humane handling, safe food handling, avian anatomy, weights & measures, and culminate in farm-to-fork cooking. Friday camp will close with a farm-to-fork meal for the campers and 2 guests, featuring food items harvested and prepared by the campers.

 

 

June 22 - 26                                             SMALL RUMINANTS ROCK!                                                    $300

This is sheep and goat camp! Campers will spend the week learning everything there is to know about these wonderful animals and the many positive aspects they bring to the farm. In addition to learning about care & husbandry for each of these very different species, each day campers will milk the goats and we will make cheese, yogurt, caramels, and soaps using the milk. Campers will work within the sheep flock learning about the two very different rare breeds we raise. Lessons in needle & wet felting, knitting, and weaving will produce useful treasures to take home. There will also be time in the farmhouse kitchen creating a farm-to-fork meal featuring lamb/mutton and goat’s milk cheese. This camp will include “laboratory” time as we collect samples from the animals and conduct tests for parasites using special slides and the microscope; our findings will be checked by a local veterinary office to confirm/correct. Oh – and did we mention there are baby goats?

 

 

July 3 - 17                                             TRADITIONAL SKILLS FOR THE WIN                                                    $300

Before industrialization and even more recently in rural areas, our ancestors were proficient in all the skills necessary to keep themselves warm and fed. We won’t be hunting in the forests but campers will be learning lots of ways to keep colonial traditions alive. Each day will focus on a different aspect of colonial life. We will prepare hides for tanning, learn how to build a fire, harvest and cook a meal over open fire (not a gas grill!), make candles from beeswax, process chicken from start to finish, dye fiber using natural dye processes, make useful, wearable items from wool, harvest and preserve food, forage for food, build structures, prepare and plant gardens, create items from leather, make paper, and more. This camp will also include basic orienteering – these campers should NEVER get lost in the woods!

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July 20 - 24                                                      FARM TO FORK                                                                 $350

***This camp is limited to 10 campers and is most appropriate for ages 8 and up. Please inquire if you have siblings outside of the recommended age(s).

This week of camp will focus on food: growing/raising food, harvesting, preserving, and preparing food. The week begins with custom apron and harvest basket construction so that each day, each camper is prepared to hit the ground running. Days are packed with learning about every aspect of food production with a focus on sustainability and stewardship in a regenerative agriculture system. We will harvest and prepare our own meals each day while learning safe food handling and kitchen safety; campers will prepare written recipes and create new ones. The week culminates in a Farm to Fork Feast in the Farmhouse prepared by the campers for their guests. Whether a “foodie” or not, this camp equips young people with the skills necessary to feed themselves and participate more responsibly in the food system for better health & stewardship of themselves and their world.

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August 3- 7                                             FULL S.T.E.A.M. AHEAD!                                                    $300

The farm may not look like the first place to practice Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math but IN FACT all of these things have happened on farms since the beginning of time! Each day will provide opportunities to incorporate all aspects of STEAM as we tackle environmental issues such as water sequestration and erosion, streamlining production systems, and even creating stops in a sensory trail that will require a to scale map using cartography and surveying skills. We will do all this and more while ensuring that the end product reflects artistic creativity. STEAM on the farm also means that we will accomplish our tasks and goals with an intentional focus on repurposing materials and finding multiple functions. As my grandpa used to say, “It’s a thinking man’s game.”  This is the camp for young people who are always seeking a new and better way; the ones who like to take things apart and see how it works (or doesn’t work); those who want to build!

 

 

 

August 10 - 14                                             HUMANITIES ON THE FARM                                                    $300

We often think of humanities as something that happens in a studio or a library; studies that give you knowledge without practicality. Well, we are here to dispel that myth! Humanities on the Farm provides opportunities for campers to increase knowledge while doing and discovering things about themselves as we delve into all sorts of topics related to farming. Topics will include things such as raising animals for food and environmental responsibility.  Creating our own books (from scratch!), visual and musical art, personal philosophies, reflections of history, and chronicling human history (e.g. cave paintings??) will fill our week. We will build upon the sensory trail started by the STEAM camp and “publish” a book showcasing the week’s written activities.

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