Summer Camps

In a Child’s Path Farm School is offering summer camps to children of all ages this summer with a main focus on the farm and a variety of minor focuses each week. The camps are structured in a way that the learning ties together. For example, if a child attends camp for three consecutive weeks, the learning will not seem staggered; it will flow respectfully in a way that a child will learn best. On the other hand if a child attends only one week or a week each month their learning will flow nicely as well. We will meet at camp starting each new week with a song that is relevant to our subject of learning along with open ended activities at different stations. The yard that the campers work in when they arrive each morning is comprised of six flower beds, a jungle gym, a large sand box, a play house, a rock wall and tons of room to run! After breakfast we could be found anywhere on the eight acres.

A Day at Camp

Campers start each day by helping with morning chores, such as collecting eggs, cleaning stalls and feeding. By keeping the numbers small we are able to give each child the opportunity to learn how to handle different types of animals. Children learn how to interact and relate to the animals, developing trust and their own self confidence. After the farm work the children will spend up to 4 hours focusing on whatever minor focus they would like from eggs, chicks and chickens to making strawberry jam. We will have gardening incorporated into each week. Each child will be given their own journal when they arrive their first day at camp along with their own equipment for the week’s activities. The last hour of camp will be spent wrapping up the day in review and journaling our experiences. Afterward we will enjoy lunch together.

Children of all ages love being on our farm. We provide children with an opportunity to:

• Have fun in a safe, supportive environment
• Participate in a working farm
• Learn about the natural environment through play and exploration
• Develop a love of nature
• Feel a connection to the earth and a desire to care for it

Camp Schedule and Descriptions

Week 1: June 4th -8th, 2012
Week 2: June 11th -15th, 2012
Week 3: June 18th – 22nd, 2012
Week 4: July 9th – 13th, 2012
Week 5: July 16th – 20th, 2012
Week 6: August 6th – 10th, 2012
Week 7: August 13th – 17th, 2012

All camps are Monday through Friday from 8:45 am to 12:45 pm.
All camps have a minimum and a maximum enrollment.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided to all campers.

Download the 2012 registration form and the USDA Food Program Enrollment Form

Down on the Farm

While at In a Child’s Path Farm Camp, the camp kids will be learning about farm animals and how to provide care for them. The children will be given the opportunity to learn hands on about horses through learning how to properly groom them, feed them and everything else that falls under the spectrum of caring for horses, chickens, ducks and the many other animals on our farm. Campers start each day by helping with morning chores, such as collecting eggs, cleaning stalls and feeding. By keeping the numbers small we are able to give each child the opportunity to learn how to handle different types of animals. Children learn how to interact and relate to the animals, developing trust and their own self confidence. Children will be given time and interaction with all parts of our working farm. Each day’s focus will be determined by the unique group of campers and could range from the life cycle of a chicken to making strawberry jam.

Art

One thing that nearly every child enjoys doing is art. Whether it’s painting, gluing, piecing together a collage or clay, children love art! This is why every day at our camp we will have stations devoted to creating artwork. The children will have access to both the suggested art for the day as well as any art supplies they may request.

“No one has been able to define or synthesize that precarious, splendid, and perhaps untidy instant when the creative process begins. This is what the uniqueness of the artist is all about. The transcendent right of artists is the right to create even though they may not always know what they are doing.” – Norman Cousins

The children will direct our learning for the day, however here are some examples of things that we might focus on in a given day or week:

• Horses
• Chickens
• Ducks
• Goats
• Gardening
• Strawberry Jam
• Pond Life

Registration Policy

Children need to register and pay for camp at least one month prior to the camp start date. If it is nearing the week of camp you are interested in and you have not registered yet, please call us to see if we can make an exception.