3-5 age group
Belle Vie Farm is the perfect setting for young children to learn about farming, gardening and animal care. Our policy at Belle Vie is that children stay outside of all pastures, but that doesn't keep us from engaging fully with the farm animals.
The favorite spot for campers is our Village of Wild Things, where our bunnies, chickens, Welsh Harlequin ducks, goats, and donkeys hang out. We also have a Russian tortoise! Children can sit inside the bunnies' house on benches built just the right size, brush the bunnies and give them lots of pets! Children can also feed our ducks, who are remarkably silly and quite talkative when treats are present!
Campers will grow their own tray of microgreens. Microgreens are ready to harvest in 7-10 days and make a great growing project for younger children who don't have as much patience as the older campers. We have a variety of microgreen seeds campers can try. We will visit the gardens each day (the younger age group have their own garden beds that other camp groups do not use) and learn how to weed, water, add nutrients and harvest our veggies. Campers will take home one vegetable they grow from seed that they can transplant at home (in a garden bed or a pot).
Learning how to cook with fresh food, hiking through the forest, water play, art, music, yoga and more will fill your child's days with wonder and fun!
6-11 age group
What are the best vegetables to grow? Our favorite is sorrel – a leafy green spinach-looking thing that tastes like lemonade and sour candy. So delicious. We also love tomatoes, sugar snap peas, cucumbers and microgreens! Our Farmer-For-A-Week camp lets your child get immersed in the daily adventures of farming.
Campers’ first task upon arrival is prepping the animal feed! Chickens need their grains and scratch (maybe a treat or two); donkeys and goats need their hay, a handful of peanuts in the shell and lots of sunflower seeds; bunnies need their timothy hay, grains and fresh veggies! Of course, everyone needs fresh water! After prepping, we head out to the animals for feeding time. The best part of the day - so we've heard from countless past campers - is lounging in the bunny house, brushing their velvety fur, feeding them treats and watching them play.
Next stop is the garden beds. This year, campers will work on our hugelkultur garden spot, planting flowers. They will also work in our budding food forest, helping to design the various layers of our space and planting accordingly.
During the camp week, kids will design and construct an animal playground for either the goats, donkeys, bunnies or chickens. Belle Vie Farm is skilled at helping youngsters work with kid-sized tools and offers close supervision throughout the construction process. Campers will also learn how to incubate and hatch chicken eggs and much more!
Throughout the week, campers will have an opportunity to create art, cook meals, make ice cream and popsicles, try their hand at soap and candle-making, create giant mosaics, tie-dye, and more.