Farm to School? How About Farm to Summer Camp

Youth farm isn't your typical summer camp playing basketball or swimming, instead, these kids learn how to garden, cook (and of course play games). It sounds a little strange, but its a unique program that kids love, it gets them outdoors and they learn where their food comes from and how to enjoy it. I filmed some of their activities over a couple months last summer, and did some cooking with the kids as well... this week's episode is a culmination of that. Kids and food are a great and entertaining combination so I hope you enjoy watching this episode as much as I enjoyed making it.

Make sure to watch till the end for the littlens' outtakes.

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Comments

[Ganeshari]

11:25 PM on 04/17/2011

This is great! I am doing a similar thing for summer camp program at the Fullerton Arboretum, but since it's just one day out of the week-long program, we'll only be doing a tour of the farm, a little education, picking vegies and making that day's lunch with them. But this gives me ideas to expand the program.

[ontariogirl]

09:58 AM on 04/17/2011

Fantastic. Love it. I'd pay for some kids to go. Now that is an education worth having.

[cameron d]

09:53 PM on 04/15/2011

Who does the butchering?

[ontariogirl]

09:56 AM on 04/17/2011

Couldn't tell. He was wearing a hockey mask.

[KennebunkportIndependent]

07:32 PM on 04/15/2011

This is fantastic.  If my kids were ten years younger I would check this out.

Somehow, I thing the Tea Partiers won't like this, however.   Just nice people learning to do nice things.  They don't like that.  They prefer Jesus Camp.

[bpkohrma]

10:29 AM on 04/15/2011

When we ask our kids if they want to to cook w/us or plant something they almost always put down their digital devices...

[TryToSeeItMyWay]

05:21 PM on 04/14/2011

These kinds of ideas for kid's to experience during the non-school months are excellent. When children are able to use what they learn in school and use it on the farm, and the other way around, it deepens the understanding and intuitive nature of one's knowledge.

We've had a lot discussions among our friends with kids about how to 'fill' the summer months. Relaxing (being able to just hang out and be aimless), intensive skills classes (typing, programming, carpentry), sports (tennis, soccer, etc), cultural (painting, music, acting).

We, as parents really have to take an active role as curriculum providers/creators for our kid's summer activities. They grow up so fast... One of the great experiences/providers that we know about are San Francisco Shakespeare drama camp:
http://www.calshakes.org/v4/educ/summer_conservatories.html by the california shakespeare theater. Really professional Shakespearian actors and crew that know how to get kids to test and reach beyond their limits.
I'm going to look into farm camp for our kids, put links in the comment section if you know of a great one!

[Ganeshari]

11:38 PM on 04/17/2011

Where do you live? We have a nature-based summer camp each year at the Fullerton Arboretum in Orange County, CA. www.fullertonarboretum.org

This year's them is "Gifts from the Earth: Discovering Nature's Bounty" - How do trees grow? How do bees produce honey? How is paper made? How does yeast make dough rise? How does your trash transform into food? How do you make string from plants? Come explore and experiment at Fullerton Arboretum in our rainforest, woodlands, deserts, Chaparral and farm and become an expert on the amazing gifts we enjoy from nature.

One day will be Farm day where we tour the farm, pick veggies and make lunch.

[VOTER]

01:17 AM on 04/14/2011

"Kudos" and Good Eating.

Great video!!

[JFaye]

07:20 PM on 04/13/2011

This reminds me of visiting our grandparents on their farm every summer. We worked the farm and literally planned dinner and supper (yes, dinner and supper) around what was available from livestock to the fields and/or garden. Perhaps this is where my commitment to healthy foods and my passion for the best foods available began... Of course, we have a large garden in the backyard... Just wish our township would allow us to have chickens... There is nothing to parallel eating an egg laid the same day or a fresh, fresh chicken.

All children should have this experience ... at least one summer of their youth.

[Ganeshari]

11:41 PM on 04/17/2011

Agree. I'm a city person but buy organic, free-range eggs from a local farm, and boy, can I tell the difference. It's remarkable.

[gregory57]

06:05 PM on 04/13/2011

I think they do this in Israel and call it a Kibbutz.

In my Grandfather's day kids did this too. He used to tell me how he went to the country and picked onions for a few pennies a day. At some point they they enacted child labor laws and this became a thing of the past, giving rise to summer baseball leagues, and public pools.

It seems that the pendulum is swinging back towards a "farm to table" kind of summer experience for children. Shame.

[Ganeshari]

11:30 PM on 04/17/2011

These days, people, especially kids, are so disconnected from where their food comes from. That's why programs like this are so needed. I will be doing one similar this summer at the Fullerton Arboretum and Farm. It's wonderful to see the kids in this video get excited about eating healthy, veggie-based dishes that they grew and created.

[The Revolving Diet]

04:18 PM on 04/13/2011

AWESOME. Finally something that is positive in FOOD. Hopefully this lights a fire under kids (and parents) to see that Fast Food & junk food are not good for you and that it is not too hard to use fresh healthy ingredients and make quick healthy meals

Youth Farm....GOOD FOR YOU!!!

[Absolon]

02:48 PM on 04/13/2011

Watching children grow, process, prepare and eat food that did not come to them from a big industry really, really, really made my day.