Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture

Jennifer RothmanPrograms Director

jenniferr@stonebarnscenter.org

Farm Camp 101

• Stone Barns Center overview

• Farm Camp overview

• Preparing for camp

• Staffing

• Safety

• Camp activities

• Parent involvement

• Post-camp

Farm Camp Overview

Numbers• 8 weeks

– Two 1 week sessions– Three 2 week sessions

• 96 campers per session– Total 480 campers– 8 groups of 12 per session– 6 – 13 year olds

• 6:1 ratio– 1 instructor, 1 counselor, 1 CIT– 1 director, 1 assistant director, 1

cooking specialist, 1 craft specialist, 1 livestock specialist, 1 FSF specialist

• $164,000 gross revenue– 50 scholarship campers

Farm Camp Overview

Experience• Authentic farm experiences/chores

– Livestock– Field– Compost

• Cooking• Science exploration (STEM)• Craft• Foraging• Reading/downtime• Recess• Parent program

Preparing for Camp• September – send out evaluation• October – set dates and post on website• November – draft position

announcement/scholarship funding/prepare brochure

• December – hire camp director/online registration set-up/post jobs

• January – post brochure• February –open

registration/busing/scholarship materials• March – begin hiring process and ordering

supplies and t-shirts• April/May – hiring and registration/CPR

and First Aid training/DOH permit/carpool lists

• June – staff training/open house/camp begins

Staffing

• Instructors• CIT program• Counselors• Specialists• Training• Background checks

Safety• First aid and CPR• Fire drills• DOH• Food prep• Food allergies• Communication protocol• Hand washing• Staff background checks• Ratio of staff• Bathroom• Infirmary• Weather

Camp Activities

• Authentic• Vegetable• Livestock• Cooking• Crafting

Camp Activities

Parent Involvement

• Parent program• Focus group• Evaluation• Ideas – parent program• Newsletter• Take home sheet

Post Camp

• Evaluation• Clean up• Thank you to camp staff• Thank you to farm staff• Post camp report• Alumni/Camp reunion• Rest for a few days

before thinking about next year

List of Activities

• Egg collecting• Egg washing• Harvesting• Transplanting• Weeding• Cooking• Dissection

• Flower• Gizzard• Egg• Seeds• Garbage and

compost• Foraging• Natural material building

• Fairy houses• Musical

instruments• Egg drop

• Tree and plant id• Field journals• Plein air painting

• Dance/yoga/movement• Collaborative art

(murals)• Weaving with natural

materials• Storytelling• Beak dipping• Building wallows for pigs• Feeding pigs• Turkey herding• Scientific observation• Agroforestry - design

your own tree• Scavenger Hunts• Compost screening and

turning• Taking temperature of

compost• Natural dyes• Felting• Flower mandalas• Seed bombs

• Pest ID• Preserving• Seed saving• Ice cream and butter

making• Pickling• Hiking• Water testing• Pollinator observation

and tracking