Farm Camps Give City Kids a Taste of Country Life

How often do NYC kids get to hang out with pigs? Well, real pigs. At two New York summer camps, NYC kids can get a taste of real farm life with real animal chores and hands-on gardening experience. There are two different farm day camp experiences NYC kids can try that take them to a world completely outside of NYC, even if they are in NYC.

The Queens County Farm Museum offers a unique summer camp program for New York kids aged 5-10. The day camp offers photography, science, nature, cooking, arts/crafts, and agriculture in New York City's only working farm with real farm animals.

There's a full six-week farm day camp program and flexible one-week camp sessions are available. The summer camp is held at Queens County Farm Museum in Floral Park, New York.

All sessions are currently available and the weekly themes are:

7/9-7/13:ГЇВїВЅ ГЇВїВЅ ГЇВїВЅ Wrangler Week-welcome to life on the farm (general)

7/16/7/20:ГЇВїВЅ ГЇВїВЅ Ranch Hand Week-meet our animals, explore their environment (livestock)

7/23-7/27:ГЇВїВЅ Green Thumb Week-plant seeds, grow flowers and experience our greenhouse (greenhouse and plants)

7/30-8/3:ГЇВїВЅ ГЇВїВЅ ГЇВїВЅ Farm Fresh Food Week-plan and prepare colonial cuisine (foodways)

8/6-8-10:ГЇВїВЅ ГЇВїВЅ ГЇВїВЅ Cowpoke Craft Week-discover art in a whole new way through quilting, sewing and much more (colonial crafts)

8/13-8/17:ГЇВїВЅ ГЇВїВЅ Round Up Week-take photos, capture camp memories (photography and general overview of all)

For details and to register call 718-347-3276 Ext. 14 or visit The Queens County Farm Museum website.

At Stone Barn Center's Farm Day Camp, located at a real farm in Westchester, NYC kids have the opportunity to see how the farm works and get their hands dirty. During the month of July campers will help harvest garlic and in August pick tomatoes. At Stone Barns Farm Day Camp, NYC kids explore the farm to table connection. The campers will see where their food is grown and will help prepare small snacks after harvesting in the garden.

Farm Camp is designed for children ages 5-14 and will run daily from 9:00 am through 3:30 pm. Campers will learn how to be a farmer by participating in hands-on garden and animal chores. Activities include egg collecting and washing, pig feeding, garlic harvesting, tomato picking, and a multitude of fun and exciting farm “chores.�?

Stone Barn Center has opened new sessions, but there are only a few spots left:

Session Five-Sprouts- July 23-July 27(k-1st) 4-spaces
Session Eight-Sprouts-August 13-August 17 (k-1st) 1 space

Visit Stone Barn Center's website for more information.