
SUMMER CAMP
Growing the Human Imagination
Do you love farms, wilderness and crafts? Join in the adventures of each day at Wild Rose Farm, honoring the innate sense of wonder through working with a farm-and-forest to craft curriculum.
Our days may include:
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planting in, tending to and harvesting from the garden
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cooking the harvest over a fire
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caring for the animals
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fire making
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metal work
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nature crafts
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woodwork
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theater and puppetry
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water and sand play
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forest adventures
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music making, observational drawing
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ink and watercolor painting
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paper-making and mini bookbinding
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flower stamping and more..
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Summer Camp is offered each summer for five weeks, each week with a different theme.
The themes build on each other but also stand alone as a complete experience so that children who attend one week and children who attend all five have a rich encounter with Wild Rose Farm.
Each year we plan new themes and activities, as well as make sure we bring back the ones that we felt particularly met the children the year before.
The program is designed for children ages 5 -14 years and is held Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
The cost includes a morning snack and crafting materials.
Aftercare may be available 2:00 - 3:30 p.m on certain days of the week.
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Summer Cancellation Policy
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Cancellation requests received before May 1 will result in a full refund minus a $25 cancellation fee.
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Cancellation requests received before June 1 will result in a 50% refund.
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Cancellation requests received after June 1 will not be refunded, regardless of whether that session has a waitlist.
2025 SUMMER CAMP WEEKLY THEMES
Week 1: Work and Play while Making Hay, June 23 - 27, 2025
Not only do we, human beings, gather grasses and plants, but many creatures build nests and gather from the wonderful gifts of nature for their winter stores. As the grasses and flowering plants emerge in spring, the cycle of life is bringing forth nourishment for all to share. During Camp we will practice cutting the hay with the scythe and the sickle. Then we will gather the hay, raking it and loading it onto the hay racks with hay forks, and yes, our hands, so that the sun and the wind can dry it for safe storage. Younger children will enjoy playing in and around the hay racks made from young trees and saplings from the farm forest. Older children will enjoy learning about, and being trusted with, these incredible hand tools. All will seek shelter from the sun, in the fragrant a-frame hay forts built by the children during the process of hanging grass to dry. Together we will partake in this ancient experience that lives deeply in the human relationship to the natural world.
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Week 2: The Golden Fleece, June 30 - July 4, 2025 (Program is in session on July 4th)
We will learn about a sheep to puppet craft process on the farm. Children will learn about washing, carding, spinning, dying, felting and sewing wool. By the end of the week each child will have a handmade woolen puppet of their very own! The creation of these new friends will imbue children with more imaginative and creative ways of play and communication throughout free time and structured group activities. Our new puppet friends will evolve in character with the acquisition of new knowledge and handmade accessories made from nature findings, and simple crafting materials. Children who attend more than one week of camp will be encouraged to keep their puppet at camp, adding more details until their last week so that these new friends can accompany them throughout their entire summer camp experience.
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Week 3: Earth, Fire, Art: Ancient Ceramics , July 7 - 11, 2025
Unearth the ancient magic of pottery in Earth, Fire, Art! Together we will use the oldest known method of firing ceramics in a ground pit, witnessing the transformation of raw clay into lasting useful works of art. This week-long summer camp invites children to explore the four elements—earth, water, air, and fire—through the hands-on creation of clay pots and sculptural treasures. Drawing inspiration from the vibrant life on the farm, children will embark on a creative adventure rooted in the land around them! Our puppets (made by the children*) will accompany us on this journey. We will dive deep into our ancient bond with fire making–gathering fuel, learning fire safety and firing clay similar in manner to that of our oldest ancestors, from nearly 30,000 years ago. *Children who did not attend the Golden Fleece week will be given the opportunity to make their very own puppet! Puppets will stay at Wild Rose until a child's last week of camp so that these new friends can accompany their child throughout their entire summer camp experience.
Week 4: Gathering the Wild Rose Village, July 14 - 18, 2025
Join us as we become Wild Rose villagers! We will move into our hay field to create a village of farmers, gardeners, medicine makers, artists, and chefs. We will explore the imagination of the village with puppets made during previous weeks.* Additionally, children will transform the hay drying shelters made during the Work and Play while Making Hay camp into a village! They will also prepare food, medicine and crafts for our Village Day. On Village Day, at the end of the week, villagers will exchange their creations for that of their neighbors, culminating in a village celebration that parents are invited to. *Children who did not attend a previous week of camp will be given the opportunity to make their very own puppet! Puppets will stay at Wild Rose until a child's last week of camp so that these new friends can accompany their child throughout their entire summer camp experience.
Week 5: Preparing the Village for Change, July 21 - 25, 2025
In years past, village week has been so popular that we are offering two weeks this year! We will move the village to the forest to prepare for an upcoming weather or event, or find that our shelters actually will withstand the change in the village (new crafts and crafts people) with some support from our villagers. Our village of farmers, builders, gardeners, medicine makers, artists, crafts people and chefs (and their puppets) will engage in the imagination of the village preparing for a shift or change. Villagers will prepare everything that is needed in a healthy village community. Like the previous week, villagers will exchange their creations for that of their neighbors culminating in a village celebration that parents are invited to. Please note that the cooking creations of weeks four and five will be different because they will be seasonal, culinary creations that can be prepared right out of our village farm! *Children who did not attend a previous week of camp will be given the opportunity to make their very own puppet!
