Summer Day Camp Offers Big Fun At The UCSC Farm

SANTA CRUZ, CA–Among the array of summer activities available for local children is the Wildlands and Watering Cans Summer Day Camp at the UC Santa Cruz Farm, which offers hands-on gardening and wilderness activities for children ages 7 to 10.

Each day will be filled with activities from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A maximum of 24 campers will be enrolled for each weeklong session. Three sessions will be offered: June 25-29; July 9-13; and July 16-20. The curriculum will be repeated each week.

The camp is designed to foster environmental awareness while encouraging children to cooperate and have fun outside.

Farm activities include hands-on games and projects that will help children gain an appreciation for the work that goes into producing healthy food. Campers will be exposed to organic farming practices such as composting and soil care, and they will help apprentices in the UCSC ecological horticulture program harvest vegetables for the weekly market.

In the garden, campers will create their own garden beds, explore insects and herbs, and make garden-based crafts. All gardening activities are educational and fun, and they are designed to foster a caretaking ethic among participants. Campers will learn the basic steps of starting and caring for a garden. Garden-based projects and crafts keep campers interested in exploring the marvels of the garden, and insect explorations help broaden their understanding of all the creatures that participate in the gardening cycle.

In addition, campers will enjoy local wilderness excursions that include tours of the UCSC Arboretum, the Pogonip Open Space Preserve, and Wilder Ranch. These excursions will open the campers’ eyes to magical spaces that exist in their own "backyards." Campers will learn to appreciate their local environment through exploration and understanding of these natural areas.

Fees are $135/week for members of the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden and $150 for nonmembers. Please call (831) 459-3240 for registration information.