On-the-Farm Summer Day Camp at Simpson Farm
Do you have kids who love being active outdoors, enjoy farm animals, and are interested in learning new things? Then our On the Farm Summer Day Camp at Simpson Farm is a “must do” for your child this summer! Read more about our summer camp in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont:
Our week long Vermont Summer Day Camp will encompass a variety of hands-on and agricultural-based learning, animal care, including daily chores from feeding to mucking out stalls, arts and crafts, farm tours at two farms, fun in the corn maze and play areas, and other farm/nature-based activities. Our Hooves and Halters time is a highlight of camp where kids will learn how to care for their calves, feed and care for their animals, and kindly handle their calf. At the end of the week, we will have a mock 4-H style dairy show (like at the county fair) exhibiting their calf and giving them the opportunity to show their loved ones their favorite parts of the week at summer camp. Camp is limited to 12 children per week.
2024 Vermont Farm Summer Camp
We will host two weeks of our On-the-Farm Summer Day Camp
Our farm summer camp is available for 6-12-year-olds. Choose from one of two weeks we are offering camp:
August 5-9
August 12-16
(Registration links are below)
Sample Daily Schedule
Our daily schedule will ebb and flow with the needs of our activities and the group’s interests, however here is a sample of our schedule:
8:45-9:00 – Arrival (see info below about early arrival)
9:00 – Welcome & Ice Breaker Game
9:15 – Morning Calf Chores
9:45 – Agricultural Learning (Animal Care with Jess and Courteney, Dairy Farming & other agriculture crops with farmer Ryan, Cow Nutrition with our animal nutritionist Seth, Dairy Nutrition with nurse Marci)
10:30 – Snack & Free Play at the maze
10:45 – Hooves & Halters (working with your calf) – leading calves, animal spa time (brushing & washing calves), and how to show your calf at a dairy show
12:00 – Lunch/free play
12:45 – On The Farm Experience (two farm tours at Simpson Farm and Don-Sim Farm [requires staff transport], Corn Maze adventure, Pumpkin & Sunflower Crops, Movie* [during rainy days we may watch a farm movie, advance notice to families will be emailed in case kids want to bring a favorite blanket or plushy]
1:45 – Farm Fun (Arts & Crafts, Dairy Recipes, Games)
2:45 – Snack/Free Play
3:00 – Afternoon Farm Chores
3:30-3:45 – Pick-up (Mon-Thurs)
3:30-4:30 – Friday Only – Kids Dairy Show – families and friends are invited!
Times – Drop Off: 8:45-9:00 am. We will be onsite by 8:30 if kids need additional transition time at drop off. Before childcare is available, see the info below. Pick-up: 3:30-3:45 pm (after childcare available; see details below). We understand the first day can be exciting and a little worrisome. On the first day, we welcome you to stay with your child for the first hour or two until they (and you!) are comfortable.
Clothing – Children should wear or bring appropriate clothing for all weather conditions, sunscreen, and bug spray. Packing an extra change of clothes is suggested. Rubber boots or work boots that can get wet are recommended, along with sneakers for play. No open-toed shoes or sandals.
Food – Children will have to bring a morning snack, lunch, and drinks, and we recommend bringing a full water bottle daily. There is a fridge to store lunches as needed and extra water. We will provide an afternoon snack and have an ice cream social at the end of the day on Friday. Please inform us of any food allergies on your child’s registration form.
Camper-to-staff ratio: minimum of 6:1 with a ratio 4:1 during high-need activities.
Policies: Please read the policies in the registration/sign-up. Please note we may use pictures or videos of your child on our social media.
Personal Items: Although we appreciate kids like to share their own toys with friends made at camp, the maze has plenty of adventures for kids to explore without bringing toys from home. We kindly ask that personal toys be left to be enjoyed at home.
Transportation: One farm trip will require staff transportation. The farm is about .75 miles from Kingdom Corn Maze, and staff will drive campers to the farm for a tour and back.
Special Assistance – If your child requires additional assistance above and beyond the normal daily supervision or handicap access, we will need to speak with you before you register your child. Our staff is trained in regular camp activities and may not have the training or staff capacity to handle special assistance needs. If your child requires one-on-one supervision, support for your child during the farm summer camp would have to be provided by and at the expense of the family. Because our camp is an outdoor, farm-based program, accessibility may be limited at times, and we would like to make sure we can accommodate your child as much as possible. Please reach out to Marci at kingdomcornmaze@gmail.com for questions.
Registration Details
Ages
6 -12 (going into 1st – 7th grade)
2024 Dates
August 5-9
-or-
August 12-16
Time
8:45am—3:30pm*
Price
$350 per child, plus 6% VT tax and online booking fees
Includes all activities, camp t-shirt, and afternoon snack.
Family Discount of 10% off for more than one child registered. During purchase, click the link to “Have a promotional code” and enter “FamilyCampDiscount” when paying for 2 or more registrations.
Cost: $350 per child for the 5-day camp, plus 6% VT tax. Registration open through July 1, 2024.
Wait List: Camp registration is limited to a maximum of 12 children. We will have a waitlist for any cancellations and may offer an additional week of summer camp on the farm. The waitlist will be notified as soon as possible of openings.
Cancellations: Cancellations made before 30 days from the start of camp will be refunded with a $50 administrative fee and less credit card fees. We are not able to offer refunds for cancellations within 30 days of the start of camp unless we are able to fill the reserved spot.
*Before/After Child Care: Cost $5/hr and is available 7:45 am-8:30 and 3:45-5:00 pm with advance notice.
After registering, please check your email inbox or spam folder for follow-up emails to fill out the registration forms.
Photos/Videos: As parents ourselves, we love to see pictures of what our kids are doing! We will take many photos and videos of camp and share them with you! We will share a limited number of pictures on Facebook and Instagram; the rest we share with you! You will be sent a link on the first or second day of camp to photos and videos of the camp week. All children’s photos/videos will be accessible to all families of that week’s camp. If you do not wish to have your child’s photo or video shared on social media or with other camp families, please notify us by email and do not sign the photo release form during registration.
Sign-up for
FARM CAMP
Staff Bios
Courteney Simpson – Courteney is a recent graduate of the University of Vermont with a bachelor’s in Communication Science Disorders and is completing an online master’s program in Speech-Language Pathology while continuing to work at Caledonia Central Supervisory Union as a Speech-Language Pathology assistant. Courteney grew up on Simpson Farm, lending a hand out on the farm, helping with calf chores, and doing daily chores for her show calves. She was a member of 4-H for many years and had the opportunity to represent Vermont 4-H in Madison, Wisconsin, during her sophomore year of high school. Courteney was a two-time winner of the New England 4-H Junior Dairy Showmanship & Fitting competition at the Eastern States 4-H dairy show in Massachusetts. Courteney looks forward to working with the kids and exploring their farm learning interests at camp. Courteney’s favorite part of camp is: “Seeing the kids make friends and enjoy all the fun things camp has to offer!”
Jessica Newland – Jessica grew up on Don-Sim Farm in Sutton and has worked in many capacities on the farm, from fieldwork to milking cows. Her passion for farming extends to her volunteer work as a 4-H leader and is known as the go-to gal for show genetics and showing cows. Jessica loves to give tours of the farms and help educate people about the importance of farms in our community. Jessica is a vital co-founder and partner in Kingdom Corn Maze and currently works for a Kingdom East school district as an IA and after-school program leader. Jessica’s favorite part of camp: “Getting to know all the kids and see their growth in just one week!”
Marci Simpson – Marci is a community wellness nurse with a background in school and primary care nursing. Marci has helped out in the calf barn during the earlier days when she and her husband Ryan took over the farm, but now manages the farm’s financials. In addition to her work as a nurse and on the farm, she and has been a co-leader of a 4-H group and has helped her kids and the 4-H groups with many dairy shows. Marci manages Kingdom Corn Maze with the help of Jessica and is excited to offer a more in-depth farm experience for kids at farm camp. Marci’s favorite part of farm camp: “Hearing and watching the kids’ reactions when they eat the dairy food they made for their snack!”