Outdoor Play & Imagination

Stories & Games

Arts & Crafts

Science & Nature

Cooking Fun

Farm Animals

June 9^th  - July 25^th  2025

Ages 5 and up only! 

SUMMER 2025 WEEKLY SESSIONS!

Little Garden Patch Farm will soon be enrolling for Summer Break fun and learning!  

Our play based, emergent program offers arts & crafts, outdoor play and imagination, stories & games, hands on science and nature with gardens, farm animals, and social learning in a beautiful outdoor setting.  A cozy home environment and nurturing staff completes a magical childhood wonderland that children and parents love.

This hidden gem is located on Fairway Drive in Soquel, just 5 - 10 minutes out of Soquel Village. 

Visitors soon find that hidden behind the humble facade of an ordinary ranch style home are 3 beautiful wooded acres with gardens, goats, pigs, chickens & ducks, ponies, a tramponline, rope swing, tree fort, a "mud" play kitchen, an outdoor art studio, fairy gardens, a magical reading area, a puppet theater, a small stage, a picnic area, swings and slides and so much more!

At Little Garden Patch children aged 5-8 enjoy story time and hands-on craft,  sewing, and science projects that develop creativity, self-confidence, social skills, and a deepening knowledge of science and nature.  Through observing wild life and participating in fun farm "chores" like feeding & petting chickens and pigs, brushing the pony, milking goats, and gardening children learn about and take joy in our natural world.

Little Garden Patch is primarily an outdoors program.   However we will be using our playroom early in the morning (approximately 8:30-10 am), in the evenings after 4:30/5 pm, and when necessary due to extreme weather conditions.  Cooking projects will take place outside.  And of course really, why be cooped up inside when there is our wonderful "outdoor classroom" and play yard to enjoy!

Children will wear a mask when coming in to use the restroom.  We apologize for any inconvenience.  However because it is located inside the family home, this is best for the safety of our families, staff, and residents. 

Note - Enrollment priority will be given to children in our after school program. Limited positions available.

Little Garden Patch Farm is a fully licensed facility, # 444413332 

 Ages: 

For grades Kindergarten through 3rd grade.  

All children must be at least 5 years old to participate and be developmentally ready for kindergarten level activities.   All children must be able to use the toilet without assistance and to change clothes independently.

 Please be sure to review our Behavior Agreement thoroughly before enrolling.  It is very important that all children be able to consistently abide by limits set by the instructors for safety --including handwashing rules and wearing a mask indoors when exhibiting sneezing/runny nose or a persistent cough not related to allergies.     Children should not attend if they have a contagious illness, fever, vomiting, sore throat, or diarrhea.

 Hours & Cost:

 Little Garden Patch will be open from 8:30 a.m to 5:45 p.m. Monday-Friday.

FULL DAY & HALF DAY OPENINGS AVAILABLE.

Half day program:  

$200 for the week  ($40 per day, for five days). 

Afternoons 1:30 - 5:30  (4 hours)

Morning half days 9 -1.

Full day program:  

$300 for the week   ($60 per day, for five days)

Full Day  9:00 - 5:00  or 9:30 - 5:30

Additional hours  

Additional hours, such as for early drop off, are an additional $8 per hour and must be arranged in advance.  No drop off before 8:30 a.m.   

Little Garden Patch closes at 5:45.   Late pick-up after 6 pm will be billed at $1/minute.  So please plan ahead and arrive on time.  Thanks!

Limited space available.  Little Garden Patch Farm emphasizes a smaller group experience and more encouragement and attention from teachers.  We average  14 children max with at least 2 fully qualified teachers.

Note that spaces cannot be held without registration/payment. 

Option to register with non-refundable deposit for those registering for 3 weeks or more.

 Registration: 

For questions and registration info please email: LittleGardenPatchFarm@earthlink.net or
contact us at (831) 476-0964.

 More Information: 

Summer Farm Camp 2025 begins Monday June 9^th and ends Friday July 25^th.

Farm camp will be closed the week of June 30^th through July 1^st.

Farm camp sessions run Monday-Friday, 5 days.

Children enroll for a minimum of one week, but are welcome to enroll for the whole summer.

All participating families must be able to comply with our current good health protocols including handwashing at arrival and before and after meals,  mask wearing when going inside to use the restroom, and potentially wearing a mask indoors (playroom) if a persistent cough or sneezing/sniffles is active.  Children may not attend our state licensed facility if newly ill, if diagnosed with covid-19, nor if they have a fever or chills, sore throat, or have had diarrhea or vomiting within the last 24 hours.  (See registration form for details.)

Each child will bring a snack and a filled water bottle from home, and a lunch if they will be here at lunch time (around 12:00 or 12:30 pm).

All children should wear comfortable shoes (no barefeet) safe for climbing, should dress in layers to accomodate changes in weather, and bring a warm jacket.  A change of clothes is also suggested. 
             We will be outside most of the day!

Check out what's going on

in our different sessions this summer:

Week One June 9 - June 13	Pioneer Farmapalooza!   Kids today find it hard to imagine a time before cellular phones, video games, and movies on-demand in every possible location.  This week they'll get to experience something different -- excitingly different!  Kids will get to make and sample delicious farm to table food that they harvested themselves, and play with fun toys crafted with their own hands, and they'll engage in play that ignites all the senses and their imagination to boot.  AND they'll meet some adorable animal companions / co-workers who share this earth and our friendship.  Kids will have the chance to milk a goat, collect eggs, feed the animals, harvest from the garden, try some simple baking, make butter to slather on their fresh-baked goodies, and squeeze their own refreshing lemonade.  They can also make mudpies in the outdoor play kitchen, dress up the baby dolls, pan for "gold", paint with squirt guns ("Hands up, pardner!"), brush out the ponies, learn to sew, put on a show in the outdoor puppet theater, ride the rope swing, relax in the tree fort, and even scrub some clothes on the washboard.  This week will also feature lots of fun farm themed arts & crafts, games, stories, and of course outdoor play.  Plus we'll also be busy in the garden learning, in a hands-on kid-friendly way, how things grow and where our food comes from.  On Friday June 13 th we'll take a pioneer walk to the nearby prairie reserve to have an old fashioned picnic on the grass.  Campers can take turns pulling the wagon full of goodies and get pony rides in our mini covered wagon pulled by mini pony Cookie.  We will provide equipment for sack races, ball play and frisbee play and a docent guided exploration of the adjoining wild spaces.  Y'all come play!    Walking field trip to the Soquel Prairie Reserve on Friday June 13 th.
	Wash clothes the old fashioned way!	Help out with the garden!
	Ride in a covered wagon!
Week Two   June 16 - June 20	Medieval Make Believe   Welcome ye young lords and ladies, jesters & wizards, knights and princesses and princess-knights too!  It's time to frolic with the fairies and help us defend the castle against rogues and dragons!   Partake in the festive revelry of sword play, and archery.  Sew your own dragon. Make clothespin    fairies.  Build a mini catapult.  Decorate your own shield or crown.  Create your own fairy wand or magic scepter and dabble in the science and lore of gems & geodes.  Daily dress up and impromptu performances on our outdoor stage. We will also be looking forward to another visit from the Terra Dragon!  And of course our resident unicorns will be expecting lots of love and attention.
	Say hello to our resident "dragon"!     Whip up a royal feast in the play kitchen! Come visit our tiny "unicorns"! Learn about gemstones and jewels and crack open your own geode! Take a whack at hitting a bullseye in axe throwing!
Week Three June 23 - June 27	Fairy Tale Fun Which fairy tale is your favorite?   Fairy Tales come to life this week as we celebrate childhood classics like Snow White, Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood, Jack & the Beanstalk, Alice in Wonderland and the 3 Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf.  Play, pretend, create, and enjoy some magical outdoor story time readings, dramatic performance on our outdoor stage and of course puppet shows.  Don't forget to make your own puppets and props to use here at the outdoor puppet theater and to take home. And of course, we'll meet the farm animals, help with afternoon farm chores, and enjoy our beautiful outdoor play space.  Help your new friends put on a mini play!  Plenty of props and costumes!  Create something magical in  the outdoor art studio. Become -- or invent -- your favorite fairy tale character
	Little Garden Patch Farm is  closed June 30th - July 4th
Week Four July 7 - July 11
	Blast Off for Space Fun!     Not all space adventures take place in a galaxy far, far away!  Come and explore space the Little Garden Patch way, with hands on learning, pretend, and lots of creativity and imagination.  We'll learn a little about constellations, take a tasty bite out of phases of the moon, and fuel some speculation about life on other planets! As we learning about our solar system and the stars and worlds beyond, kids will also work cooperatively to build their own "space colony" out of our giant-sized building toy parts as we imagine together:  what will our new planet be like, what will we need to survive there, what kinds of plants and wild life can we discover, and what kinds of jobs will we need to do to thrive in our new home?  We may even grow our own potatoes, like Matt Damon in "The Martian". Walking field trip to the meadow on Friday July 11th  to launch our rocket!
Week Five July 14 - July 18	Dinosaur Daze:      Our Earth has a rich and varied history filled with an amazing array of people, plants, and creatures. Understanding the past helps us better perceive our present, and our future. But learning about it shouldn't be dull -- it should be a fun celebration! This week children will join us as we learn through stories, games, costumes, arts & crafts, and hands-on exhibits about fossils, and of course... dinosaurs! We'll dig up some replica fossils, make our own "dino poop", make fossil casts in playdoh, try making junk art dinos, create our own dino collages and water color paintings, and get some awesome dino al face painting from a professional artist. We'll even learn how to make a dino or other creatures out of clay, sew a baby dino, and make our own exploding volcanoes. And of course we'll have lots of fun playing with toy dinosaurs, dressing up as our favorite dino, making dinosaur cookies, and feeding some tiny dinosaur descendants. It's going to be DINO-MITE! Make a "fossil imprint" Dig for "dinosaur fossils"! Get a face painting of your favorite dino!
Week Six July 21 - July 25	Where The Wild Things Are:  Ice Age Animals! Sew your own saber tooth tiger! Our Earth has not always been just the way you see it now!  Oceans have risen and fallen, many strange and wonderful creatures have come and gone.  And once upon a time, ice that was miles thick covered much of North America and other parts of the globe.  Come learn with us about the amazing saber tooth tiger, the giant ground sloth, dire wolves, mastedons, mammoths, and the giant armadillos that lived in that time.  You'll discover that one thing many of these creatures had in common is that they were BIG -- REALLY BIG!  Much bigger than most of the animals alive on Earth today.  But  what did they eat?  How did they live?  And what would it have been like to live, as our ancestors did, with these mighty beasts roaming the forests and grasslands, the tundra and the ice scapes?  Come find out!  Go on an epic acorn hunt... and earn your clan totem!    Make your own cave painting! We will learn about these amazing creatures with environmental educator teacher Michelle, plus make fun arts & crafts in a variety of mediums, including sewing. And of course we'll make our own ice dye bandanas and DIY giant sloth claws to wear and take home!  We'll play and pretend with costumes, face paint, puppets, and more.   And of course, we'll meet the farm animals, help with afternoon farm chores, and enjoy our beautiful outdoor play space.   Playing with ice on a warm summer day!   Learn through hands on displays,  stories, crafts and games!

 Our Daily Schedule:

• Morning drop off at 9 am or 9:30 (or earlier by advance arrangement for an extra fee).  Please wash hands before entering the playroom.  Don't forget to use the restroom at home right before you come to the farm!

• Indoor playroom activities until 10 am.  Legos, puzzles, books, fuse beads, doll play, coloring, board games, and more!

• Outdoor recess!  Head for the playground and shake those wiggles out!

• Morning snack and story time at 10:15  Wash hands and grab your snack and water bottle from your cubby.

• Free choice time.  Active play, puppet theater, doll play, sand and water tables, playground, play kitchen,  art studio, and weekly special activities.  Don't forget to take a restroom break!

• Lunch at 12:30.  Let's listen to a story and rest our bodies.  (All children will bring lunch,snack, and water bottle from home.)

• More free choice time plus guided activities.  And of course, time for the restroom!

• Afternoon snack and story time at 3:15 pm. Wash hands and grab your snack and water bottle from your cubby.

• Farm chore time at 4:30.  Let's feed the animals, water the garden, and pick up litter to keep our farm beautiful!

• Now it's clean up time!  Put your projects in your cubby, tidy up your art and play spaces, and let's get ready to head home.  Late pick-up kiddos can head to the playroom!

• Pick up time!   Parents should gather items from their child's cubby and sign them out at the gate before leaving.  See you next time!

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