summer farm campOutdoor Play & Imagination

Stories & Games


Arts & Crafts

Science & Nature

Cooking Fun

Farm Animals


June 5th  - August 4th  2023

Ages 5 and up only! 


Little Garden Patch is CLOSED the week of  Monday July 3rd - Friday July 7th.  

 

Little Garden Patch Farm is 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 craftsewing, 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.   In this post-pandemic world 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 mask wearing, handwashing, and social distancing.  

   

 Hours & Cost:

 FULL TIME and PART TIME Openings Available for Summer Farm Camp 2023.

 Little Garden Patch will be open from 8:30 a.m to 6:00 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Full day schedule:  

  • 9:00 am - 5:00 pm   or

  • 9:30-5:30  M-F.  Early drop-off and later pick-up available for an added fee.

  • Limited full day MWF openings remaining across select weeks.  Email us for details.

 

Half day schedule:  

  • MORNING     9:00-1:00 pm M-F 

  • AFTERNOON     1:00 pm- 5:00 pm  (or 1:30-5:30)  M-F  with a

  • MWF half day option for those enrolling for 4  weeks or more.

  • Please note our Tu/Th option has already filled

 

Cost:    $60 Full day   or $40 per  Half Day. (4 hours)  Craft materials included in fee.  Extrended care hours available by prior arrangement for $8/hour.  (Example: 8:30-5:30 for $68/day. Or 12:30 pm to 5:30 for $44/afternoon.)

 

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 4 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 2023 begins Monday June 5th and ends Friday August 4th.

Farm camp will be closed the week of July 3rd through July 7th.

Farm camp sessions run Monday-Friday.  Part time enrollment (i.e. MWF or Tu/Th) is only available to those enrolling for 4 or more weeks of the summer.


Morning drop off can be arranged for 8:30, 9:00, or 9:30 a.m. for full day participants.  A fee of $4 per half hour is charged for drop off before 9 a.m.

Afternoon drop off can be arranged for 12:30, 1:00, or 1:30 p.m.

Evening pick-up can be arranged for 4:30, 5:00, or 5:30 pm.  If necessary, parents can arrange pick up at 5:45.  However no care is available after 6 p.m. sharp.  After 6 pm the after-hours fee of $1/minute applies, so please don't be late!

Early drop off or late pick up is available for an additional charge of $8/hour. (Or $4 per half hour.)

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 pandemic protocols including handwashing at arrival and before and after meals,  mask wearing when going inside to use the restroom, and wearing a mask if a lingering cough or 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.

Each child will bring a snack and a filled water bottle from home, and a lunch if they will be here at noon.

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




   


REGISTER NOW

TO HOLD YOUR SPOT FOR SUMMER!

General Enrollment Begins March 1st 2023


Check out what's going on

in our different sessions this summer:

Week One

June 5 -June 9th  
 
Where the Wild Things Are:  Decomposers --  Meet the Rot Squad! 
 

Summer is here!  Let the wild rumpus begin!  We’ll grab our magnifying glasses and our bug collecting jars as we meet our real life "rot squad" and learn about the amazing creatures, fungi, and natural processes that help turn all kinds of matter back into the rich soil that grows our food.  Plus we'll dig in the garden, feed our worm farm, and do fun hands on science with worms, mold, and more.  We'll also make fun arts & crafts in a variety of mediums and 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.


Walking field trip on Monday afternoon June 5th to explore the woods behind Little Garden Patch Farm to search for our own rotting log and "rot squad".  A naturalist from the Little Basin & Natural Bridges interpretative programs will be our guide as we hunt for beetles, slugs, and other creepy crawlies under logs and leaves.  We'll gain new appreciation for real-life wild things both large and small that live on the farm and in the adjacent redwood forest.

Docent led walking field trip to the woods on Monday June 5th.

     
     
 

 



Week Two  

June 12th  June 16th  
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 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 16th 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 16th.

   
  Pony ride to the meadow!  
     
   
     
Week Three

June 19 -June 23rd  

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, extinct mammals, 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 or extinct animal face painting from a professional artist.  We'll even learn how to make a dino or other creature out of clay,  sew a baby dino or a saber tooth cat, 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!

   
 
 
 
     
 



Week Four

June 26th June 30th  

MORE WILD THINGS - Jungle Adventures

 

  Decorate your own safari hat before we head into the woods behind Little Garden Patch to see how our woodland habitat measures up to those of the great rain forests.   How does habitat shape how humans and animals live?  How would your life be different if you shared your day with monkeys, macaws, and jaguars?  Could you build a shelter out of sticks and leaves -- let's try!

We'll also be making rain sticks and maracas and trying them out to some beautiful music from around the globe. And we'll make and decorate our own wild masks to express our inner wild thing.  Learn about wild cats big and small from around the globe and tell us which is your favorite tropical reptile-- or amphibian!  Make some jungle slime.  And of course, you can't "visit" the jungle without making and eating your own "bug snacks"!Jungle Bug Snacks?  Don't worry, these edible food sculptures are made from your favorite fruits and veggies!

Walking field trip to the woods behind Little Garden Patch.

 

 

 

Can you build your own wild shelter?

 

 

 

 

 

  Little Garden Patch Farm is closed July 3rd – 7th 
 
Week Five

July 10th  - July 14th

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.

 
 
Week Six

July 17th- July 21
st

Fairy Tale Fun 

 

Fairy Tales come to life this week as we celebrate childhood classics like Snow White, Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood, Jack & the Beanstalk, 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.

Week Seven

July 24th- July 28th

MORE Fairy Tales:  Ancient Greek Heroes & Legends 
Get ready for ancient Greek themed action & imagination, arts & crafts, cooking, theater, stories and more as we step into our time machine and go back even further in time in search of the fun and exciting fairy tales of Ancient Greece!   Perseus and the Minotaur... Zeus and the Titans, Pegasus & Theseus, Odyseus and his brave crew -- these are the tales so juicy that people were still telling and re-telling them 3,000 years later!   PLUS did you know that it was the Ancient Greeks who gave us our first stories of fairies, mermaids, unicorns, and other mythical beasts?  It's true!   

So be sure to join us as we outwit the Minotaur, play and pretend, try our hand at archery and sword play, build a take-home Trojan Horse or catapult, make delicious tzatziki and baklava, try on a tunic or toga, make a Greek alphabet necklace of our name, and decorate our own "Ancient Greek" pottery.  And of course, we MUST go on a Quest or two!  


When we're not out adventuring, playing dress up, reliving Greek myths and fables on the stage, crafting at the outdoor art table, or snacking on tasty Greek food, we'll try our hand at growing and harvesting, just like the goddess Demeter.  We may even muck out the pony stables like Hercules.  And then with inspiration from Arachne and Athena, we'll do some fun weaving with natural items gathered while out questing.  (Psst! We'll even learn a little bit along the way about the Ancient Greek way of life.)
   
   
Week Eight


July
31th -
August 4th

Blast Off for FunSew your own Star Wars character!

 

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 excitment about the upcoming solar eclipse on Tuesday, October 14th 2023.

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".

Learning should be fun! Potayto... potahto... but how do they grow?


When they're not busy with all of the above kids can enjoy our outdoor play area, gardens, farm animals, and get busy craft in our outdoor art studio.

Walking field trip to the meadow on Friday August 4th to launch our own crazy air & water compression rocket!  Get ready to count down to fun and excitement!  We'll also bring our lunches & water bottles  for a picnic on the grass as well as some fun frolicking in the meadow.

 

  This might be the day camp you're looking for! mmm... constellations...num num num...
  Super Tasty Phases of the Moon
     

 

If you would like more information about signing up for Summer Farm Camp please send us some email!  Please note, with Farm Camp, the more the merrier.  So please tell family and friends about our program

Learn more about our philosophy.


 

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   Contact us for more information!

LittleGardenPatchFarm@earthlink.net

 _Send Email_
 

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