July 20th - 23rd
🎉 Friday Celebration & Family Reminders
Tomorrow is one of the most exciting days of Farm Camp as we celebrate an amazing week of learning, laughter, and unforgettable memories!
🌈 Color Wars!
Camp spirit will be on full display as our Pepper Teams face off in a variety of exciting farm-themed games and challenges. Campers will cheer on their teammates while practicing sportsmanship, cooperation, and plenty of farm pride.
Who will earn this year's Color Wars bragging rights? We can't wait to find out!
🐴 Horse Camp Showcase — 2:00 PM
Families are invited to join us as our Horse Camp riders demonstrate the riding skills and horsemanship techniques they've practiced all week.
Watching their confidence grow from their very first ride to tomorrow's showcase has been incredible, and they're excited to share their accomplishments with you!
🚜 Farm Camp Celebration — 3:00 PM
Immediately following the Horse Show, our full-day campers will present a special Farm Camp Celebration highlighting everything they've experienced throughout the week.
From gardening and cooking to animal care, forest adventures, and farm science, campers are excited to show families just how much they've learned.
Bring your cameras—we know you'll be proud of all they've accomplished!
🚗 End-of-Day Pick-Up Information
Please remember that Circle Drive pick-up will not be available on Friday.
Following the Farm Camp Celebration, families will check campers out directly with their counselors before enjoying time exploring the farm together.
We also invite everyone to stop by the Farm Store before heading home. It's a wonderful opportunity to take home fresh farm products and a few special souvenirs to remember an incredible week at Bowers Farm.
❤️ Thank You!
Thank you for sharing your amazing campers with us this week.
Watching them grow in confidence, build friendships, care for animals, explore nature, and discover the wonders of agriculture has been an absolute joy.
We can't wait to celebrate a fantastic week together tomorrow!
🐄 Farm Camp Day 4: Farmers, Food & Fantastic Discoveries!
What an incredible day of learning, laughter, and hands-on farm fun! As Farm Camp enters its final full day, campers are becoming more confident in their skills, more curious about agriculture, and even more excited to share everything they've learned with their families.
Today's adventures focused on one of the most important parts of farm life how farmers care for animals and grow the foods we enjoy every day. From harvesting fresh berries and cooking breakfast to collecting eggs and tackling engineering challenges, every activity showed campers that farming is a blend of science, teamwork, creativity, and responsibility.
As the week has unfolded, we've watched campers become problem-solvers, caretakers, gardeners, and scientists all while making memories they'll carry home long after camp ends.
🥞 Breakfast Fresh from the Farm
The morning began with one of everyone's favorite experiences harvesting fresh raspberries straight from the berry patch.
With baskets in hand, campers carefully searched for perfectly ripe berries, learning that timing is everything when harvesting fruit. Picking produce at just the right moment helps ensure the sweetest flavor and the best quality.
The freshly picked raspberries were then taken to the kitchen, where Chef Dan guided campers through preparing fluffy raspberry pancakes and refreshing fruit smoothies.
As they measured ingredients, mixed batter, and helped prepare breakfast, campers discovered that some of the best meals begin just a few steps from the kitchen.
🍓 Farm Fresh Fact: Raspberries don't continue ripening after they're picked, which is why farmers harvest them only when they're perfectly ripe on the plant.
The smiles around the breakfast table proved that hard work tastes even better when you help grow the ingredients yourself.
🥚 From the Coop to the Kitchen
Next, campers stepped into the role of poultry farmers as they visited the chicken coop for one of the farm's most important daily chores.
After carefully collecting eggs from the nesting boxes, campers learned how eggs are cleaned, sorted, and handled before reaching grocery stores and family kitchens.
They discussed why clean nesting boxes, healthy hens, fresh water, and proper nutrition all play important roles in producing quality eggs.
🐔 Did You Know? Hens usually lay one egg about every 24 to 26 hours, and the color of an egg's shell depends on the breed of the chickennot the quality or taste of the egg.
It was another wonderful reminder that caring for animals is an everyday commitment built on consistency and compassion.
🐄 Looking at Animal Adaptations
Today's animal science lesson encouraged campers to think like biologists.
Some groups created animal hoof molds, campers compared the footprints and hoof shapes of different farm animals while learning how each design helps animals move through their environments.
Heavy animals need strong hooves for support.
Mountain goats have specialized hooves for climbing rocky terrain.
Horses rely on powerful hooves for speed and endurance.
Every hoof tells a story about how that animal lives.
🐐 Animal Fact: Goat hooves have soft inner pads that provide excellent grip, helping them balance on surprisingly steep surfaces.
The activity showed campers that every animal has unique adaptations that help it thrive.
💥 Engineering in Action: The Great Egg Drop Challenge
The excitement continued with one of the week's most anticipated STEM activities the Egg Drop Challenge.
Working in teams, campers became engineers as they designed protective containers to keep a raw egg safe during a dramatic drop.
Using creativity, teamwork, and plenty of trial and error, each group tested different ideas while learning about gravity, force, cushioning, and impact.
Some designs survived perfectly.
Others...well...let's just say scrambled eggs became part of the lesson!
No matter the outcome, campers discovered that engineers learn just as much from unsuccessful designs as successful ones.
🥚 STEM Fact: Engineers rarely create the perfect design on their first attempt. Testing, improving, and trying again is an important part of every invention.
The activity reminded campers that mistakes often lead to the greatest learning opportunities.
🐴 Getting to Know Our Equine Friends
Campers also spent time learning more about one of the farm's most admired animals the horse.
They reviewed the different parts of a horse while discussing how each body part helps horses move, communicate, and stay healthy.
From strong hooves and powerful legs to expressive ears and flowing tails, every feature serves an important purpose.
After their anatomy lesson, Horse Camp riders continued practicing the riding skills they've developed throughout the week. With each ride, campers demonstrated greater confidence, improved balance, and stronger communication with their horses.
Watching riders who were once nervous now guiding their horses with confidence has been one of the highlights of the week.
🐎 Horse Fact: A horse's tail isn't just beautiful it helps swat away insects, communicate emotions, and even maintain balance while moving.
🌼 Barnyard Buddies Continue Their Farm Adventure
Our youngest campers enjoyed another exciting day filled with exploration and discovery.
They spent time visiting our friendly ponies, learning how to safely greet, groom, and care for them while practicing gentle handling skills.
Throughout the morning, campers explored the barns, greeted familiar animal friends, and discovered even more about life on a working farm.
Songs, stories, sensory activities, and outdoor games encouraged campers to ask questions, make observations, and strengthen their connection with agriculture and nature.
One of the best parts of watching our Barnyard Buddies this week has been seeing their confidence blossom as they become more comfortable around animals and eager to share everything they've learned.
🌻 Nature Fact: Ponies aren't baby horses! They are fully grown horses that stay smaller because of their breed.
🌱 Growing More Than Crops
As our final full day together comes to a close, it's easy to see just how much our campers have grown.
Throughout the week they've learned where food comes from, cared for animals, harvested fresh produce, cooked meals, solved engineering challenges, explored forests, worked as teammates, and discovered that every farm depends on people working together.
Most importantly, they've built confidence, curiosity, responsibility, and friendships that will continue long after camp ends.
Tomorrow we celebrate all of those accomplishments together and we can't wait to share them with our Farm Camp families!
🌲 Farm Camp Day 3: Into the Woods We Go!
Today's adventure took campers beyond the barns and gardens and into one of the most exciting places on the farm—the forest! Beneath a canopy of towering trees, campers discovered that the woods are filled with opportunities to learn, explore, and work together.
From building shelters and cooking over a campfire to tackling teamwork challenges and spotting wildlife, the forest became an outdoor classroom where curiosity led the way. Every activity encouraged campers to think creatively, solve problems, and appreciate the natural world that surrounds us.
🌿 A Forest Full of Life
Stepping into the woods is like entering a living community. Every tree, fallen log, bird, insect, and wildflower has an important role in keeping the forest healthy.
Campers learned that forests help clean the air, protect soil from erosion, provide homes for wildlife, and even help cool the environment by creating shade and releasing moisture into the air.
🌳 Forest Fact: One mature tree can produce enough oxygen each year to help support two people, while also providing food and shelter for countless insects, birds, and mammals.
Of course, our playful farm goats couldn't resist stopping by to see what all the excitement was about! Their surprise visit brought plenty of smiles and reminded everyone that life on the farm is always full of unexpected moments.
🔥 Campfire Cooking Adventures
The smell of a crackling campfire welcomed campers as they gathered with Chef Dan and Mr. Ryan for one of the week's favorite experiences.
Working together, campers learned how to safely prepare food over an open fire while creating hearty vegetable soup and everyone's favorite sweet treat—banana boats filled with chocolate and marshmallows.
Along the way, they practiced measuring ingredients, following directions, and working together as a team.
🥕 Farm-to-Table Fact: Cooking over a fire has been part of farming traditions for thousands of years. Before modern kitchens, families prepared nearly every meal over wood-burning fires.
The best ingredient of all? Teamwork.
🪢 Working Together on the Low Ropes Course
Next, campers challenged themselves on our Low Ropes Course, where success wasn't measured by speed it was measured by communication, encouragement, and cooperation.
Each obstacle encouraged campers to listen carefully, share ideas, and support one another while solving challenges together.
Whether balancing across an element or helping a teammate finish a task, every camper discovered that positive encouragement can make even the toughest challenge feel achievable.
💡 Teamwork Fact: Scientists have found that working together helps people solve problems more creatively because everyone brings different ideas and perspectives.
🏕️ Young Builders at Work
Branches, sticks, leaves, and imagination became the building materials for today's shelter-building challenge.
Working in teams, campers designed and constructed their own woodland shelters using natural materials gathered from the forest floor.
As they experimented with different designs, they learned basic engineering concepts like stability, balance, and structure while discovering how creativity and teamwork often go hand in hand.
🦫 Nature Fact: Beavers are some of nature's best builders. Their dams can stretch hundreds of feet long and create wetlands that benefit fish, birds, turtles, frogs, and many other animals.
🌼 Barnyard Buddies: Discovering Nature's Wonders
Our Barnyard Buddies enjoyed another exciting day exploring all the farm has to offer.
They visited the barns to greet familiar animal friends before taking a peaceful walk through the Master Garden, where colorful flowers and growing vegetables sparked lots of curious questions.
Story time inspired campers to become wildlife explorers as they created their own binoculars before heading outside to search for birds, butterflies, insects, and other hidden treasures around the farm.
🦋 Fun Fact: Butterflies taste with their feet! When they land on a flower, special sensors help them decide if it's a good place to find nectar.
The day wrapped up with another favorite tradition a wagon ride through the farm followed by a picnic lunch under the summer sky.
🌎 Nature Is the Best Classroom
Today's adventures reminded campers that learning doesn't always happen inside four walls.
The forest became a place where campers practiced leadership, communication, creativity, and resilience while connecting with the outdoors in meaningful ways.
Whether cooking over a campfire, navigating team challenges, building woodland shelters, or observing wildlife, every activity encouraged campers to explore with confidence and curiosity.
As another incredible day came to a close, campers left the woods with muddy shoes, happy hearts, and plenty of stories to share.
Tomorrow brings even more hands-on adventures as we continue discovering the amazing science, animals, and traditions that make life on the farm so special!
🌼 Farm Camp Day 2: Digging Deeper into the Wonders of the Farm
Another beautiful day at Farm Camp brought even more opportunities to explore the amazing connections between plants, animals, insects, and people. Today's adventures encouraged campers to slow down, look closely, and discover that even the tiniest creatures can have an enormous impact on a farm.
From fragrant herb gardens and busy pollinators to hardworking worms and homemade pickles, every activity helped campers understand how nature works together to grow healthy food and healthy ecosystems.
🌱 Barnyard Buddies: Little Explorers, Big Discoveries
Our youngest campers continued their farm adventure by becoming nature explorers. Equipped with curious minds and eager eyes, they set out to investigate the sights, sounds, textures, and scents found all around the farm.
As they wandered through the gardens and animal areas, campers listened for birds singing overhead, goats greeting visitors, and chickens chatting in the coop. They gently touched fuzzy leaves, soft sheep's wool, cool soil, and rough tree bark while discovering that every texture tells a story about life on the farm.
The herb garden was a favorite stop of the day. Campers rubbed fresh herbs between their fingers and compared the different scents.
🌿 Farm Fact: Many herbs create strong aromas because of natural oils inside their leaves. These oils can help protect the plants from insects while also giving herbs their wonderful flavors and fragrances.
Story time, outdoor games, and another relaxing wagon ride gave campers even more opportunities to enjoy the beauty of the farm before gathering together for a picnic lunch in the fresh summer air.
🌼 Herbs: Tiny Plants with Big Jobs
Older campers discovered that herbs are some of the hardest-working plants in the garden.
While vegetables often become part of a meal, herbs bring flavor, fragrance, and even natural wellness benefits to many recipes. Campers explored the herb beds, learning to recognize different plants by observing their leaves, stems, and unique scents.
Everyone enjoyed a hands-on herbal tea tasting featuring several farm favorites:
🌿 Peppermint
🌿 Chamomile
🌿 Lavender
🌿 Hibiscus
🌿 Nettle
Some flavors were familiar, while others were brand new. Campers compared aromas, colors, and tastes before creating their own custom tea blends to enjoy at home.
🍵 Fun Fact: Peppermint contains menthol, which tricks your brain into feeling cool even though the tea itself may be warm!
🐦 Welcoming Wildlife to the Farm
Healthy farms provide homes for much more than livestock.
Today's lesson focused on birds and the important role they play in agriculture. Campers learned that many birds naturally help control insect populations by eating pests that can damage crops. Others spread seeds or help maintain balanced ecosystems.
To lend a helping hand, campers built their own birdhouses while discussing how safe nesting spaces support local wildlife.
🐤 Did You Know? A single family of bluebirds can eat thousands of insects during one nesting season, making them valuable partners for farmers and gardeners alike.
🪱 Meet the Soil Superstars
Some of today's hardest workers didn't have feathers or fur they had no legs at all!
Campers gathered around the compost bins to learn about earthworms and the important role they play beneath our feet.
As worms tunnel through the soil, they loosen compacted ground, allowing water and oxygen to reach plant roots more easily. They also recycle leaves and food scraps into nutrient-rich compost that helps gardens flourish.
The idea that healthy soil is alive fascinated many campers.
🌎 Amazing Soil Fact: Just one handful of healthy garden soil contains more living organisms than there are people on Earth. Tiny bacteria, fungi, insects, and worms all work together to keep plants growing strong.
🐝 Buzzing About Pollinators
Today's exploration continued with one of agriculture's busiest helpers the honey bee.
Campers learned how bees collect nectar while accidentally transferring pollen from flower to flower. That simple journey allows many fruits, vegetables, and flowers to grow.
Without pollinators, many favorite foods would become much more difficult to produce, including apples, pumpkins, cucumbers, blueberries, squash, strawberries, and watermelons.
🍎 Pollinator Fact: Scientists estimate that nearly 75% of flowering plants depend on animal pollinators for reproduction, making bees, butterflies, birds, and other pollinators essential to ecosystems around the world.
Campers left this activity with a whole new appreciation for these tiny insects and the enormous job they perform every day.
🥒 Garden Kitchen with Chef Dan
The kitchen buzzed with excitement as campers transformed freshly harvested cucumbers into homemade pickles.
Working alongside Chef Dan, campers sliced vegetables, measured seasonings, mixed brine, and packed jars while learning how families have preserved food for generations.
Long before refrigerators existed, preserving vegetables helped farms enjoy their harvest throughout the year.
As campers sampled ingredients and followed each step, they discovered that cooking combines science, creativity, and agriculture all in one delicious activity.
🌎 Everything Is Connected
By the end of today's adventures, campers discovered that every part of a farm depends on something else.
Healthy soil supports healthy plants.
Plants feed pollinators.
Pollinators help produce fruits and vegetables.
Birds protect crops.
Worms enrich the soil.
Farmers care for every piece of the puzzle.
Together, these connections create thriving farms and healthy communities.
Today's lessons reminded campers that even the smallest creatures can make the biggest difference.
🐴 Horse Camp Update: Building Skills One Ride at a Time
Our Horse Camp riders continued developing their horsemanship skills while strengthening the partnership between horse and rider.
After reviewing safe handling techniques introduced on the first day, campers took a closer look at horse anatomy and learned how every part of the horse serves an important purpose.
From the poll and withers to the fetlock, pastern, and hoof, riders discovered how understanding equine anatomy helps them communicate with and properly care for their horses.
🐎 Horse Fact: Horses can rotate their ears almost 180 degrees, allowing them to listen in different directions without turning their heads. Watching a horse's ears is one of the best ways to understand how it is feeling and what has captured its attention.
Following their anatomy lesson, campers returned to the arena to continue practicing mounting, steering, balance, and riding position.
Each lap around the arena brought growing confidence as riders became more comfortable communicating with their horses.
Horse Camp is about much more than learning to ride. Every lesson encourages patience, responsibility, trust, and respect while helping campers build confidence that reaches far beyond the barn.
We can't wait to see how these young equestrians continue to grow throughout the rest of the week!
🌾 Farm Camp 2026 Day 1: New Faces, New Friends, New Farm Adventures!
The first day of Farm Camp was filled with excitement as campers arrived ready to explore, discover, and make memories that will last all summer. From the moment they stepped onto the farm, smiles spread quickly as old friends reunited and new friendships began to bloom. Every barn, garden path, and pasture held something waiting to be explored, making Day 1 the perfect beginning to an unforgettable week.
Whether campers were caring for animals, harvesting fresh vegetables, creating artwork, or solving farm mysteries, everyone jumped right into the fun while learning what makes life on a working farm so special.
🐐 Barnyard Buddies: First Farm Discoveries
Our youngest campers spent the morning becoming familiar with their new farm home. After decorating their camp hats with colorful designs, they headed out on their first farm adventure, eager to see who and what they would meet.
One of the day's most memorable introductions was to our friendly llama and the camp values represented by L.L.A.M.A.
Listen
Learn
Attitude
Make Good Choices
All Together
These simple reminders help campers practice kindness, teamwork, and respect while encouraging everyone to do their best throughout the week.
Using all five senses, campers explored the farm like true nature investigators. They listened for roosters crowing and goats calling across the pastures, searched for butterflies dancing through the gardens, touched soft fleece and rough tree bark, smelled fresh herbs growing nearby, and discovered that farmers pay close attention to even the smallest details every day.
🌱 Fun Farm Fact: A sheep's wool keeps it warm during winter and cool during summer by trapping tiny pockets of air that naturally regulate temperature.
The adventure continued with a fluffy sheep wool craft, an interactive farm story, a colorful matching game, and a stroll through our beautiful Master Garden. Before heading home, campers enjoyed one of everyone's favorite traditions—a relaxing wagon ride around the farm, where every turn revealed something new to discover.
🚜 Rising Ranchers: Learning What Farmers Do
Our older campers gathered around the flagpole to kick off the week with music, introductions, and energetic team-building games. It didn't take long before nervous smiles turned into laughter as campers encouraged one another and quickly became teammates.
After getting to know each other, it was time to roll up their sleeves.
The Purple Peppers and Horse Camp riders jumped into real farm responsibilities by helping care for animals and lending a hand around the barns. They discovered that successful farms rely on routines, responsibility, and teamwork and that every chore, big or small, helps animals stay healthy and comfortable.
Meanwhile, our youngest Rising Ranchers proudly grabbed child-sized brooms and helped sweep the barn aisles. They worked carefully and enthusiastically, proving that even the smallest farmers can make a big difference.
🐄 Did You Know? Dairy cows spend six to eight hours every day eating. Their specialized stomachs help them digest grasses and hay that people can't eat.
🥬 From Garden Rows to Creative Creations
Garden Kitchen campers learned that every delicious meal begins with healthy soil and hardworking growers.
Their first stop was the vegetable garden, where they harvested colorful Swiss chard directly from the raised beds. As campers gathered their fresh greens, they talked about the patience and daily care required to grow healthy vegetables.
Back indoors, those same vibrant leaves became inspiration for creative self-portrait artwork. By combining gardening with art, campers discovered that agriculture can inspire creativity in surprising ways.
🌿 Garden Fact: Swiss chard is sometimes called a "cut-and-come-again" vegetable because new leaves continue growing after older ones are harvested.
🔎 The Farm Mystery Challenge
Adventure was around every corner during today's farm-wide scavenger hunt.
Working together in small groups, campers searched gardens, barns, animal areas, and trails while following clues hidden throughout the property. Each discovery revealed another piece of a secret message, encouraging campers to communicate, think creatively, and explore every corner of the farm.
Along the way, they became familiar with the places they'll visit throughout the week while building confidence in working together.
🧲 A Symbol of Confidence
Every Farm Camp season begins with one of our favorite traditions the Horseshoe Confidence Craft.
As campers decorated their horseshoes, they reflected on trying new things, believing in themselves, and supporting one another. The horseshoe served as a reminder that growth often begins by stepping outside our comfort zones.
🐴 Fun Fact: Horseshoes aren't lucky because of magic they're lucky because they help protect horses' hooves, allowing them to travel comfortably across many different types of terrain.
❤️ Meeting the Farm Family
One of the biggest highlights of the day was finally meeting the animals that call the farm home.
Campers spent time visiting many of our furry and feathered residents while learning how farmers provide fresh food, clean water, comfortable shelters, enrichment, and daily health checks.
These meaningful encounters help children build compassion, responsibility, and appreciation for the important role livestock play in providing food, fiber, and other products we use every day.
Black Sheep Chad joined the Red Peppers on a scenic nature walk, bringing plenty of smiles and laughs along the trail. Meanwhile, the Yellow Peppers explored the chicken coop, where they learned about laying hens, poultry care, and the amazing journey from nest box to breakfast table.
🌟 A Wonderful Beginning
By the end of the day, campers had already accomplished so much. They cared for animals, harvested vegetables, explored nature, solved challenges, created artwork, and worked together as a team all while building new friendships and growing their confidence.
The first day reminded us that learning happens best when children can get their hands dirty, ask questions, and experience agriculture up close.
And with four more days of adventures still ahead, we're only getting started. We can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
