Summer Camp Session Details
Across all sessions, campers will experience:
- Engaging storytelling, uplifting songs, and team-building activities.
- Nature games and creative play
- Harvesting and eating fresh farm foods
- A hayride tour of our organic production farm
- Fun in the great outdoors, all day long, rain and shine!
Oxbow is a real, operating farm!
Our one-acre Kids’ Farm and one-of-a-kind Living Playground are built, planted, and maintained with kids in mind. Our Summer Camp instructors, all CPR/First Aid certified, are trained in inquiry-based environmental education and in facilitating nature connections for children of all ages. Camp groups maintain a 12:1 camper-to-instructor ratio and are also joined by at least one support volunteer for the entire week.
2024 Session Calendar
Fields & Forests
Put on your summer hats, roll up your sleeves, and step into the shoes of a farmer for a week! From learning how to grow flowers and food, exploring various farm habitats, and uncovering bugs and critters to trekking through the forest and dipping your toes in the Snoqualmie River, there’s excitement at every turn. Engage your hands and tastebuds with activities like berry feasting and sprout tending. Make friends on scenic hikes, embark on a farming journey with experts, and explore alongside conservation scientists. Share your newfound knowledge with fellow campers and delve into the nature of your food.
Art Harvest
Budding artists, let our farm be your muse! Awaken your imagination during a week filled with natural wonders and extraordinary expressions inspired by the great outdoors. Connect with your creative spirit and fellow campers while crafting notebooks, garlands, wreaths, and flower arrangements. Explore the world of natural dyes, producing a vibrant palette sourced from flowers and plants to add life to fabrics and canvas. From the rustic charm of wood carvings to the whimsical fun of sprouted Chia pets, each creation is a reflection of the beauty and inspiration drawn from nature’s abundant offerings.
Chef Sprouts
Sprouts, get ready for a culinary adventure where you’ll experiment with unique flavor combinations and collaborate with fellow young foodies alongside Oxbow staff and expert chefs. Try classic farm recipes, sample fresh new flavors, and create your own culinary masterpieces. Absorb your tastebuds and minds as we discover various cooking methods and techniques, and learn how to preserve the bounties of our mid-summer harvest. Build your culinary skills in a safe and supportive environment, preparing and savoring farm-fresh cuisine. Explore fun and unique ways to cook healthy food for humans while also delving into the nourishment needs of our animal neighbors and farm fields.
Oxbow Odyssey: From Curiosity to Confidence
Discover tales from Summer Farm Camp, where the teamwork of the Resilient Rad-berries blossomed and a little bird named Bartholomew raised big questions about nature. Learn how outdoor exploration and play cultivate curiosity, courage, and lasting connections between campers and the environment.
Sneak Peek
No two days are the same at summer camp
We love following children’s curiosity and intuition and have a wide variety of activities to play, learn, and sprout together. A few camper favorites include:
- Holding worms
- Constructing fairy homes
- Exploring Oxbow trails and playing in the mud
- Making raspberry-based body paint
- Creating yummy smoothies with our unique Bike Blender
- Wandering our Living Playground vine tunnels
Campers, you will get to harvest and snack throughout the day as we move around to learn about farming techniques, veggies, native plants, and conservation from special guests. Experts play, show, and explain—helping you understand what goes on a real-life farm and conservation center. You can bring home some yummies, so your friends and family can learn what farm-fresh veggies taste like too!
Through free-play and guided activities, you can learn new concepts, create secret codes, and search for different ways the ecosystem is related to YOU.
There will also be an opportunity to showcase and share your talents with other campers! So if you have something you’d like to share, start getting ready. It’s going to be good!
