Local Parents Continue to Request After-School and Morning Programs at Auerfarm Registration Open for Fall Second Session
The 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm is offering open registration for its second session of Fall Enrichment Camp programming for school-age children in grades K-6 and Enrichment Sprouts for Pre-K (ages 3-5) starting November 2, 2021 – December 16, 2021.
The Auerfarm Enrichment Camp was designed at the request of local parents seeking more social-emotional opportunities for children during after-school and morning hours to challenge and engage their children in an outdoor setting. The gardens, barns, trails and play forest are used as the primary classroom space for learning STEAM (Science, Technology, Education, Arts, and Mathematics) based activities. A farm based educator works with small groups (up to 12) to create a social emotional learning experience for preschool and school aged learners. Outdoor farm-based learning in a small group setting provides a safe and interactive way to engage learners with varied interests.
The Enrichment After-School Camp is an educational program for 2 cohorts, 2 days a week, 2 hours a day (24 total hours), Monday & Wednesday (Group A Cohort 11/2/21– 12/15/21) 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm or Tuesday & Thursday (Group B Cohort 11/8/21 – 12/16/21) 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm. The Pre-K Sprouts program is scheduled for 9:30am-11:30am from 11/2/21 – 12/16/21.
“The impact of the day-camp experience really resonated with our community – and there was great interest from the parents to continue to offer a similar experience of Auer Summer Day Camp for an after-school experience as well as providing morning engagement care for their Pre-K children.” Jonni Marshall, Camp & Education Director said. “Our farm-based educational programming coupled with Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL) provides a safe environment for an inclusive and rewarding experience for both child and parent.” Marshall continued.
The central mission of the Auerbach farm was set down by the Auerbach family in 1976, to create a real hands-on farm learning experience for students. Students learn that the farmer is a scientist and that agriculture science affects everyday life. Programs are all based on the inquiry learning method, encouraging critical thinking and curiosity, while providing concrete hands-on discovery experiences essential to motivate and inspire inquisitiveness.
Erica Fearn, Executive Director, stated, “As we know, these past few years have been unprecedented on many levels and we must take stock in the emotional and educational factors facing our children of all ages. We understand that our community needs supplemental socio-emotional experiences for their children and themselves. We listened and got to work immediately to combine STEAM, core science framework, and SEL. We have worked diligently to ensure a safe farm-based learning environment for our campers, students, families, visitors, and staff – as it has to come first.”
For more information, or to register your child, please visit https://auerfarm.salsalabs.org/FallSession2. The 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm is committed to engaging all ages in learning about farming, science, and the environment.